PC REVIEW | ORDER 13

Work can be hell. Yes, I mean that in a literal sense. Have you ever worked on a building site at night? How about being the last person out of a busy office environment? Those little noises and shadows making you think that there is something there when there isn’t… or is there? Well, prepare to have those nightmares realised with Order 13. In Order 13, you work in a vast warehouse, shipping packages to customers, and you get to chill with your cat. Sounds pleasant, doesn’t it? Well, you’re the only person there. In fact, you seem to live there, just you and your fuzzy friend. Sounds perfect—until you realise you’re not as alone as you thought. Lurking in the darkness is an abomination, a creature that wants nothing more than to keep you and your precious kitty apart—and tearing you from your limbs while it’s at it. Let’s go into the good and the bad of working the night nightshift in this particular warehouse.

Things I liked!

• The Atmosphere | Order 13 feels like a horror game should, with plenty of dread, lots of little scares and, of course, an unkillable monster that must be avoided at all costs, and that’s just the cat… No, I’m kidding. The cat is lovely, and you have to keep it as happy as you can, or bad things will happen to you!!! In all seriousness, though, the game does manage to maintain an element of stress and dread throughout as you try to complete your quota before the night is through. Just make sure you remember those codes in the early days.

• Soundscape | The sounds in Order 13 are spooky as hell; even some of the less terrifying noises, like the closing of a gate, can feel unnerving when you’re so intent on getting back to home base. I mean, the place is huge, and the sounds help to represent that vastness extremely well. I think the cat could have done with a few more sounds, but that really is my only complaint.
  
  
• Different modes | If you feel like you just want to play the game with no hassles, no jump scares and no monsters chasing you, you can do that now with a handy menu that allows you to turn off events as you see fit. Personally, I actually enjoyed the stress of the creature chasing me and the random jump scares, as well as the challenge of keeping my cat happy. But after I finished all that, walking around and exploring the warehouse with not a care was quite cathartic, although the feeling of dread never quite left me.

Mixed & disliked!

• The Creature | The creature design was unpleasant enough, and the sounds it made as it stalked you throughout the warehouse were creepy and stress-inducing, but once you get the hang of the mechanics, it is quite an easy foe to avoid. That’s not to say that avoiding it is all you have to do, though. Sometimes you might be running out of cat happiness, and the creature is literally standing in your way, but, I mean, other than that, I feel that a little bit more variety would be welcome in future updates.

• Graphics | Graphically, Order 13 delivers a pretty standard horror fare—deep shadows, torchlight, hidden surprises and all the expected eerie elements. But beyond that, it’s also a game set in a warehouse, one that inexplicably stocks everything from body parts to toy trains. A little variation in some of the objects would be a welcome addition. Every train looks identical, every brain, every arm, every barbecue set, all exactly the same. Even some different colours would be nice. I know, I know, it’s a little nitpicky, but that’s just how I feel about it.

CONCLUSION

Score: 80/100

Order 13 is a great wee horror game that lets you use your own imagination—mostly to give yourself scares—but also has the added factors of an actual monster, a cat, and some good old-fashioned random body parts and blood thrown in for good measure. Order 13 isn’t going to keep you occupied for weeks, but it is a fun wee game that will let you scratch that horror itch in a unique way. I wonder what other jobs are going to get the horror treatment.