Every work at a dead end job to the point that you get exhausted and just want to go home to your four legged friend? What happens when you can’t do that because you live where you work? You get a horrifying experience that most people have nightmares about and with Order 13, you get to experience the nightmare first- hand. Order 13 is a first-person horror game, where you work at a haunted warehouse shipping products while taking care of your cat and avoiding something that is prowling the warehouse.
Starting the game, the first thing you get to do is customize your cat. You get to choose the fur color of the cat and even give them a little head piece which makes them even cuter. When I made my cat, I gave them a batman mask and called them Batcat (I know it’s very original), but i couldn’t help it. After you do that you’re thrown into your house/office and here is where one of the first issues happens.
The game doesn’t have a good tutorial to teach you how to do your job. There are some sticky notes and the computer screen that hints on your job, but it isn’t clear enough. It took me a while to even know how to exit my office to even enter the warehouse. I also didn’t know that I had to memorize the shelf number and a specific code to retrieve the item needed to be shipped. The bright side is the first day doesn’t have any monsters hunting you so you get the chance to get used to the gameplay, but the tutorial taking you through the whole process would have been very helpful.
Basically you look at the computer to see your daily quota, check out the order ticket and memorize the code, then find the appropriate shelf and input the code to retrieve the item. After you do all that you return to your office to box up the item and ship off the item to get paid. But keep your ears open because you will be hearing sounds indicating how close the monster is towards you. If the monster is close you have to hide under shelves or hide on higher levels to avoid the monster. While you are doing your job, you also have to keep an eye on the cat meter to see how happy your cat is. This adds a time limit because if your cat gets too upset you lose, so if the meter gets low you have to return to your office and make your cat happy by playing with them or feeding them. Don’t worry, you’re safe from the monster in your office, so if it’s chasing you can also return to your office if you are close by.
This game has a bunch of jumpscares, which is to be expected, but they don’t all come from the monster. As you’re exploring the warehouse and all the floors, you might start to hallucinate seeing things that aren’t there, the layout of the floor will be different and start hearing things. The only way to die in the game is by the monster or by running out of time, so all the other jumpscares will only spook you and add to the atmosphere.
While I was playing, I found myself constantly on my toes, flinching at every sound, looking slowly past any corner, feeling like I could be attacked at any moment or scared out of nowhere. This always ups my heart rate and I’ll even admit the moment every time I get jumped scared, I end up tossing my controller. The warehouse is creepy and the sounds you are always hearing every few seconds add to the atmosphere of the game, turning it into a true horror experience. The only reason I kept going around the warehouse and avoiding the monster despite my fears, wasn’t for the paycheck. The main reason was to make sure that my cat will be happy and safe everyday.
In conclusion, Order 13 is a suspenseful horror experience that makes you stay on your toes to stay alive and try to make a living for you and your feline friend. With constant sounds, the fear that the monster can get you the moment you aren’t paying attention or your cat missing you too much. I really feel like I’m going through all this just to make my beloved cat happy and I’d be happy to keep doing this every day. I recommend this game to anyone who likes suspense, a good scare and cats.
Score: 7 out of 10
Reviewed on PlayStation 5