Order 13

We sit down and review Order 13. A warehouse shipping simulation with a very dark twist that has launched onto consoles. Here is our review of Order 13.

It took a bit of time, but Order 13 finally made it off the PC and onto the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. This would be the warehouse shipping game that Cybernetic Walrus had out there for a bit, and with the help of JanduSoft, it made the console move. Just so that more gamers out there can see what other horrors are lying out there besides just the day-to-day work that has to go on. You know, because the bigger twist in Order 13 is that there is something even worse than corporate America behind the scenes in a facility like this. Something we became all too familiar with as we went deep into the building to make sure all of the shipments went out correctly and on time, in our review of the game. Will you like it? Read on to see if our experience will sell you on the game.

Story

It is time to start our shift in the facility we find ourselves at Jolly Box Co. It is where our job is, and we also kind of sleep on site. Well, more than we have so many orders to get out, and we need a safe place to sleep and take care of our cat in the world. Maybe, so we can save up enough money to buy our way out of the "company store" situation that we find ourselves in. Not to mention, keep our anxious cat sated, as whatever supernatural thing that is going on in the building is scaring the poor little kitty too much. It is time to punch in on the clock and take a run through the warehouse to earn that scratch now, and maybe earn the Employee of the Year title by the end of it. As long as we are still alive, I guess.

Hated

I am going to start with the elephant in the room for Order 13 when it comes to the console version of the game. Not all of the new controller schemes seemed to flow over as well as they did from the PC version. The basics of walking, crouching, hiding, and even picking up the orders work well, but when it comes to the shipping part of it all, the immersive motions are rough to get a grip on with a controller. I appreciate that there is still the need to place the tape on the box and then the shipping label, but it is definitely not made for the console's controls. Not to mention, the computer UI in Order 13 is a little hard to get the hang of, as you need to use the various sticks and D-pad to move about in the menu. Since this is where we are doing all of our upgrades and buying the fun things for our cat, it is used way too often to not be dialed in. After a year of waiting for this version of the game to drop, one would have thought this would flow seamlessly. Not so much on the console release, though, it is more of an annoyance than anything game-breaking.

The next big thing I need to point out in Order 13 is regarding the AI of the game. The entity that is roaming the area either seems like it knows where you are at all times, or has no clue, with very little middle ground from what I experienced. In fact, you can see it in the gameplay that was captured below, but there were times I was completely out of sight and motionless, and the enemy just stalked in from of the hiding spot. Then there were times I would make so much noise and run, with the enemy just going about its business in the other direction. This even feels like they thought this might be an issue in Order 13, as there is an option to fully disable the creatures in the game and just rely on the scripted horror events to keep the tension. Given that this is one of the bigger elements in the game that we need to worry about, it feels like this should have been close to perfection after all of the time in development. Instead, it just led to me sitting around, watching my cat get further annoyed, and then me running back with very little time to spare before my cat had a whole hissy fit.

Lastly, and this is more of an annoyance than a hate, but Order 13 should have some kind of automation when it comes to setting up the boxes on the table. You can also see this in the gameplay, but each time I came back into the safe room, I would have to drop whatever item I had to then load a box on the counter to then place the item into. Sure, this is part of the shipping process, so I understand why it is not automated from the start, but if there is an option to remove the monsters, maybe there should be one to load the base box on the counter. Especially since you cannot ship anything out with the box missing. There are penalties for shipping without any of the other elements, but a box is required in Order 13. It would save me a little time and a little bit of frustration, and it would have been nice to have some feature that would just place it there as soon as I stepped out of the room. As I said, it is a nitpick and not something that is going to bother many other gamers out there, I am sure.

Loved

For the gripes that I gave Order 13 above, the main loop of it all is way more engaging than I would have expected in general. It is effectively a game about being an Amazon warehouse picker, and it is odd how fun it is to go through the loop. Grabbing a ticket, memorizing the details, picking the item, and making it back to send it out might sound monotonous, but it somehow is not. It actually makes you feel like you need to keep working to get the next upgrade for yourself. Things like running shoes to go faster, a scanner to hold the information so we do not have to keep it in our heads, and other little bits to make things easier to get the job done. Even in the creepy environment, the fun of doing all of these tasks seems to make the horrors of Order 13 bearable. Horrors, as in the events that happen in the game and the monsters roaming about. Even as quotas start to pile up, the game somehow gets us to want to keep going and push on through. A weird feat that I am still baffled that it was pulled off in the game.

While the AI for the monsters in Order 13 did seem a little off to me, the designs were a lot of fun to look at and try to figure out what the hells they were. Not only that, but the other horror elements that seemed to randomly come in would further keep you on your toes. While I never played with the monster removed in the game, I can understand how some could enjoy the minor horrors and still be put on edge without the creatures roaming about. Not an easy balance to do, but the team nailed it in this game. Even as we head into the basement and other areas outside the usual warehouse, we spend a good portion of the game in them. It was so well done that I only wish I could spend more time roaming about trying to find all of the other things that the team placed out there in Order 13. I am sure I missed things as I kept to my loops, but if it was anything like the basics we ran into, I know it would freak everyone out. Maybe I will need to go back in to turn off the creatures and the cat screeching to experience all that the world has to offer up for us.

Finally, and this was a weird one for me, I am not a fan of when animals are placed in video games just so gamers can "pet" them. I do not understand why this is a big thing, since I would rather just pet my real pets instead of getting excited that a game has a dog or cat that can be pet. Order 13 has that as a bit of a mechanic, and it makes sense. Not that you have to pet or constantly engage with your custom cat, but that we have to take care of it, and it links into the core gameplay. As I have mentioned, the cat has a bit of anxiety, and we can only be away from it for so long. More or less, it is a timer for each day that we are in the warehouse. While there are options to pet the cat in Order 13, the main point is to buy it toys, treats, and various other things to make sure it stays calm as long as possible. So, it looks like the team was able to take something that drives me crazy in so many other games out there, but make it a useful part of the game. Hells, I even went out of my way to pet the cat, even though it does nothing in the game. It is just how the other elements build into the cat that it does start to feel close to a real pet, even though I will always take my real ones over any virtual one.

Overview

Order 13 is another simulation game with a horror twist on it. If doing the Amazon picker job all day is not your jam, you are not going to enjoy the game. That is the main loop of it all. If you can get past the fact that you are just doing a normal job, and can dig into the horror aspect of it all, then you will love the short and sweet game that this is. Given that there are options to fix most of the issues I had with the game, most should find some enjoyment out there, even if they are not playing the base mode. I mean, Order 13 also got me to enjoy the "pet the cat" mechanic in a video game for once, so that should be a shining example of if you should give it all a play. The game is a little short, so do not expect there to be much for your money. Thankfully, things are also randomized, so each run should play a bit differently to give it all a bit more replay factor. Not too many smaller games can truly claim that.

I give Order 13 666 Cat Scratches on the Cat Scratch scale.

Order 13 was developed by Cybernetic Walrus and published by JanduSoft for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on March 5^th, 2026. A PlayStation copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.