Order Automatica is a slow-burn type of game. In this roguelite deck-builder, finding your playstyle takes time, battles demand careful pre-planning and the unlocks just keep unlocking, offering more strategy and tactics. In a genre that often rushes you, it feels great to slow down.
Brave the dungeon
The battles in Order Automatica happen on two 3x3 grids – one for you and one for your opponent. Each cell is numbered one to nine, dictating the order of actions on the board. Arrange your warriors wisely so that your weakest character does not meet an early demise by going first and encountering a powerful enemy unit.
As you progress, the cells start nesting power-ups or debuffs, while some lock your soldiers in place – requiring a strategy shift or trade-off on your part.
Fusion core
The deck-building mechanic is straightforward: purchase characters from the shop’s random selection before each round, and combine three of the same for an upgraded version. The real tactical thinking kicks in when you note the characters’ fusions.
As you play, you suddenly realise that the cat you placed on the board can trigger an item held by a character in an adjacent cell – and the woman next to the cat re-triggers the cat’s ability when she’s knocked out. Then you notice that the item in question gives everyone in the same column +1 attack when the round begins, and this is how you can get everyone +3 attack. Probably good to knock out the woman early, then. There’s an item for that, too. The deeper you go, the more these kinds of ideas come to you, sharpening your strategy for the next round.
Dark side of the deck
Order Automatica is gritty. The dark art style, the occult characters and the moody music all add to the atmosphere of the occult. As do the bits of lore you earn when you beat a round. Following the diary of a scholar who gradually grows from curious to concerned to mad – only a couple of sentences at a time – definitely keeps things interesting.
It all works brilliantly with the pace of the game, pulling you in and holding you until you’ve completed another level – which unlocks yet another unit and another item to experiment with.