App Army Assemble: Order Automatica - "Does this Chess-inspired auto-battler stand out in a crowded genre?"

Order Automatica is an auto-battling roguelike set on a teeny tiny 3x3 grid. On paper, it looks incredibly straightforward, but it apparently harbours hidden depths that will challenge even the most hardened tacticians. So, we handed it over to our App Army to see how they got on. 

Here's what they said:

Order Automatica is a serious strategy game played on a 3x3 grid, one for us and one for the AI. The general idea is that we have to strategically place our units based on their attack, health, and special power-ups. The game changes when power-ups stack up; if any side survives, new units appear to be picked up for the grid. 

The units on the lowest-numbered grid get the first turn, so where they are placed becomes important; which unit to place next to what other units are next to them is also very important, as is which to remove and which to keep, and it can change the outcome. I love the short animations over the units/cards. Book and codex are there to help you understand the story. Music is minimal but suits the style. Overall, it is a gem for hardcore puzzle fans.

Order Automatica is a tactical roguelite battler played on a 3x3 grid. The one thing I love most about apps is playing games I don’t usually come across on console, and Order Automatica is a perfect example of that. In a lot of ways, this game reminds me of chess, moving pieces around strategically to get into the best position to take down your opponents, and that’s the basic premise here.

While I’m certainly no expert, the more I played, the more I started to get into a flow of some confidence in taking down my enemies. Order requires a certain amount of patience; there’s a lot to read to learn just what each unit can do, to ultimately create the best chain reactions. The difficulty does spike up at times, and maybe it was luck, or maybe I just got better as time went on. For those looking for some strategic challenge, Order Automatica is a great time.

Grid-based strategy game with my favourite pixelated graphics. This turn-based strategy is quite complicated, but the game is still fun. If there was one thing I’d change, it’s the font. They are too small for a mobile game, and they're not readable at times. Otherwise, the game is fantastic. Game design, old-style retro graphics and music everything is good. A must-try for strategy lovers.

So I enjoyed the tutorial and the first few difficulties, but very quickly I came to see the very serious lack of variety. There are only 20 units in the game, and there’s not much of everything else, like items, cell effects, and ways to increase that very much. So very quickly as you play through the difficulties, it all becomes apparent that there's a lack of strategies you can employ, and it all just feels very samey with not enough variety at all. I went in expecting a variety of options and strategies as you’d get in a roguelike deckbuilder. Sadly, though the package looks nice and the game sounds good, it just lacks enough content for me to be able to recommend it to anyone.

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I like the graphic aesthetic of this game and the fact that it’s a slightly different take on a card battler. But honestly, I found the font hard to read (which is a serious handicap in a game like this), and the difficulty ramped up hard and fast after the short tutorial. I get that it’s roguelike, so I expected it to be punishing. But the one nearly unbeatable character showed up very quickly, and honestly made me really hesitate to keep coming back for more. The couple of times that I eventually beat him just weren’t satisfying enough to sell me on the experience. It’s a good-looking game with potential that makes me even more disappointed by its faults.

Order Automatica is a minimalist auto battler. You and your enemy each have a 3x3 grid to deploy units. You have a limited amount of points each round to spend on units and relics; the relics give units enhanced properties. Once you have deployed units, you start the battle and see if you win. The pixel graphics are well done, and the option to speed up the battles is a welcome feature. My main problem with the game is it gets too difficult far too quickly; you soon encounter an enemy unit that gets stronger each round and is very hard to beat. I soon got bored with constantly losing. Thumbs down for me.

Ok so what I’ve played of it so far. It's a roguelike turn-based strategy game. You play on a 3*3 grid. The idea is to defeat the enemies in the grid next to you. You have different players to collect, with different strengths, weaknesses and abilities. You also have special perks. The catch is. Some players cost more, or perks cost more. You have a budget each round to spend on your draw. You then place the players where you want and add perks to a grid. Or, if you are lucky, put three of the same players in a row and merge them together to get more power. Then let battle commence. 

The hook comes from finding ways to defeat the opposition. If you win, you extinguish an enemy candle. (In place of lives) You yourself have three Candles. So the idea is to make it up the ranks, defeat all enemies in that run without losing your final candle.
Some enemies feel broken. There is an enemy each time you attack. It loses life but gains extra. Essentially, it’s just getting stronger. Yet when you do break this enemy down. You feel an accomplishment. I am not the best strategist, but I am enjoying this game. The pick-up-and-play. The simple-to-start, hard-to-master aspect is drawing me in. I can see this being a game I dip into a lot for a few runs. I would recommend it.

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Order Automatica