Order Automatica review - "Balatro-like elements in a dark fantasy world"

It seems we're in an auto-battler and Balatro-like era right now, with everyone seeking out another dopamine hit that only synergy-based combos and floating numbers can provide. I'm sure it'll reach a saturation point eventually. Right now, though, I'm all for it. Order Automatica is the latest to step into the spotlight, bringing a dark fantasy vibe to proceedings. 

Much like Balatro, Gambonanza, and Ultrapool, the concept is simple. Here, it's: Place your characters on a tiny 3 x 3 grid and wipe out your opponent's board with at least one of your units still standing when all is said and done. You have three lives to reach the end of each nine-battle gauntlet, with both sides represented by a series of candles that are extinguished after each bout.

Order Automatica is deceptively tricky

And while a maximum of nine units doesn't sound like a lot, things get decidedly more complex and interesting when you consider abilities, items, cell effects, Indulgences (bonuses that activate under certain conditions) and positioning. On top of that, if you line up three units in a row - horizontally, vertically or diagonally - they'll merge into a more powerful version, increasing their firepower while reducing your numbers. Putting your eggs in one basket isn’t always the way, after all.

There's a lot to think about, then, and that's what you'll spend most of your time doing. Since battles play out automatically, planning is the key to success. That means hunting for synergies between your available units. You can't guarantee certain draws since you buy new characters and items from a randomised shop each round, so it's a case of making the most of what lady luck throws your way. And when you find them, it's absolutely glorious. 

Much like the oft-referenced Balatro, if your setup is perfectly tweaked, you can trigger multiple items and abilities to kick off right before the battle starts. When this happens, the screen becomes a blur of cascading numbers and arrows pointing in all sorts of directions, like you're solving the theory of relativity in double-time. If you're playing on x3 speed, anyway. A more pedestrian pace is available if you want the game to walk through the effects. Either way, by the time that's finished, your troops have been transformed from relative minnows to powerhouses that now sport ludicrous attack points. 

In those moments, you can confidently sit back and watch your characters annihilate the opposition with ease, and it's incredibly gratifying. It's not overly difficult either, though it's far from a casual stroll by the beach. Depending on the active Curses (the polar opposite of Indulgences), it can get quite tricky, particularly as you get deeper into a run. If you don't have the pieces needed by about halfway, chances are you won't win. 

The deeper you go, the more it starts to make sense

After a few runs, you slowly get to grips with how things work, switching positions based on your opponent's setup and learning items and units to search for to get those big, tasty numbers popping up on the screen. It gets to a point where achieving victory never seems too far out of reach. Certainly not guaranteed, but not impossible either. However, the thing is, just winning isn't really what Order Automatica is about. 

You see, each Ritual - as runs are called - has three Understanding circles to unlock. These are earned by hitting certain Overkill scores, which is a number that's worked out at the end of every round, calculated by adding up the remaining attack points of your surviving units. Really outdo yourself, and you'll snag three Understanding circles to add to your collection per Ritual. Getting these is where most Balatro-like lovers will find the greatest challenge. While it's perfectly possible to scrape by for those of us with mediocre tactical skills, truly smashing it requires expert planning.

There are two fairly noteworthy issues with Order Automatica's gameplay. The first is the locking mechanic. While some of the later enemies have fairly annoying abilities, they're satisfying to play around. However, the Curse that locks your units in place is just frustrating. Aside from merging three units or finding a Key, you're stuck with it, severely limiting your tactical options. It feels slightly unfair. 

The other issue is that it's likely too shallow for true strategy savants. Part of the fun is breaking the rules to get those ludicrous cascading combos and silly numbers. Veterans will likely figure that out all too quickly, significantly reducing the challenge, even for the Understanding. For that reason, I'd probably push Order Automatica more so to newcomers to the genre. Not that advanced players won't have a good time, especially if they enjoy dark fantasy.

Despite the surface-level simplicity, Order Automatica is quite stylish. Each unit has a lovely pixel art portrait that plays a few frames of animation every so often. While it's not anything overly flamboyant, it does exactly enough to inject some personality into what could otherwise be a fairly bland board. The creepy cult premise is also strong enough to create a slightly unsettling atmosphere that helps it stand out from the crowd.