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When it comes to games that provide us with pure orc-obliterating fun, Orcs Must Die! takes the crown. This franchise has come a long way from its humble beginnings of tower defense chaos to massive battles, and now with the introduction of an extensive roguelite system mixed with the series’ iconic staples. What’s the result? It is an enjoyable entry, albeit with a few balance issues. Still, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is a highly addictive installment for OMD and one that many will spend dozens of hours playing, whether to unlock everything the game has or to blow orcs to smithereens in the most over-the-top ways possible.
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap continues the series’s legacy of orc-slaying shenanigans but elevates it with a new extensive progression system, highly unique War Mages, and superb map design. The tactical element of trap-deploying and hands-on combat has never been better. It is one thing that hooked me instantly. Deathtrap also introduces a 4-player co-op mode to the game, but it feels highly unbalanced, especially after playing solo for a while. This usually led to some frustrating moments and times when my excitement for the game dwindled. But overall, it was a terrific experience and a promising formula that I hope the studio continues to use.
War Mages Assemble
As soon as Deathtrap kicks off, you’re welcomed by a new cast of War Mages who’ll perform the delicate art of orc obliteration. There are some familiar characters for fans of the series, but if you’re new to the franchise, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is an excellent starting point, and you won’t feel confused if you haven’t played the previous entries. Also, there is a bit of lore here and there, but don’t expect a groundbreaking or memorable story. We’re here mainly to slice and smash orcs, and fortunately, the playable characters do a fantastic job at that.
What surprised me about every War Mage, design and personalities aside, which are also great, is how uniquely they all are. See, in games that introduce heroes, champions, oracles, or whatever the trendy name is at the time, some feel like a copy-paste of others. However, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap has a strong character identity.
You start with six characters and can unlock another secret one that I won’t spoil. Of the six characters, each one fills an archetype of sorts. You have Sophia, a tiny cat-like creature that dishes out fast dagger strikes and can become invisible to then create an explosive trail of flaming shadows. Yeah, that’s how over-the-top is, and I loved it. Kalos, my favorite, is the tank character. He has a shield that basically gives him a second HP bar and can even create objects to taunt enemies.
Furthermore, they all have unique traps that fit a character’s role. Kalos, for instance, can deploy a tree that heals other party members. Vaan, the War Mage with the fastest crossbow in the realm, can deploy a trap that teleports a character back to the right—quite useful if orcs are already sneaking in. In that regard, I loved how well-designed all War Mages were. All of them felt great to use, and each one provided useful things to every team.
However, I noticed a few things, and I’m still unsure if they were bugs or something with the game’s collision effects. For example, Kalos has an ability that lets him jump high in the air and smash the ground with a big shockwave attack. Sometimes, the attack got stuck mid-air, and Kalos landed on the same spot as if he didn’t jump. On certain occasions, ranged attacks didn’t hit orcs, even if they were in front of me. I don’t have the best aim, but I was shooting orcs at point-blank distance, and the hit was never registered. Still, these things didn’t happen that often, but when they did, they were pretty annoying, especially with the game’s fast-paced gameplay.
A Trap for Every Occasion
The next crucial thing about Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is the many traps you can use. If you’ve played previous entries, you’ll quickly recognize some of them. If not, part of Deathtrap’s gameplay is entering a map, watching where the orcs will come from, and creating a few kill boxes to halt the orcs’ advance. After all, if you leave the fighting to your War Mage alone, you’ll get overwhelmed. So, traps are a key aspect and one of the things I enjoyed the most.
On every map, you’ll get four gates where orcs will come from. Initially, two will be open, with the other two opening in future waves. Here, you get silhouettes of orcs that showcase their route. During this preparation phase, you can start blocking off some paths to lead enemies to your strategically placed kill boxes.
To create these places, you have a plethora of traps with many more you can unlock. There are floor, wall, ceiling traps, and barricades. The former go where you’d expect them to go. However, they all have different effects. Some light enemies on fire, some cover them in acid, others launch ice missiles, and others can even launch a bouncing bomb. They are another example of superb trap design where every single one feels different.
However, it is just placing traps for the sake of it. The game has a combo system where you’ll get coins with each orc you kill. The more coins you have, the more traps you can purchase. To get this combo meter up, you need to combine traps. For instance, if you create a kill box with only one trap type, you’ll get the usual amount of coins. Yet, if you place, let’s say, an acid trap, an ice trap, and a fire trap, you’ll get an x3 bonus for that killed orc. This encourages players to be as creative as possible when placing their traps, and again, it is something I thoroughly enjoyed.
In addition, certain maps have NPCs you can summon to help you during a fight. One map, for example, allowed me to summon archers with 2,000 coins. Another one let me get a dwarf cannoneer with 5,000 coins. Ultimately, it’s all about strategic planning and choosing where your “war funds” should go. Often, I made the mistake of incredibly fortifying the map for the first waves. Yet, when the two other doors opened, I struggled. Fortunately, the game is all about trial and error with the one thing I haven’t discussed yet: the roguelite system.
Orcs Will Eventually Die
The roguelite system kicks in before you even start a run. In the game’s hub, you select one of three randomized missions with different maps, debuffs, and even weather that create a few more unpleasant surprises. Once you pick one, start the trap-laying and orc-slaying processes I’ve mentioned. After each wave, you get to pick one of three Threads. Threads are cards that give players bonuses for their War Mages, traps, or the whole run. This keeps all runs fresh, and I liked it because every mission differed greatly from one another.
Should you survive a mission, you get a certain amount of skulls, which is the currency you need to upgrade your War Mage, traps, and unlock Threads, and you can decide whether to continue your run or return to the Fortress with your rewards. If you decide to continue your run, you’ll pay a hefty amount of skulls, usually half of what you gained in the first mission.
My reaction to this system was mixed, but with more highs than lows, fortunately. On the one hand, it is great to have these randomized aspects. Roguelite systems can turn any game into an endless adventure, and I have always loved that. Yet, it felt way too punishing at times. I’m all for grinding my way in roguelite adventures, but the currency sometimes comes in tiny amounts, and upgrades are expensive. Some of them don’t even feel worth getting. But again, it isn’t something that bothered me that much because the core gameplay is so enjoyable that I often forgot I had to get currency at all. I only wanted to kill orcs in the most ridiculous way possible, and Deathtrap delivered on that.
One final thing I want to discuss regarding balance is the co-op mode. I had the chance to play with someone else during the review period, and co-op felt like it was all over the place. When playing solo, you get plenty of resources and traps because, well, you’re alone. It makes sense. Even the Rift gets more points if orcs enter it. It is quite lenient there.
However, co-op mode was way too challenging at times. Traps and rift points are halved. It also makes sense because you have another person helping you. But it was frustrating that maps, where I could pull off a flawless strategy in a solo run, were a nightmare in co-op. It might be a case of tweaking enemy HP percentages or the number of orcs that enter, but frankly, I enjoyed the game more alone than with another person. I’m not saying it is bad, but it feels pretty unbalanced compared to solo mode. Yet, for those lone wolves, the game is fantastic, and once I stopped playing with someone else, I enjoyed it way more than I thought.
Blissful Chaos
Overall, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is an excellent addition to the OMD universe. The trap-laying aspect is superb, its map design is amazing, and the character identity is as strong as it can be. Yes, there are a few balance issues, but nothing that will ruin one’s experience. Even if co-op frustrates me sometimes, I still plan to play this with friends because the mayhem Deathtrap provides is unmatched. Also, the roguelite aspect is great. It’s always nice to start a run, hoping to eventually reach the boss and put your orc slayer skills to the test.
If this is the new approach the series takes, I can see a lot of success in it. Deathtrap provides almost endless replayability, and that’s me talking about the content at launch. Plus, it is highly accessible for all players, even if they haven’t delved into the franchise yet, which is always great when attracting new War Mages. Assuming Robot Entertainment brings strong post-launch content, it will be one of this year’s best tower defense games.
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap (PC Reviewed)
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is an excellent addition to the franchise that elevates practically everything with new in-depth systems, superb map design, and almost endless replayability.
Pros
- Superb map design
- Excellent character identity
- Over-the-top orc-slaying mechanics
Cons
- Co-op feels pretty unbalanced
- A few issues with certain abilities
- It might be too grindy for some people
