Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap Review – Rogue-Lite Orc-estry

As a lover of 3D tower defense games, you’re surely familiar with the timeless classics that have shaped this genre. I fondly remember my journey with Sanctum, Coffee Stain’s initial blockbuster before they ventured into the world of Satisfactory. Then there’s Dungeon Defenders, a pioneer that blended hack and slash action RPG with tower defense, although its subsequent titles haven’t quite managed to recapture the magic. Lastly, I can’t forget about Orcs Must Die!, which Robot Entertainment has consistently produced over the past 13 years. Even after a stumble with the free-to-play Unchained, Orcs Must Die! 3 was a fantastic comeback, bringing us back to the series’ roots.

The game titled “Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap” is another installment in the series, introducing rogue-lite mechanics for a fresh take on the gameplay formula. Despite some grinding elements and not entirely breaking new ground in terms of gameplay evolution, Deathtrap excels with its map layouts, diverse characters, and overall aesthetic appeal.

The narrative remains consistent: Orcs aim to invade the Rift, leaving it up to you as a War Mage to safeguard it. In this solitary crusade, you’ll wreak havoc using swords, bows, spells, and assorted tools of destruction. There are half a dozen characters to pick from, each boasting special talents and ultimate skills (otherwise known as Overdrives).

Setting up a zone for elimination using Saw Blade Launchers that ricochet back and forth within a confined area is quite impressive. But what truly enhances this setup is adding a Tar Trap to slow down approaching enemies, maximizing their exposure to all the bounces, making it more effective…

Sophie, equipped with her pair of draining daggers, can siphon health from foes upon critical strikes, establish a path of darkness that inflicts harm on any adversary traversing it once activated, and bring forth Bartholomew, an ally skeleton warrior who joins the fight. On the other hand, Wren is a magic-user who, during Overdrive, summons multiple copies of herself for increased damage, and possesses the ability to swiftly reload her weapons, similar to Gears, thus gaining extra ammunition. The diversity in gameplay styles offers an engaging experience, fostering intriguing combinations based on your chosen strategy.

In addition, there are traps that can balance things out. These include the traditional Arrow Wall for surprising enemies with volleys, distant attacks using Auto Crossbows, and even Ceiling Lasers due to some form of magic.

Traps are categorized into Ceiling, Wall, and Floor varieties, but it’s impractical to blanket a map with Auto Crossbows due to both financial constraints (Rift Coin cost) and the map’s structural limitations, as traps can’t be placed randomly. Some traps perform better on specific maps, like Flip Traps that are ideal for tall staircases that Orcs must ascend. However, keep in mind that the largest enemies won’t be launched off these traps initially.

As a fan, I’d say it’s crucial to keep in mind that both trap efficiency and quantity matter equally. Setting up a killzone with Saw Blade Launchers bouncing off walls in a confined area is pretty neat. Yet, adding Tar Traps to slow down approaching enemies, ensuring they get hit by every bounce, is even cooler. Plus, spacing out Brimstone and Spike Traps gives the enemies more opportunities to reset, making it all the more effective!

Each map poses an intriguing conundrum in this sense, particularly since additional waves provide additional entryways for the Orcs to stream through. For example, consider the Patio Gardens – the open-air layout around the Rift isn’t suitable for Arrow Barriers or Ceiling Lasers. Strategically utilize these barriers to guide them towards the keep’s entrance, where more Orcs eventually appear, allowing you to set up enough Floor Traps, Saw Blade Launchers, and other destructive devices to inflict damage.

Increased health, stronger main attack, and enhanced trap damage for the War Mage sound beneficial, but a 3% boost in critical hit chance for primary attacks isn’t particularly exciting.

In some situations, the modifiers selected during gameplay might not work as expected. For instance, instead of decreased critical chance and headshot damage, you might prefer enemies that heal their allies because they seem less frustrating. However, to counter these healing foes, you’ll need traps or heroes capable of handling them. Otherwise, the damage your traps inflict may be outdone by the enemy’s healing capabilities. Initially, having kobolds with double health and counting as two Rift Points may not seem daunting, but if your overall strategy collapses and you’re overwhelmed, they can become problematic. Lastly, reducing the barricade limit by one for every War Mage might not be a concern when playing alone, but it could pose challenges in multiplayer scenarios.

In each successive mission, you need to choose a fresh modification, accumulating effects as you progress towards encountering the final boss at the last juncture. Completing mission stages awards you Threads, which can enhance various aspects of gameplay such as Sophie’s Overdrive charging continuously during Bartholomew’s active phase, launching enemies further, and much more. You also have an opportunity to upgrade Saw Blade Launchers with a chance for Rend, increasing the likelihood of critical hits, thus providing Sophie with additional health drain opportunities. However, you are limited to only three choices, and I haven’t found a method to change them yet. This means making the wrong decision could result in minimal gains (or worse, hinder your run altogether).

As you accomplish missions, you’ll accumulate Skulls to unlock various Threads, trap enhancements, and character abilities. It seems like I was playing solo, but even unsuccessful runs granted only minimal upgrades for a single character passive and a few trap advancements. The traps are acquired using gold Skulls, and the pace at which they’re distributed appears balanced, but since you have to separately level up each character and complete Thread Quests to activate the modifiers for purchase, there’s quite a bit of grinding involved.

The enhancements to the character aren’t particularly thrilling beyond the skill advancements – additional War Mage health, primary attack power, and trap damage are beneficial, but a 3% boost in critical hit chance from Primary Attacks isn’t exactly exhilarating. At least they’re less expensive than most of the Garments. Those can run into hundreds of Skulls, and while I appreciate long-term goals, they seem a bit overpriced.

Although it has elements of a rogue-like game, “Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap” stays true to what makes the series great – creating intricate traps and annihilating Orcs in large numbers, preferably with companions.

Adapting to the map designs might require a bit of time, especially considering the diverse enemy types, but they do provide intriguing details. The graphics are stunning, and the entire animated display is impressive, making it hard not to feel excited as metal riffs play, and Orcs are torched, torn, hurled, and chopped. Performance remains steady, although I noticed some visual static when changing upscalers. Fortunately, TSR on DLSS 3’s Quality Mode performs satisfactorily.

Regrettably, I didn’t get much chance to enjoy the online co-op mode in Orcs Must Die!, which is typically what makes these games stand out. Although the single-player aspect is solid, you’ll likely have the best experience when playing with others. So, remember that when making your plans. Additionally, I discovered that there was no option to save a game and return later, which could be added at launch. Given that solo runs can last upwards of an hour, it would certainly enhance the experience if this feature were available.

As a gamer, I’ve found myself deeply immersed in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, even with its roguelike elements. The game stays true to what the series excels at: designing intricate trap systems and massacring hordes of Orcs, preferably with companions by my side. I must admit, a Classic Mode for that vintage feel would have been great, but the current gameplay is still enjoyable. Fingers crossed for future enhancements to the loot grind, skill tree points, and trap upgrades to make them more appealing, along with additional quality-of-life improvements and key roguelike elements.

This game was reviewed on PC.

2025-01-27 21:41

Read More