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Orcs Must Die: Deathtrap

Orcs Must Die: Deathtrap

The next chapter in the tower defence series looks to deliver the classic Orcs Must Die! feeling but with a greater emphasis on its playable characters.

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One of the premier tower defence, round-based, horde-slaying video game series of recent memory is Robot Entertainment's Orcs Must Die! This series has offered a more family-friendly way to experience the thrill of series like Killing Floor and Call of Duty's Zombies, but in a way where a greater emphasis is placed on strategy and trap usage. For a long-time, this series has been driven and recognised by this element of its setup, but the developers are looking to head in a bit of a different direction in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, a sequel that revolves around the player-controlled War Mage characters more significantly. But does this work in the game's favour or not? I've been playing this new chapter in the series for a week and have plenty of thoughts.

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For starters, I can gloss over the usual narrative-based part of a review for the simple reason that Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap doesn't really have a story of note. There is a core progression to follow, one where the aim is to complete levels and maps to earn a chance at defeating bosses. But this is frankly minor and not an area that is particularly emphasised in-game at all. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that the looked-over narrative elements are some of Deathtrap's weakest parts, as it makes the world feel a tad lifeless and the characters and vendors you speak to all the less important. A little extra, a tighter focus on this front would have gone a long way to taking Deathtrap and elevating it up a notch or two.

But anyway, the meat on the bones of this project: the actual gameplay. The core and familiar idea of being dropped into a level and then designing a slate of defensive systems to protect an objective is once again at the forefront, and it works really seamlessly and well. You don't really need much explanation as to how this game functions or what to do, as it's very intuitive and straightforward, yet with plenty of depth and creative avenues in place to allow the player to put their own stamp on it. Using Barricades you can redirect the flow of Orcs to ensure they only attack from directions that you can amply defend, and then by using a collection of hugely unique and stylised traps, you can then take down hundreds of these savage monsters without breaking a sweat. The main challenge comes from the location of the objective you are protecting, the number of objectives, and how you can place traps around it, as individual traps are only designed to be placed on either the floor, the walls, or the ceiling. With this philosophy in mind, it's all about creating a defensive plan that won't crack while under pressure and that can operate without needing the player's involvement so they can roam the map and defeat stragglers and other Orc types that simply ignore or circumvent your plans.

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The traps are once again some of Deathtrap's greatest assets, with these opening the door to different kinds of elemental damage and also either dealing serious hurt to the Orcs or instead working in a more supportive manner by stunning or slowing them down to make them easier prey for the other traps. The way that you can combine the traps, and the fact that pretty much every trap can work with every other trap in the game, it all comes together to make Deathtrap a really competent and varied tower defence experience that will continue to creatively challenge the player but also keep them engaged with gripping action.

Orcs Must Die: Deathtrap
Orcs Must Die: DeathtrapOrcs Must Die: Deathtrap

What I'm less convinced about is the greater focus on the War Mages. While the six available options are varied and have very different attacks and abilities, the best part of Deathtrap is not roaming the map or getting into the nitty-gritty hack 'n' slash type action by diving headfirst into a horde of Orcs, it's waiting and watching your traps rip apart the hundreds of enemies barrelling towards you. Yes, it's great having more impactful characters, but they're not each so impactful that you always feel powerful and truly unmatched compared to the Orcs. I'd go as far as saying that despite this greater emphasis on the War Mages, most of them still feel like a bit of an afterthought that follows the traps, so much so that many of their abilities are not memorable or feel particularly vital to the wider experience.

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Perhaps this is in part down to the fact that the Orcs are not to be trifled with in Deathtrap. Sure, there are rank-and-file type enemies that pose no threat at all, but there are also a huge list of other enemies, be it tough giant Trolls, airborne Cyclops Mages, speedy Kobolds, explosive Grenadiers, frustrating Skeleton Orcs, and over 30 other types too. You'll never become bored by the enemies you face, as even though many follow the predictable paths you lay out for them, countless others pose different more challenging threats that make your War Mage look small against them.

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One of my main concerns about Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap so far however is the difficulty. No, I'm talking about Orcs having mechanics that are too hard to overcome or something that would excite the rabid Soulslike fan, I'm referring to the ramp up in challenge between missions and how the first mission is usually a breeze and then the second often adds brutal modifiers that make your life a nightmare. This could be corruption that stops you being able to place traps in certain areas forcing you to fight on fronts you don't want to defend, or instead scaling trap costs that mean each trap has to be immensely efficient if you want to succeed. Some of the starting defensive positions are also ruthless too, with some maps being frankly a breeze to defend and others being a nightmare. It just feels like the balance is a little out of sorts right now, likely in part due to the grander focus on cooperative gameplay, as Deathtrap really wants you to team up with friends to experience the action, which often makes solo play significantly more demanding.

On the topic of maps, while there are a few to check out currently, I do think they're all a tad too similar in visual style, a criticism that could be turned on the game as a whole. It feels like Robot Entertainment had the chance to creatively flex their muscles with this game, but instead fell into a slightly too predictable and familiar setup that makes each map look a little too safe and standardised. This isn't to say that Deathtrap isn't a great-looking game however, as graphically the use of Unreal Engine 5 means that this game is stunning and plays like a dream with only occasional frame rate drops when too many Orcs appear on-screen at once. So, while I think the art direction lacks a bit of a signature twist, visually and fidelity-wise, it's a beauty.

When out of action and in the hub area, I do think there's a bit of work that needs to be done on the progression side of Deathtrap too, as it currently takes too long to really make any significant headway. The costs of trap enhancements and new player skills increases with each one you buy, meaning it's only really adding new traps to your collection that doesn't eventually cost a fortune. If prices were brought down by around 50%, it would probably still feel demanding and time-consuming as you keep making purchases, but at this point we're talking about the people who will have put tens of hours into the title. And if I'm being pedantic, I loathe the use of cursor menus for controller players, as I simply don't understand why buttons can't be used for menu navigation, especially since buttons function completely fine when flicking through the UI in combat. Cursors on controllers have always felt horrible and I think they simply lead to frustration here too.

Orcs Must Die: Deathtrap

Still, as far as a round-based tower-defence action game goes, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap nails the task at hand well. It's entertaining, highly replayable, fine as a solo experience and better as a cooperative one, and it has stunning visuals too. After a bunch of hours it can feel a bit one-dimensional and repetitive due to its lacking narrative and steady progression, but as far as an easy and intuitive game to pick up and enjoy with friends goes, there's a lot to love and appreciate about this latest chapter in the series.

07 Gamereactor UK
7 / 10
+
Visually stunning. Highly replayable. Great as a cooperative experience. Amazing and varied traps. Broad defensive and creative opportunities. Orc variety is impressive. Fun combat.
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Lacking narrative. Art direction can feel a bit too safe. Progression is too steady. War Mages are not as impactful as you would hope. Cursor menus on controller...
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Orcs Must Die: Deathtrap

REVIEW. Written by Ben Lyons

The next chapter in the tower defence series looks to deliver the classic Orcs Must Die! feeling but with a greater emphasis on its playable characters.



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