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by DominicM-16, 19 January 2012
Orcs must die! is a tower defense game with a twist, by having a third person or first person viewpoint instead of the traditional top-down view.
A tower defense is a game where you build towers or traps that stop enemies from destroying your base. You play as an apprentice of a wizard whose duty is to guard the rifts that connect the different worlds together. Before the start of the game, sadly, the wizard slips and cracks his head on a flight of stairs, leaving you (the apprentice) the job of guarding the rifts from the invading armies primarily consisting of ghoulish orcs. Your goal is to stop the orcs from getting to the rift!
You kill the enemies using a variety of different weapons, traps and spells. At the start of each level, you're given a chance to prepare for the orc horde that is slowly bashing it's way through the fortress doors. During this time, you would spend your money on building traps along the walls and floor which aid you in your defense against the orcs. As you kill orcs, you get more money which you then spend building even more traps.
 GAMEPLAY...
The combat in this game does feel quite floaty at times, and the weapons don't feel like they have much weight to them, but the combat is a secondary factor when it comes to gameplay. I would say the biggest factor of this game would be the traps. The traps often kill the orcs in comical yet gruesome ways and it is extremely satisfying when they catch enemies in groups, and it is surprisingly fun to find different combos for the different traps.
The level designs seems very well thought through, and there is quite a large variation between each level which also encourages you try out different traps and weapons. For example, there is a level with a large lake of corrosive fluids, and the orcs run along the sides of the lake. In this level you are given a springboard trap which comically springs your enemies in the desired direction. This allows you to hurl the enemies into the lake dozens at a time. The number of enemies that spawn each time is quite large, and it makes you constantly on your toes, you need to be frantically running around trying to kill the stragglers before they reach the rift.
GRAPHICS
The graphics are very cute, and well suited for the game as their cartoonish look matches the comical humour. The way the models are constructed make it look similar to World of Warcraft, but with quite a lot more detail on the textures.
OPTIONS
There aren't many options for this game which seems to annoy many people, but to be honest, I don't feel that there needs to be any more options in a simple game like this.
REPLAYABILITY
Each game lasts between 10 to 20 minutes depending on how long you take to set up. Each level does have replay value because there are many different traps which could be used in different combinations. Also, for each level, you get a certain number of skulls depending on how well you have done. These skulls can then be used to get upgrades for your different traps.
MULTIPLAYER LACKING
The biggest complaint for this game is the lack of any multiplayers. The lack of multiplayers sets this game far back in terms of replayability, and for this reason, many have turned to a similar title Dungeon Defenders. So far, there are only leaderboards which show your highscores for each level. The leaderboards are integrated well with the steam and X-box live systems which makes it easy to see your friends' high scores and can make the game a bit more competitive at times.
DLC and COSTS
At the moment, there are two dlcs available for orcs must die. Artifacts of Power and Lost Adventures. Artifacts of power costs $2.50 US and comes with three additional traps and one weapon. Honestly, I only use one of the traps that come with this dlc which is the floor scorcher. It is a pretty cool trap which burns groups of enemies in a large area infront of it. I personally don't think this is worth $2.50 though, but if you can get it on sale for 50 cents sometime, then it might be worth a go. The lost adventures dlc costs $4 Us and comes with five new levels, two new enemies and a mana well. Personally I think this dlc is more worth it than the other, but whether it is worth $4 depends on the person. I would personally wait to finish the game before buying it because then you would know if you need the five extra levels or not.
CONCLUSION
Ocs must die! is an amazing game for what it is. It has humourous and quirky dialogue which is suited to the cartoonish graphics and the fast paced light-hearted music. I have personally found that it is a much better game in comparison to Dungeon Defenders, but the lack of multiplayer in Orcs must die! gives Dungeon Defenders a lead. If you are only looking for a single player game though, and think you would enjoy this genre, then orcs must die! is a must-buy.
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