I will be honest—before I received the review opportunity for Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, I had no idea the series was still alive and kicking. I remember seeing it back in the good old days of Xbox Live Arcade, and I had assumed, like so many great indies on that platform, it was a one-and-done experience. But little did I know it had been going strong until as recently as 2020.
It makes sense that Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap—or, for that matter, the entire series—would not have been on my radar, as I have never been the biggest fan of tower defence games. The last one I played in earnest was Fortified back in 2016, and I have genuinely never been a fan of that style of gameplay, often seeing its inclusion as the point where a game has run out of ideas.
However, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap genuinely hooked me thanks to the series’ central mechanic of directly involving the player in a much more interesting and action-packed way. And while I still cannot say I love the genre, I was definitely having a lot of fun playing this one.
“Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap hooked me with its action-packed twist on traditional tower-defence gameplay.”
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is not really centred around its story, but it does have a little in the way of baseline narrative to inform the gameplay. Seemingly taking place after Orcs Must Die! 3, the decimation of the Rift Lord Vorwic fractured the legions of orcs into four factions, each now led by a powerful general seeking complete control of the orcs. The War Mages must once again defend the rifts that provide magic and stability to the kingdom.
It was a simple enough introduction delivered through a short, rewatchable intro cinematic that felt appropriate for anyone who may not have played any of the previous games. It gives you a solid sense of this world and its mechanics while subtly laying out the objectives for gameplay in a fun and diegetic way.
But the highlight of Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is definitely its gameplay. As I mentioned before, it is a mix of action and tower defence, as players are given large battlefields containing a rift that needs protecting. With every wave, new points of entry open up for orcs to pour in from, so players need to set traps effectively around the battlefield while thinning the herds themselves in active combat.
It is definitely a lot more engaging than your average tower defence game, and there is a unique tension that comes from trying your best to fight off hordes of orcs while seeing how easily they can overwhelm you. It adds a nice layer of satisfaction when you lay out your traps in such a way that orcs can barely reach your rift, and you run in to pick up the scraps—leaning into its namesake.
“Every character feels distinct in how they move, attack and deliver little lines of flavour dialogue.”
However, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap adds a new layer to its gameplay by incorporating some simple but effective roguelike elements. After completing a wave, players are given a choice of three upgrades they can utilize going forward. These can range from making your War Mage more powerful to enhancing your traps. It does a good job of making every battle feel a bit more interesting, and I even like how some of the upgrades can have positive and negative effects—such as enhancing trap power but reducing its recharge time.
Of course, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is made even better by the game’s unique cast of War Mages. Each one has a unique design and brings something special to each fight. Whether you are playing as the somewhat standard Vaan, who utilizes a rapid-fire crossbow and has decent recovery abilities, or Kalos, the giant hammer-wielding bear who functions somewhat like a druid, every character feels distinct. Personally, I was a big fan of Sophie—a semi-anthropomorphic calico cat who combines rogue and necromancer traits.
Every character feels distinct in how they move, attack and deliver little lines of flavourful dialogue. In fact, the whole game has a great sense of style. Almost every aspect adopts a cartoonish aesthetic that makes the experience a lot of fun. From the environments to the way the orcs wobble as they move—or explode into bloody chunks when you slash them up—Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap never takes itself too seriously, and it is great. This is enhanced by the game’s rocking soundtrack, which mixes classic medieval themes and instruments with heavy metal guitars, making every encounter feel as high-octane as it is intense.
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap hooked me in a way I was not expecting, which is a pretty glowing recommendation from someone who is not a fan of the tower defence genre. In many ways, this may be the perfect game for people who are not huge fans of tower-defence games—it has a lot of depth, nuance and a style of gameplay that is sure to please.
