In 2011, Robot Entertainment released the tower defense game Orcs Must Die!, adding an exclamation point to create a sense of urgency as well as to irritate anyone who has to write about video games for a living, though not as much as the absolute geeks behind Tom Clancy’s HAWX. Apparently, gamers weren’t satisfied enough with their need for mindless orc slaughter, and Robot was forced to release two sequels, which I would personally title Orcs Must Die!! and Orcs Must Die!!! or perhaps Orcs Must Die!!? to indicate its burgeoning existential crisis.
Now Robot has upped the ante with Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, a recent four-player goblin-farming roguelite whose subtitle throws a bone at clumsy orc-killing players by suggesting you try to build some kind of trap, possibly a death trap. Below, you’ll find the suspiciously innocent trailer, which I promise doesn’t involve a wall of arrow launchers or anything like that.
According to Monsieur Press Release, Deathtrap “stays true to the series’ beloved humor, personality, and charm.” We can expect “witty orc chatter,” “over-the-top physics,” and a “powerful soundtrack featuring guitar and drums.”
They also promise random buffs and debuffs for heroes, traps, weapons, stats, and levels. Weather and time of day will further affect the odds. As for the roguelike elements, you can choose to fight through the hordes, stacking buffs and debuffs, or return to your castle to spend some points on steady progress. Combat has clearly been tightened up, with a perspective and controls that remind me of Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare.
It certainly sounds like an advanced version of the original Orcs Must Die!, which Alec Meer (RPS in peace) described as “the most good-natured game I’ve played this year: a one-trick pony that makes the most of what is a really good trick.”
Alec was less impressed with the sequel, noting that it “shares both the sins and successes of its predecessor, which means repetitive and slightly annoying speech and music, a puddle-deep plot, and an extensive but still small set of enemy types.”
As for the third game, I can’t find a review here. All I can find is a bloody trail leading to a pit full of stakes. In the pit is a ragged, desperate man who insists he’s Alec Meer, but I won’t listen to his filthy orcish lies, and neither should you. Instead, let’s all head to Couple or Epic Games Store to wishlist Deathtrap – launching early 2025 Come on, come on, I swear these links don’t lead to any spike pits. I’ll just stand here next to this lever.
