Orcs Must Die Review!

Orcs Must Die from Robot Entertainment doesn't really pretend to hide behind the most intricate concept or story. Its premise is crystal-clear. Gotta stop that Orc invasion.
You have an insane arsenal of traps at your disposal ranging from the usual spike trap, or swinging blades and sizzling brimstone floors but you are also granted magic items, as the protagonist isn't exactly an apt mage. In fact, he's a cocky dimwitted wise-guy. And I like him for that. Evil Dead is never far away when playing, and that can never be a bad thing. Especially not when playing as the Chin.

Hurrrr

It's also an incredibly fun game with a surprisingly deep gameplay. Don't let the simple premise fool you with that. The developers have cleverly put fighting in the game as a means of thinning out the Orc rank in between traps/spells through the use of either melee or ranged. The game lends itself more to a ranged style however, especially with a very satisfactory albeit inaccurate crossbow. It is this fighting that gives the game a more intense gameplay than most tower defence games I've played. It's easy to fall into the trap of playing the game as a simple tower defence game but that would not be doing the gameplay any justice. On top of that, the in-game fighting means it's not impossible to get the upper hand again if the monsters bypass some traps.
The map  is also often laden with regular objects that you can cleverly use at your own disposal. You can shoot down chandeliers for example, or pots with lava.
The maps are varied and although they usually favour one or two methods. Bottlenecking orcs, slowing them, then frying them like oversized piggies is one of the most satisfying things I've done in a videogame for the last month or so.

Sizzlin' Orc

 Unfortunately, you'll find yourself going back to roots and improved archers for most of the time, and it's sad how the majority of the traps will collect dust because there's little use for them. I don't think I ever used steam traps and a few of the wall blades for example.

The graphics and animations are extremely solid and pleasingly cartoony. The traps have a distinct look and the cut scenes although adding little to the story, are a nice refreshment and are enjoyable to watch. The entirety of the game is exceptionally well-designed. Give this Robot a chapeau tbh.

The only thing thing missing is a form of co-op in the game. Although I can imagine co-op would need a restructuring of maps and scaling difficulty the game almost feels designed to work together through either the use of combining traps or perhaps each defending your own corridor and backing each other up. It's a shame because it would give the game the ultimate extra value.

A very recommended game that lends itself perfect as a few hours of stress-relief!