Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap review

Finding a balance of difficulty for playing with friends or solo in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap was something I was hoping would work well because there’s a great challenge trying to find the balance. Of course playing in a group is fun, but there’s still so much enjoyment playing games like this alone. Going into this, I was instantly put at ease as I stepped into my first run and had an absolute blast fighting off the orcs with various traps and some wonderfully built War Mages at my disposal.

Going down the rogue-like route, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap sees you fighting off waves of enemies trying to get into a rift you need to defend. If too many of them pass through, your run is over and its back to your fortress to lick your wounds. The great news is you have so many different traps to lay down, and with so many different characters to play as, you’ll find a balance that works for you. While you do find your rhythm, it never allows you to relax, with each wave more powerful than the last.

You start off with money to buy and place a range of traps, such as laser beams that fire from the ceiling, fire pits that burn orcs as they run across them, ripsaws that fire through the air, automated crossbows, launch pads, and many more. After placing the traps you want, it’s time for the wave to begin. Watching the fruits of your labour work and enemies die in hilarious ways while fighting for your life is so exhilarating. When one wave ends, the process is repeated, although you can pick a ‘thread’ that improves your game.

They are essentially cards that have a specific power like improving one of your character’s traits, providing more health, or heightening the damage a specific trap might do. The different locations make you think differently when it comes to placing traps. Inside the castle, you’ll have plenty of walls and low ceilings, but out in the courtyard the open air won’t let you place those powerful laser beams, so every location offers environmental challenges for you to contend with.

The further you go, the tougher the enemies become. They get bigger and more powerful, but there’s also more variety of what you have to contend with, along with those flying bastards that help heal the enemy. While you do have a wide range of traps (with more to be unlocked and upgraded between runs back in your fortress), the different War Mages offer different ways to play and approach. While I enjoyed playing as Wren due to her wand dealing relatively powerful blasts from her wand and an ability that triggers nearby traps, I fell in love with Sophie; a cat with a penchant for necromancy.

Soph has dual blades that rip through orcs up close, as well as throwing from a distance. Each War Mage has an Overdrive ability that works like an Ultimate in Overwatch, and hers allows the summoning of her undead knight Bartholomew, who joins the field of play to fight alongside her. While there are War Mages in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, some of them have a focus on healing and support, and that’s where playing with others gets exciting.

All War Mages have their own specialised traps and traits. Kalos is a druid bear that can heal allies while fighting, and his ‘trap’ provides healing berries when interacted with. His trait is a second health bar that means his support becomes a vital member of any team. Mac is another great support character who uses his engineering skills to slow down enemies and use his knowledge of enemies and traps to improve the damage done. Each can play a great role in teams, but they’re also strong alone, with Robot Entertainment finding a solid balance regardless as who you play as.

This balance also plays into the difficulty. The amount of enemies are scaled depending on whether you are on your own or not. When you first start playing, it is rather difficult to progress far, but each character has a skill tree which you can improve every aspect of their game, and back at base you’re able to unlock a ton of new traps and upgrade how powerful they or or how much quicker they reset. You’re rewarded for the more time you put in, and I really started to find my feet once I began learning the environments and improving my characters of choice.

Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is such an exciting game to play. Fighting off the waves of enemies all featuring different buffs, debuffs, and attack patterns, as well as randomised threads make each run different from the last. It’s fun playing alone, but battling the hordes of creatures with others is where this is going to be at its best. With tons of upgrades and new traps to unlock, the gameplay is always exciting, and while it can be hard defending the rift when waves increase in difficulty, it is always thrilling to fight the various creatures you face.