If you've ever dreamed of becoming a master of defense, stopping hordes of orcs with cunning traps and magic, then Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is the game that can bring your fantasies to life. And, to be honest, it’s one of the few that does.
Deathtrap is the fourth game in the series. While the first and second installments are considered masterpieces, and the third was well received, the new release has met with mixed reviews. And there are reasons for that. We'll discuss them in our review.
The Orcs Must Die! series turns fourteen this year. The developers, Robot Entertainment, took the well-known tower defense genre and transformed it by adding third-person action elements — a combination rarely seen on the market. Thanks to this, Orcs Must Die! gained a dedicated fanbase who enjoyed this unique mix.
The premise is simple: you are a war mage defending against hordes of orcs. You have everything you need — barricades, traps, spells, and good old-fashioned firearms. The series stood out for its cartoonish graphics, simple yet dynamic and intuitive gameplay that could still be challenging, and lighthearted humor. These elements didn’t make Orcs Must Die! a global hit, but they did turn it into a fun, casual game to unwind with after work.
Now comes the new installment. Robot Entertainment decided to experiment: they added four-player co-op, heroes with unique abilities, and trendy roguelike elements. These seemed like great ways to freshen up a decade-old formula. But the experiment failed.
The main objective in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is to protect the portals from invading orcs. To succeed, you must be both a strategist and a warrior. You have a variety of tools at your disposal.
Traps, like in classic tower defense games, are purchased before each battle. If you collect enough currency from fallen orcs, you can buy more.
Each hero in Deathtrap has unique weapons and magical abilities. There are six playable characters, but they are uninspired. Their archetypes are overused and dull, with the only standout being a nimble cat-woman with daggers. Though that might just be personal bias since we love for anything that meows. However, the developers did at least ensure that each hero plays differently in terms of available skills.
And then there are barricades. Trust us when we say barricades are crucial in this game. They allow you to create a truly intricate orc-killing machine, which is why they’ve always played a huge role in Orcs Must Die! However, in Deathtrap, the developers introduced a limitation that makes sense on paper but severely restricts gameplay: the number of barricades you can place is now heavily restricted. As a result, creativity takes a hit.
Tower defense now follows a roguelike format: you choose a map, fight, win or lose, then do it all over again. And again. And again.
There’s no real storyline pushing you forward. So, the only thing keeping the game interesting is its gameplay. Unfortunately, it falls flat. Where the older games were dynamic and fun, Deathtrap feels like a grind for the sake of grinding. Even the four-player co-op doesn’t help — it’s just as monotonous with friends as it is solo.
Moreover, the entry barrier is high. The game assumes you're already familiar with the series and doesn’t bother introducing itself or its mechanics. It throws you straight into the action, forcing you to struggle with a limited skill set for hours while slowly unlocking an unnecessarily vast skill tree. This makes it difficult for newcomers to fall in love with the game, or the series as a whole.
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap features bright, cartoonish graphics that won’t tax your processor. It’s visually pleasant but lacks a unique style. What it offers is reminiscent of an idle mobile game.
The controls seem optimized for a gamepad, which might annoy classic PC gamers who prefer a mouse and keyboard.
The sound design and soundtrack are solid, but the voice acting is a bit over-the-top, with an artificial, exaggerated tone. Fortunately, there aren’t too many voice lines.
Ultimately, after just a few hours, Deathtrap feels like it would have been better received five years ago. It seems outdated—not technically, but conceptually. Strangely, earlier games in the series don’t feel this way.
It feels like Robot Entertainment made a game for fans but lost what made Orcs Must Die! special. It also fails to attract new players due to its high entry barrier. The result is a game that few truly enjoy.
Deathtrap isn’t bad, but it pales in comparison to its predecessors. If you’re new to the series, start with an earlier release. Then, if you’re curious, check out the new one—but we weren’t particularly impressed.