Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap Review (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

There’s something truly endearing about the mere thought of being able to obliterate hundreds of homeward-bound orcs with a magic-imbued firearm. This is, and so has been since its initial red carpet debut, the USP that Orcs Must Die! has been pouring its heart and soul into conjuring with each passing installment in its anthological timeline. The latest chapter in the tower defense series—Orcs Must Die Deathtrap—however, isn’t of a similar mindset as its predecessors; it capitalizes upon the same basic barricade-and-bombard blueprint as its peers, but takes the opportunity to divulge in a roguelike twist that, while still staying true to the original formula, sprouts fresh opportunities for users to craft, master, and deploy on the battlefield.

To say that Orcs Must Die Deathtrap is a new game wouldn’t be true; it’s business as usual, but with a few additional bells and whistles. Well, that isn’t doing the idea any justice, though it’s certainly imbued with the same core DNA as its three-piece kin. And by that, I mean that you still have the same orcs, trolls, ogres, and giants, as well as the usual physics-based traps, upgrade systems, and golden skulls. No, Deathtrap doesn’t stray all that far from its beaten path; it’s more or less a spin-off of the mainline entries with the added function of being able to rediscover the same thing several times over and toy with fresh tactical approaches. Without a beefy campaign to support it, the game is, respectfully, a bite-sized version of its elders’ signature worlds. But that isn’t an issue, and I commend the creators for their loyalty.

Caught in a Trap

Orcs Must Die Deathtrap unapologetically leans on all of the same tropes that inspired the original trilogy by laying the groundwork for an established platform. The game, which makes an attempt to delve into the pits of a roguelike system, more or less plays out in the same way as before; foes strive to reach a rift in an allotted time, while players, or War Mages if we’re getting technical, deploy various traps, barricades, and elemental weapons on the battlefield in an attempt to wipe the slate clean before the rift count whittles down to zero. Between these waves of attacks, players are invited to spend their hard-earned golden skulls—a currency that can be accrued by defeating orcs and other towering foes—on innovative tools or structural upgrades to help smoothen the process of banishing the oncoming armies. As far as all of these go, nothing is drastically different.

The feature that separates Deathtrap apart from its keystone kingpin is its roguelike design; it allows for players to rinse the same three areas of their armies, and then explore even greater depths of difficulty with a selection of superior abilities, weapons, and traps. And while three maps doesn’t sound all that great on paper, Deathtrap does manage to breathe just enough life into the ins and outs of the preliminary phases and in-battle configuration system to warrant a solid amount of gameplay time. Sure, the breadth of the campaign is without its iconic stage-based design — and that’s a crying shame. However, where the latest installment lacks in its ability to spin a compelling yarn for a story, it makes up for in creative detail and longevity in its surprisingly engaging trio of arena battles.

Deja Vu

As with any roguelike game that fosters a small selection of maps, it isn’t uncommon to succumb to the same pattern fourteen times over here. Case in point, a lot of the battles begin with the same basic setup; you guard your rift, reinforce your traps, and slaughter anything that dares to cross the threshold. That same structure applies in a good ninety percent of the fights that you involve yourself in, which means that, while you can alternate between numerous modes of action, the surroundings don’t necessarily change all that much. There is a silver lining to this, though: certain rounds do require a little extra effort to complete, as rifts frequently move, or eventually become shrouded with debris and other materials, and so on and so forth.

Thankfully, the enjoyment that comes with the simple concept of being able to yeet orcs into springboards is still as present as ever in Deathtrap, as is the sheer quantity of unorthodox traps and oftentimes hilarious upgrades that attach themselves to their respective counterparts. Naturally, there is something of an uphill struggle to overcome in the latter portions of the game; the enemies develop sturdier attacks, hit points, and essentially transform into bullet sponges that would soon rather humiliate you than spare you the chance to devise a counter strategy. But that’s all part of the fun, and, rather gracefully, it rewards you for sticking with the monotony of succumbing to your opponents’ daring pilgrimages by granting you access to better perks, routes, and areas to enhance in future attempts. That’s a roguelike for you though, I suppose.

More Orcs, Fewer Rifts

Orcs Must Die Deathtrap is messy by design, and so, it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise that a lot of its win criteria are based around dumb decisions and sheer luck alone. Again, there is a learning curve to the process of protecting your rifts, but I personally found that throwing caution to the wind and letting all hell let loose was the winning strategy for most, if not all of the war scenarios. And even when I wasn’t on the winning side of the battle, I often found that by merely adopting a minor change in tactics, I was able to turn the tide in my favor and complete a solid portion of the objectives without breaking the bank or losing out on too many golden skulls. That isn’t to say that it was all fun and games, mind you.

There’s a tremendous amount of trial and error involved in the process of illuminating your victory, I’ll say that much. That said, Deathtrap rarely fails to make each new descent into the realm feel boring or repetitive. Sure, it lacks the same charm as its original design, and it doesn’t have quite nearly as many maps to explore, for that matter, but thanks to its ever-shifting rifts, goals, and unique features, each battle almost feels like a new game encased within a single package. And that counts for a lot, truly.

Verdict

Orcs Must Die Deathtrap emphasizes the notion that you can teach an old dog new tricks. And, while a roguelike twist isn’t particularly out of the ordinary for a tower defense series, the game does manage to do the combination of the two genres justice by implementing some quality arenas, traps, weapons, and reward systems. At its core, it’s still the same old Orcs Must Die, but with its latest inclusion of several fresh locations, War Mages, and an advanced ragdoll mechanic to boot, it seems as if there is still an essence of originality to keep an otherwise predictable gameplay loop from losing its replay value and overall appeal.

There is a lot of fun to be found in Deathtrap, and perhaps even a handful of additional hours of post-campaign material, should you be willing to venture back into the fray and experiment with alternate barricades, traps, and War Mages. Don’t get me wrong, the lack of stages can be a bit of a bummer, doubly so if you’re familiar with the traditional multi-stage sequences and bulk war scenarios. That said, the three regions that Deathtrap does cough up are thankfully bursting at the seams with just as many visual gimmicks as they are intriguing pathways and potential modes of play.

While it’s certainly no secret that nothing in this world has the power to live forever, Orcs Must Die Deathtrap does at least manage to prolong its eventual demise by adding a new coating to an old collection of bones. Suffice it to say, if you’re one for revisiting worn-out concepts, then Deathtrap will surely entice you with its revitalized web of orcish shenanigans.