Orcs Must Die!

 PC
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Nov 3, 2011
    91
    An incredibly robust and enjoyable take on the tower defense genre. Tight controls, a plethora of options, and a general fun factor that keeps you coming back again, and again, and again. It is hard not to love this game.
  2. Gamer Limit
    Nov 29, 2011
    90
    All in all, Orcs Must Die is a fantastic budget title with more than $15 worth of entertainment.
  3. PC Gamer
    Nov 9, 2011
    90
    Not since lemmings has a game so seamlessly mixed humor, cutscenes, and cruelty. [Holiday 2011, p.77]
  5. MEGamers
    Oct 27, 2011
    90
    Despite its quirky, comical outer shell, it's a game that has a surprising amount of depth to it, a characteristic that makes it both challenging and satisfying. Whether you're a fan of all-out, balls-to-the-wall action games, or more of a strategy connoisseur, Orcs Must Die! definitely deserves your undivided attention.
  6. Game Over Online
    Oct 19, 2011
    90
    For a fifteen dollar indie game, Orcs Must Die! has given me more enjoyment than most AAA, sixty dollar titles. I wholeheartedly recommend people buy this game, hardcore and casual crowd alike.
  7. GameSpy
    Oct 16, 2011
    90
    The game's many layers reveal themselves in a steady, satisfying progression that keep the game fresh, interesting, and most of all, flat-out-fun.
  8. IGN
    Oct 5, 2011
    90
    Orcs Must Die embellishes your devious side, encouraging you to devise clever ways of fulfilling the command of the title. For the not-so-clever, mowing down invaders with an automatic crossbow is also a great time.
  9. FiringSquad
    Oct 17, 2011
    86
    Orcs Must Die! is a blast, offering a fun, fresh twist on one of my favorite genres of all time. While its unique defensive structures will be appreciated by the more creative strategist, I'm sure this title would be especially enjoyed by those that might be bored by the more detached nature of traditional tower defense games.
  10. Ten Ton Hammer
    Oct 13, 2011
    86
    The best stand alone defense game since Plants vs. Zombies.
  11. Computer Games Online RO
    Nov 21, 2011
    85
    The humor never gets tiresome or done poorly, which, if you're asking me, is pretty rare in the array of overused jokes in the recent mainstream market. Another memorable advantage Orcs Must Die! has is the pretty good replay value, guaranteed by the presence of a score and global ranking tab, aside from the achievements that require finishing the game on Nightmare or getting a five star rating (or skulls, in the game's visual grammar) on each map.
  12. Pelit (Finland)
    Nov 15, 2011
    85
    Cartoony tower defense game is the perfect blend of strategy, hands-on FPS-action and ingenious trap designs. Killing orcs hasn't been this much fun since Helm's Deep. [Nov 2011]
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  13. 3DJuegos
    Oct 20, 2011
    85
    Orcs Must Die! is a fun tower defense romp with plenty of strategy where you'll find endless hours of good times.
  14. Absolute Games
    Dec 16, 2011
    84
    A rare tower defense game is addictive enough to suck you into playing it for days on end. Orcs Must Die is one of them.
  15. Everyeye.it
    Oct 24, 2011
    82
    Orcs Must Die is pure filthy creatures slaughtering fun!
  16. GameStar
    Oct 12, 2011
    81
    Once you've turned off your PC for ten minutes you'll want to go back and play some more, just one more level. If you like Tower Defense games, it's a clear must-buy.
  17. JeuxActu
    May 4, 2012
    80
    Setting traps to kill thousands and thousands of Orcs has always been a dream for you. Then here is what you were looking for ! Renewing the Tower Defense gameplay, Orcs Must Die is full of good and fun ideas. Despite its lack of ambition regarding the absence of a multiplayer mode and a story not so interesting to follow, players will surely spend some good times thinking about the different and effcient ways they can use to kill Orcs with style!
  18. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 20, 2012
    80
    Action packed tower defense game surprises with humor and irony. Variability of traps and action combined with strategy guarantee long term fun. [Dec 2011]
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  19. CD-Action
    Nov 9, 2011
    80
    The Robot Entertainment crew didn't try to create anything original here but managed to combine the tried and true elements surprisingly well. [November 2011, p.57]
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  20. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 22, 2011
    80
    Orcs Must Die is a fine game, not just because of the hybrid concept between real time strategy and action, but also for its accessible gameplay that allows anyone to play without a tutorial. The 50 action packed levels full of smooth gameplay are a true bargain at 15 Euros on Live Marketplace and 10,99 Euros on Steam. OMD! misses the excellence just because of the absence of multiplayer: with a coop mode it would have been great.
  21. Games.cz
    Oct 21, 2011
    80
    A great action-packed strategy game that is not taking itself serious to no avail. This one throws you straight into the waves of orcs, and you will enjoy it quite immensely regardless of the gamer's type you are: tower defense lover or action shooters fan. The only flaw I see is the absence of level editor and multiplayer – that will maybe be brought in the promised DLC.
  22. Multiplayer.it
    Oct 15, 2011
    78
    Fun and hilarious, Orcs Must Die! offers hours of entertainment for a small price tag.
  23. GameSpot
    Oct 13, 2011
    75
    With numerous traps, weapons, and an endless supply of one-liners, Orcs Must Die! dispenses death with satisfying variety.
  24. Gamekult
    Oct 20, 2011
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
  25. DarkStation
    Oct 12, 2011
    70
    Sure, the game is tepid in some spots and the steep price and lack of any multiplayer options does sting a bit, but provided you haven't grown tired of this tried-and-true formula then Orcs Must Die can definitely provide some hours of silly, unrelenting fun.
  26. PC Games (Russia)
    Nov 23, 2011
    65
    A Tower Defense game which is so fast, you'd sometimes wish for it to slow down. [December 2011, p.100]
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Awards & Rankings

30
#30 Best PC Game of 2011
48
#48 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 525 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 399 out of 525
  2. Mixed: 105 out of 525
  3. Negative: 21 out of 525
  1. Kluge
    Oct 16, 2011
    8
    Orcs Must Die! is a fun diversion. They've combined FPS with tower-defense. The traps are fun to place and watch, and being in on the actionOrcs Must Die! is a fun diversion. They've combined FPS with tower-defense. The traps are fun to place and watch, and being in on the action takes away a lot of the tedium that eventually sets in with most TD games. There are quite a few mechanics at work, but I really wish they would have created alternative currencies or role-playing persistent upgrades (beyond the skull system where you can get just one upgrade per trap). The coin currency is essentially the only currency you use throughout the game, and thus everything depends on it. This tends to make the first couple waves quite difficult to not let an enemy get through, and later waves too easy. In normal difficulty, the game doesn't feel particularly challenging, but once you unlock the nitemare mode (for which you unfortunately must complete every level on the normal difficulty), getting beyond the second level's pretty tough. The nitemare difficulty would have been a welcomed addition to the game, but it unfortunately is the same levels, dialogue, and cutscenes with much more difficult monsters. With many low-budget games, a good chunk of time has gone in to making the game look great without much processing power required, and Orcs Must Die! is a particularly good example of how good aesthetics will beat good graphics any day.

    Modding tools really would have turned this good, fun game into a massive and fantastic time sink. Unfortunately, you're stuck with DLC from the devs, and that's it. It seems a bit odd they'd do that, too, considering the TD genre became popular only by Blizz having their RTS games effectively be a platform, with very powerful modding & map-making tools allowing Starcraft/Warcraft to be a simulator, RPG, RTS, FPS, MMO, and just about anything else you can think of. It's certainly a game which could have been much better (and that's absolutely not to say it's at all a bad or unenjoyable game) with more dev time focused on giving consumers more choices. I suspect there'll be a sequel, and hopefully they'll add it in then. I look forward to it.    … Full Review »
  2. LordAlamar
    Oct 21, 2011
    10
    Here's a little game that came out of nowhere and proved to be immensely fun. It has nice graphics, awesome music, a lot of humor and a lot ofHere's a little game that came out of nowhere and proved to be immensely fun. It has nice graphics, awesome music, a lot of humor and a lot of soul. Excellent game, worth every cent :)… Full Review »
  3. KazMx
    Oct 21, 2011
    9
    The Defense game along with action-adventure is a formula that i would never imagine it would work this good. A thing to have in mind is thatThe Defense game along with action-adventure is a formula that i would never imagine it would work this good. A thing to have in mind is that sometimes the camera doesn't do the best thing when moving arround. I hope for Co-op which is the main flaw of this game… Full Review »
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