Orcs Must Die!

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 66 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 66
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 66
  3. Negative: 4 out of 66

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  1. Tinkerfink
    Oct 9, 2011
    10
    Made an account just to comment on THIS GAME. And what a game it is... This is, bar none, the most fun I've had playing a game since Dungeon Keeper 2. Why do I compare it with an old school RTS? Because, while not as funny, its gameplay mechanics and atmosphere sure send me back into the good old time of gaming, when it was actually FUN to play a game, and not some tedious, overhypedMade an account just to comment on THIS GAME. And what a game it is... This is, bar none, the most fun I've had playing a game since Dungeon Keeper 2. Why do I compare it with an old school RTS? Because, while not as funny, its gameplay mechanics and atmosphere sure send me back into the good old time of gaming, when it was actually FUN to play a game, and not some tedious, overhyped garbage most developers throw at a gamer these days. Robot ent., you've just entered into my "Devs to watch" list. A pat on the back, a GG and hats off to you guys for this amazing killfest!… Expand
  2. JWonder
    Oct 5, 2011
    10
    I'm only about halfway through the campaign, but this is some of the most plain old fun I've had playing Xbox in a long while. The number of games I play has been greatly reduced due to time constraints, so for me to not only play a game, but RE-play parts of it, that's very unusual (I don't even do that with Angry Birds to get more stars). With OMD, I've found myself going back to playI'm only about halfway through the campaign, but this is some of the most plain old fun I've had playing Xbox in a long while. The number of games I play has been greatly reduced due to time constraints, so for me to not only play a game, but RE-play parts of it, that's very unusual (I don't even do that with Angry Birds to get more stars). With OMD, I've found myself going back to play levels again to get all 5 skulls, and finding it to not be a chore to do it.
    The control is very tight, the traps and weapons are fun to use, and the music/sound is great. Some of the things the Orcs say are really amusing.
    The bottom line is that the game is a lot of fun, and you can play it in small pockets of time if you don't have a full evening to sit down and get into something. I haven't had this much fun on my Xbox in a good while.    … Expand
  3. Hyperwolf
    Oct 20, 2011
    10
    I'm rating this 10 based on it's cost and the enjoyment factor you get from that. I've paid a lot more for AAA titles recently that don't come close to the pure fun factor of this game and which bored me very quickly. I"ve put 18 hours in to Orcs Must DIe and am still loving it. Can't recommend it highly enough. Definitely lots of replayablility due to the difficulty settings and sometimesI'm rating this 10 based on it's cost and the enjoyment factor you get from that. I've paid a lot more for AAA titles recently that don't come close to the pure fun factor of this game and which bored me very quickly. I"ve put 18 hours in to Orcs Must DIe and am still loving it. Can't recommend it highly enough. Definitely lots of replayablility due to the difficulty settings and sometimes because you just want to kill Orcs in new ways with newer traps on old maps. Yes it really is that satisfying to watch them. There is also a menu option for downloadable content so i'm hoping for more maps in the future.… Expand
  4. aspentitan
    Jan 16, 2012
    10
    At the current price of 600 pts this game is the steal of the century. Even at full price of 1200pts it is a much better bargain than most disc based games and longer too with more replay value. I guess there are two possible complaints about the game, neither of which for me deserves a reduction in quality. There is no multiplayer and also is hack and slash based. Apart from those twoAt the current price of 600 pts this game is the steal of the century. Even at full price of 1200pts it is a much better bargain than most disc based games and longer too with more replay value. I guess there are two possible complaints about the game, neither of which for me deserves a reduction in quality. There is no multiplayer and also is hack and slash based. Apart from those two possible criticisms I think this game is outstanding and must own. The object of the game is to protect portals. It acts as a 3rd person shooter game either with bow and arrow or sword and you are granted a new type of trap after clearing each level. Kill and orc, get some points, use the points to buy some traps. As you progress further into the game the maps become much more open and more complicated but then so does your choice of traps you may want to take into the level. Here is where the replay value goes through the roof. You can completel a level then redo it with a different choice of traps. You have some overpowered traps and some underpowered traps and so can even customize your game experience for example by trying a level harder with good traps or less hard with maybe less effective or no traps at all. You can play as trap placement strategist to just 3rd person bow and arrow. Its up to you. Fantastic game which is never dull because you as the player have so many choices in design between levels and as well on the fly. Must have especially for the price. As impressive as the game is in design I never had any slowdown with a screen full of enemies which most games nowadays do so this game gets top marks for quality being bug free. The graphics are also very nice remindiing me of demons souls done to more of a comic book feel. Overall nothing but nice things to say about this game. Finally a game which you can see developer passion.… Expand
  5. kellanj
    Oct 17, 2011
    9
    Loved it! incredibly addictive third person action meets town defense. I suggest everybody go out and buy it its only 15 dollars and the game is pretty long and very repayable. great game, great value.
  6. Striph
    Oct 9, 2011
    7
    Great graphics, its like a first person Torchlight, great sound, good options for configuring. Y invert, awesome mouse sensitivity settings. I'm about 5-6 hrs into the game so far. This is not your typical tower defense game where you are "safe" each wave. This is a hard game, you have to build specific setups or you will leak orcs and lose. I don't like that you can't use any oldGreat graphics, its like a first person Torchlight, great sound, good options for configuring. Y invert, awesome mouse sensitivity settings. I'm about 5-6 hrs into the game so far. This is not your typical tower defense game where you are "safe" each wave. This is a hard game, you have to build specific setups or you will leak orcs and lose. I don't like that you can't use any old combination and have things work out. That being said, so far it seems very repetitive, and only a portion of the traps given are actually useful. Its fun when its fun, and it is definitely challenging but if your a perfectionist like me who has to restart if you leak 1 orc through, then this is going to frustrate you to no end. I recommend trying the demo and play a few levels before you commit to buying this one.… Expand
  7. Gamergamesgames
    Oct 8, 2011
    10
    "Bar none BEST game on XBLA" What a pleasant surprise. This game is now my favorite game on XBLA! Perfect control and gameplay. Must buy! Must kill! Must play!
  8. Koalla
    Oct 12, 2011
    8
    Orcs must die takes on a different style of tower defense. Instead of the usual "God" overview where you can place towers wherever you want, OMD is more of a mixture between a third person shooter and a tower defense.

    You control a warrior / mage / hero, who can place traps and use magical weapons such as crossbow, sword, fire-glove thingy, etc. and also has the ability to place traps to    Orcs must die takes on a different style of tower defense. Instead of the usual "God" overview where you can place towers wherever you want, OMD is more of a mixture between a third person shooter and a tower defense.

    You control a warrior / mage / hero, who can place traps and use magical weapons such as crossbow, sword, fire-glove thingy, etc. and also has the ability to place traps to defeat beasts. For people familiar with TD games, the traps are your towers. However, you can place the traps on the ground, on the wall and more or less all over the place. There's a huge variety of towers which can all be upgraded, and in order to upgrade the towers, you need to collect skulls by completing levels while meeting certain score requirements.

    The game is entertaining, and the large variety of traps and weapons make for different approaches to each level, enabling you to "do it your way."

    There are however some cons to the game. As of today, 12th of October there's no multiplayer, and no multiplayer in sight either. Quite a bummer as it would make the game last longer. Also, apart from the achievements, there's not real re-play value, albeit the campaign is long. When upgrading the towers, it would not hurt to be able to upgrade them more than once, possibly available in a future expansion. (By the looks of the game's menu, there's a lot of DLC planned.)

    Overall it's a very good game, graphics are good, music is a little repetitive, but the voice comments are very funny at times. The game runs very smooth, and no real bugs encountered yet, apart from the fact that some mobs don't get back up after they've been knocked over.

    The game is definitely worth its cost and is likely to give you hours of entertainment.


    -Koalla-    … Expand
  9. Desperado
    Oct 12, 2011
    10
    This is an awesome game! I love the combination of action and strategy. It's really fun to replay levels trying out different ways to crush the orcs :) Gettings 5 skulls on a level is challenging and feels great once you do it.
  10. Maff
    Oct 23, 2011
    10
    You can Crush, slice, burn, impale, shoot, explode and any other form of death you can imagine with medieval technology, swarms of orks with absolute glee. It's one of the most fun games of late and setting up a lethal series of obstacles and releasing orks through it, all the while bearing arms yourself and dispensing them hand to hand, is really satisfying. It's basically a towerYou can Crush, slice, burn, impale, shoot, explode and any other form of death you can imagine with medieval technology, swarms of orks with absolute glee. It's one of the most fun games of late and setting up a lethal series of obstacles and releasing orks through it, all the while bearing arms yourself and dispensing them hand to hand, is really satisfying. It's basically a tower defense game where you also play a FPS simultaneously, much like Toy Soldiers, but more emphasis on the FPS. It's got a lot of humour in it too outside of comedy violence, brilliant game, I've given it a 10 judged as a downloadable game.… Expand
  11. v3norick
    Oct 14, 2011
    10
    Now this is a game I really really enjoy! This game really isn't solely a strategy, or 3rd per shooter, or tower defense based game because it really incorporates all 3 and it does, oh so very well. Not only is the game play extremely well but the graphics are superb. The controls are soooo easy to get use, I can swap between traps and weapons quickly and efficiently. Oh and the storyNow this is a game I really really enjoy! This game really isn't solely a strategy, or 3rd per shooter, or tower defense based game because it really incorporates all 3 and it does, oh so very well. Not only is the game play extremely well but the graphics are superb. The controls are soooo easy to get use, I can swap between traps and weapons quickly and efficiently. Oh and the story line really makes you root for the war mage. I would definitely recommend this game to my fellow gamer friends (cause I already have).… Expand
  12. eltygrysek
    Nov 7, 2011
    9
    Great game but pity that there is no multiplayer :(
  13. leonlp12
    Oct 27, 2011
    8
    The game is very good however it can get boring after a while.
    The comedy of the game is quite funny and the graphics are pretty good for a game on xbox.
  14. Rox22
    Jan 24, 2013
    8
    A surprisingly good tower defense game that provides a decent challenge, especially on higher difficulties. Truly an interesting concept that reminds me quite strongly of the old Dungeon Keeper series. Overall: A very good XBLA title, worthy of purchase.
  15. BKend
    Apr 30, 2013
    8
    It's a really fun game, with very high re playability. The only problem is that I can never seem to get five skulls on anything other than the first 5 levels. Still you should get it, I probably just suck at it.

Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
98
#98 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 37
  3. Negative: 1 out of 37
  1. Quarter to Three
    Jan 6, 2012
    40
    The problem with Orcs Must Die isn't necessarily Orcs Must Die. The problem is Toy Solders: Cold War, Plants vs. Zombies, Defender Chronicles, and Dungeon Defenders. Because a good tower defense game is just the first step to a good full-featured tower defense game.
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  2. XboxAddict
    Dec 14, 2011
    81
    As far as tower defense style games go, Orcs Must Die is one of the best available and will find you literally glued to your seat trying to overcome the challenging story mode for hours upon end.
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  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Dec 8, 2011
    90
    Fantasy genocide has never been such fun. [Issue#79, p.102]
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