The fifth game in the Orcs Must Die! Series, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap continues to provide more of what these games have always been about - that is, a strangely effective combination of third-person shooter action and tower defense shenanigans. However, this time around, the folks over at Robot Entertainment have sprinkled a dash of rogue-lite spice into the mixture. And, as far as the overall experience goes, you’re more than likely going to have a good time here, even with the title’s rougher areas and occasional questionable design choices.



When firing up Deathtrap for the first time, you’re pretty much left to your own devices as far as figuring out where to initially go and discovering what core game systems are available for you to take advantage of – with explanations split between a series of brief tutorial videos and a light summary of the basics upon beginning your first run. My advice? Open your map and head from icon to icon – it’ll quickly become obvious what each NPC in the (perhaps unnecessarily large) Order Fortress hub’s purpose is, and how they can help you in your personal journey of self-improvement and death-dealing.



More on that later, though, because it’s time to break down the fundamentals of orc slaying. If you’ve ever played a tower defense game before, you know how this all works. Once you’ve selected your preferred playable War Mage and a map/level for your run, each bundled with a random gameplay-altering gimmick (or Distortion), you’re free to use your limited number of barricades and arsenal of available traps (launchpads, spiked floor tiles, and ceiling lasers, to name a few) to prevent attacking orcs from reaching the zone’s Rift. The only limit to your creativity here is your coin allowance, which refills as the level goes on and orcs are eradicated.

If you’ve ever played a tower defense game before, you know how this all works.

Every time an orc manages to make its way through your tight defences and reach your Rift, a point is deducted from the original total Rift Point value. Reach zero, and it’s game over – sending you back to the Fortress for some self-reflection and allowing you to incrementally improve your abilities. Each level usually contains six waves of incoming enemies, increasing in quantity and intensity as time goes on (knocking the frame rate down noticeably, too). Some maps feature multiple points of orc entry that unlock at specific waves, keeping you on your toes and forcing you to adjust your carefully laid plans to accommodate the inconvenience.



Between each wave, players can select one of three random Threads, which serve as upgrades or gameplay adjustments that last for the duration of the current run. Once all waves have elapsed, you’re faced with an important decision: do you return to the Order Fortress or do you place half your earned Skulls on the line (or Gamble Forward) and move on to another level with both increased difficulty and another Distortion for a greater payout? Decisions, decisions.

As far as those previously mentioned upgrades go, this is where those NPCs from before come into play - each offering their own tools to help you last longer and deal more damage out there on the battlefield. You can purchase brand new traps or upgrade those already owned (in aspects including damage output, activation duration, and reset time), pick up an Elixir that adds a one-time run-spanning buff, or unlock more Threads to add to your library (also awarded for reaching certain milestones).

Between each wave, players can select one of three random Threads, which serve as upgrades or gameplay adjustments that last for the duration of the current run.

Naturally, these aren’t given away free of charge – instead requiring the player to spend Skulls acquired during missions and through good old fashioned orc destruction. This currency is also used for War Mage upgrades, split into two skill trees – one pertaining to your active character, and another that applies to all available War Mages.



Speaking of which, there’s a decent variety of War Mages to choose from here, each boasting their own abilities, respective Threads, unique traps, and powerful Overdrive skills (charged through combo kills) allowing them to effectively lay the smackdown on the approaching orc armies – in addition to your meticulously placed traps, of course. Wren, for example, can summon magical clones of herself that copy her every move, or lay down a Time Crystal trap that speeds up surrounding trap reset timers. Vaan, on the other hand, has the ability to momentarily prevent point loss when orcs enter the Rift, and can even buff trap damage in a targeted area. These aren’t your only choices as far as War Mage options go, but I’m not going to go into detail here explaining them all. It’s fair to say, though, that there’s something for everybody here.

While the gameplay loop of upgrade, exterminate orcs, and repeat is unquestionably a satisfying one, long play sessions can end up feeling repetitive – although the fatigue will likely take a lot longer to set in if you’ve got a couple of friends along for the ride. Multiplayer, objectively speaking, seems to be the intended way to experience everything Deathtrap has to offer – letting up to four friends wipe out orcs together at the same time, with crossplay enabled (as it should be). That’s not to say there’s no enjoyment to be found in solo play whatsoever, though.



The upgrading process, however, can be quite pricy and time consuming, with most upgrade prices significantly scaling with each subsequent purchase. If you’re the kind of person who takes delight in maxing out every stat, item, and character in a game, you’re going to be busy for quite a while here. To help accelerate the process of Skull accumulation somewhat, Deathtrap does thankfully provide a difficulty slider that affects the Skull multiplier for the current run.

While the gameplay loop of upgrade, exterminate orcs, and repeat is unquestionably a satisfying one, long play sessions can end up feeling repetitive.

Aside from the frame rate drops mentioned earlier that occur as enemy numbers increase and more effects are bounced around the screen, another mild annoyance of mine comes in the form of Deathtrap’s menu cursor – randomly floating to the top of the screen when opening the game’s extremely minimalistic menus (no, this is not my controller suffering from stick drift) and generally appearing ridiculously tiny on a big TV screen. Visuals might also not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I think the cartoonishly simple, almost fairytale aesthetic is done well enough here.



Overall, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap can be great fun to mess around with in bursts of two or three hours at a time, especially if you have any friends willing to give it a go. The core roguelike-inspired gameplay loop is unquestionably satisfying, but the progression system and grind-oriented emphasis can start to wear thin when playing for much longer than that. Moderation is key to getting the most out of this title, I say.

*PS5 Review code provided by Robot Entertainment | Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap releases on consoles physically on 23 September, pre-order here