Orcs Must Die! Unchained

Tower defense games got to be very popular in the last couple of years, although they were pretty big back when most of them were StarCraft or Warcraft mods. The gameplay can be a lot more fun in a standalone game, on the other hand, especially since the developers have the freedom to add the mechanics they want. However, there are other things to watch out for as well.

Orcs Must Die! Unchained is the free-to-play version of the popular strategy/action franchise, and it features a few new elements you might be interested in. The overall quality level is actually quite good, and the game plays like a charm, especially if you have some experience with any previous episodes in the series. On the other hand, you have to get accustomed to microtransactions as well.

The basic gist of the game is that you can now join forces with other players and cooperate in order to destroy the orcish hordes. The events in Orcs Must Die! Unchained happen a few years after Orcs Must Die! 2, and the enemy has changed a little bit as well. Hence, the enemy army is much more organized and fierce now, not to mention the fact that it’s also lead by a few powerful champions.

As with every other tower defense game, the goal is quite simple: prevent the enemy waves from reaching their destination. To do this, you can place traps all over the map, and you can even combine their effects to obtain devastating combos. Guardians can also be placed in various spots around the map, and you also have your main hero to deal some damage as well.

The selection of heroes is quite decent to start with, but the ones that are locked might remain that way for a long time if you do not want to pay cash for them. While it’s possible to unlock them by simply playing, you need to win a lot in order to afford them. Thankfully, the gameplay is enjoyable enough for that not to be a problem, but this business model might turn off some players.

In the end, Orcs Must Die! Unchained is most certainly not a bad game, but the bits that are free can get repetitive after a while, and it takes a long time to buy new stuff without real money. Hence, while it might hit the sweet spot with some players, others are going to be pretty disappointed in the new direction of the franchise.