Orcs Must Die 3, like all previous Orcs Must Die games, centers on killing orcs and other sundry fantasy creatures. They spill out from entry points and the player has to place traps along their route in order to kill them before they enter the mystical Rift that connects the human world with the rotted one that’s full of orcs. It’s simple tower defense. It is one of the best video games I have ever played.
As a long time, deep in it, OMD fan, I’m glad I’ve been enjoying it as much as I have. The new enemies are cool, the new levels have all been clever puzzles, and the game feels like putting on a familiar jacket. My only real criticism is that the arsenal is a bit lacking for variety. You have all the staples, and thankfully, there aren’t character specific traps like in 2 (until you beat the main campaign if memory serves me right), but the options feel more limited. Partly I think that’s because OMD2 had a ton of DLC that added all sorts of stuff, and OMD Unchained basically had an elemental version of each trap so it felt like a lot. This game will likely have a similar amount of DLC and expansions. I also feel the unlock system has forced me to rely on the same group of traps/weapons rather than unlocking new ones. You can refund upgrades but not unlocks. Fortunately you can grind so eventually it won’t matter.
Regarding the War maps. Their scale is pretty impressive, but I have to agree that they’re a little underwhelming for a different reason than in the review. I love cramming like 500 orcs into a single square killbox. It’s awesome. But my issue with them is that the special traps largely can’t really be used in doors and what counts for “in doors” is not always clear. So if you actually want to engage with these traps (that can only be used on these maps) you have to play less effective or try to find a place where you can use them. Which I was only able to do on the 2nd one and the Tower (which is probably my favorite map so far)
