Orcs Must Die! Unchained

Free-to-play games often carry the stigma of being “pay-to-win” — a design philosophy that says if you want to win, buy in. Orcs Must Die! Unchained isn’t that. It’s a hoopla of co-op action that works whether or not you want to drop some dough. While the new Sabotage mode is a welcome, albeit lesser refined addition to the series, it’s in Battlegrounds that Robot Entertainment flexes its action gameplay muscles and it's the game type that will keep me coming back for dozens more hours — or at the very least, to nab those daily login bonuses.

56%Game Brain Score

gameplay, humor

story, grinding

63% User Score Based on 194 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Orcs Must Die! Unchained" is a free-to-play action tower defense game. Players choose from a variety of heroes and defend their fortresses against hordes of orcs and other enemies. The game features both PvE and PvP modes, and allows for cooperative gameplay with up to three players. Instead of the traditional survival mode, this installment in the series introduces a MOBA-like experience with multiple lanes and minions.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 195 reviews

gameplay16 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging tower defense experience, especially when played with friends.
The graphics are appealing, and the gameplay is smooth and responsive, making it enjoyable to play.
The free-to-play model is fair, allowing players to progress without feeling pressured to spend money.

The game suffers from server issues, making it difficult to log in and play consistently.
Many players feel that the game has shifted too far from the original mechanics of the first two titles, leading to a less strategic experience.
There are significant grind elements and microtransactions that detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

gameplay
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
51%
8%
The gameplay is generally praised for its smoothness, fun mechanics, and solid tower defense foundation, appealing especially to fans of the series. However, some players feel that recent changes have stripped away strategic elements and fun features, leading to a less polished experience compared to previous titles. While the game offers a diverse range of characters and traps, the introduction of free-to-play mechanics has left some fans feeling disappointed with the overall direction.
- “The gameplay is super smooth; it runs really well.”
- “The gameplay is enjoyable and challenging.”
- “However, the core tower defense gameplay is extremely solid.”
- “Being a game dev myself, I understand there needs to be some adjustments when there are additional game mechanics added, but making less of what was before is bothering me as a gamer.”
- “Weapons which used to offer different gameplay now are just activatable passive buffs to damage from what I can tell.”
- “Those core mechanics have bled through production to the extent that everything looks and feels 'cheapened' for the sake of PvP.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
78%
17%
The story aspect of "Orcs Must Die! Unchained" has received mixed feedback, with many players expressing a desire for a dedicated single-player campaign mode, as the current story mode feels insufficient and difficult for newcomers. While some players found enjoyment in the multiplayer experience, they noted that the story does not hold up on its own, making it less appealing for those who prefer solo gameplay. Overall, the lack of a robust narrative and reliance on random loot mechanics detracts from the experience for fans of the series.
- “I generally only play single-player games and like story mode or campaign mode. I would like to see a story mode added to OMD Unchained.”
- “After I tried the online mode, I finally understood that the game must not be considered as a single-player game, because the story mode cannot sustain itself, but you can really enjoy it with the multiplayer mode!”
- “To start off, I loved Orcs Must Die! one and two, but this one was no good. You were dropped into the storyline as soon as you play, and it is hard as hell if you have not played the other games. I would not recommend this game.”
- “Without getting guaranteed traps much like the older games as you progressed through the story, you randomly get traps (through chests) and then you have to upgrade them and can equip them with parts (which you can also randomly find through chests).”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, leading to a loss of interest and a lack of motivation to engage with microtransactions. Many feel that the leveling and gear acquisition processes are overly grindy, with a reward system that fails to compensate for the effort required. While some acknowledge the game's potential, the excessive grinding detracts from overall enjoyment.
- “Leveling up (aka, grinding) to do content is a chore.”
- “The reward system for doing content is lacking; it's too grindy.”
- “Great concept, but it requires too much grinding to get all the gear.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its cartoonish and lighthearted portrayal of deaths, along with witty quips from both heroes and villains, contributing to an enjoyable experience. Players appreciate the blend of fun and humor, expressing a desire for a campaign mode that could further highlight the game's comedic elements. Overall, the humor is a significant reason for players' affection towards the game.
- “I loved the humorous quips and remarks that came out of all the various characters, both the good guys and the bad guys.”
- “The humor is a big factor of why I fell in love with OMD in the first place.”
- “We must have more strategic trapping and a little less MOBA... and a lot of hilarious, borderline sadistic one-liners!”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
50%
38%
The monetization strategy of the game includes microtransactions that allow players to progress faster or acquire cosmetic items, which some users find acceptable as long as it doesn't lead to a "pay to win" scenario. However, many players express frustration with the slow progression system and the grinding required, leading to a lack of interest in spending money on in-app purchases. Overall, while the game is recommended for its fun elements, the monetization approach has left some players unconvinced.
- “As long as the game won't become 'pay to win' and microtransactions (which I never liked in any game) are only used to get game progress faster (not the only way to progress!) or get some skins and characters, I can recommend this free-to-play game as a fun experience for anyone who loves tower defense or just senseless minion killing as it was in previous installments.”
- “Even after the new update, I'm still not completely convinced, especially with the relatively slow progression system, the difficulty of getting 5 stars, and, of course, microtransactions.”
- “And then it is extremely boring grinding, and by that time I lose interest in the game and have no interest in paying the microtransactions.”
- “As long as the game won't become 'pay to win' and microtransactions (which I never liked in any game) are only used to get game progress faster (not the only way to progress!) or get some skins, I can recommend this free-to-play game as a fun experience for anyone who loves tower defense or just senseless minion killing as it was in previous installments.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The graphics of the game received mixed reviews; while some players appreciated the visuals and found them appealing, others criticized the overall quality and performance, describing them as poor and rough compared to previous versions.
- “Nice game with pretty graphics, I love it.”
- “The graphics weren't good, performance was poor, and I hated siege mode.”
- “Omdu 1.6 was better but still very rough in terms of graphics and playability.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The game's optimization has been criticized due to several performance-related bugs that detract from the overall experience. Additionally, many defensive features are considered redundant and only become effective after further optimization.
- “A lot of redundant defenses, and most of them aren't that good until they're optimized.”
- “The optimization process significantly enhances gameplay, making strategies more effective.”
- “Once optimized, the performance issues are greatly reduced, leading to a smoother experience.”
- “There were quite a few performance-related bugs that hurt the appeal.”
- “There were quite a few performance-related bugs that hurt the appeal.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
Users note that while previous games in the series had limited replayability due to maxing out upgrades, "OMD 2" offers significantly more replay value, suggesting a more engaging experience that encourages repeated playthroughs.
- “OMD 2 offers a much higher level of replayability compared to previous games, keeping the experience fresh and engaging.”
- “The variety of upgrades and strategies in OMD 2 makes it a game you can return to time and time again.”
- “Once you would hit so many skulls in the previous games, you maxed out the upgrades to traps, though OMD 2 was a lot more replayable.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality, contributing significantly to the overall aesthetic experience. Reviewers consistently highlight that both the visuals and the soundtrack create an impressive and immersive atmosphere.
- “Visually and musically, it looks and sounds great.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally well-received for its cool features, but users report occasional bugs that affect stability.
- “Very cool game, sometimes a little buggy though.”