ORX
- August 30, 2022
- johnbell
- 3h median play time
Get on SteamTry other games from CRITICAL REFLEX About the Game Defend your lands and save your kingdom from the relentless attacks by a never-ending swarm of ORX! ORX is part-tower defense, part-deck building card game, set in a beautifully drawn world of dark fantasy. Expand your territory, call soldiers to arms and fortify your castle with every card that you play! As you progress through the ga…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Unique blend of deck-building and tower defense mechanics, providing a fresh gameplay experience.
- Engaging art style and sound design that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.
- High replayability with different factions and randomized elements, keeping each run interesting.
- Numerous bugs and performance issues, especially in later acts, making the game frustrating to play.
- Lack of clarity in tutorials and UI, leading to confusion about game mechanics and card interactions.
- Difficulty balancing issues, with early levels being too easy and later levels becoming overwhelmingly difficult.
- gameplay60 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by innovative mechanics and a mix of genres, including roguelite elements and tower defense, which create a fun and addictive experience. However, many players report performance issues, a tedious gameplay loop, and a lack of clear explanations for certain mechanics, leading to frustration. While the game shows potential for improvement, especially in its early access phase, some users find the gameplay can become repetitive over time.
“Game mechanics are awesome - big replayability (in theory), some roguelite elements, castle building/map painting fantasy in a quirky pixel orcpocalypse setting.”
“With a beautiful, unique art style and mechanics that keep the gameplay interesting, this is a delight on all fronts.”
“The gameplay is very fun and addicting.”
“The gameplay gets a little stale after a time, and I find myself quitting after a few maps.”
“It's been out for two years and the gameplay controls are so frustrating.”
“It's still early access, but currently it's just not fun; the cards/artifacts add little to no difference on the gameplay and the game itself is no fun. It feels like they tried to combine too many different things from other games and ended up with a too restrictive game about building roads and castles with very little choices on what to play or even how to.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique and appealing art style, which many players find delightful and humorous. While some users express disappointment with certain visual aspects and technical issues, the overall aesthetic and design contribute positively to the gameplay experience. The combination of engaging visuals and a fun atmosphere has garnered a strong appreciation among players.
“With a beautiful, unique art style and mechanics that keep the gameplay interesting, this is a delight on all fronts.”
“I absolutely love the art style of this game, and the general sense of humor it's got.”
“Despite the bugs and the fact that it is in early access, Orx really masters an addictive gameplay loop with a visual style and aesthetic that seems to just melt away time as you play the game.”
“Which is very disappointing given how low the graphics look.”
“The visuals and orientation of the castle walls and placement in relation to one another and roads are frustrating, non-intuitive, and poorly explained.”
“Despite the bugs and the fact that it is in early access, the visual style and aesthetic seem to just melt away time as you play the game.”
- story16 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's story features three distinct factions and a campaign with some engaging story arcs, but players find the pacing uneven, with early missions feeling tedious and later ones becoming chaotic. While the humor in the missions is appreciated, the overall experience is marred by balance issues and awkward mechanics, leading to a sense of wasted time. Players express a desire for longer missions or additional content to enhance the narrative experience.
“3 very different factions to play, randomized maps, randomized rewards, and some story arcs to follow in the campaign.”
“Returning to the game just leads to restarting the whole mission.”
“It's like you've made some mistakes you're not proud of and you enter the last mission.”
“I understand what they want me to do, but getting there is a whole different story.”
- optimization13 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has been criticized for significant performance issues, particularly in later stages, where even high-end machines struggle to maintain playable frame rates. While some users have noted recent improvements and a reduction in major bugs, many still recommend waiting for further updates to address ongoing optimization challenges. The core gameplay, centered around deckbuilding and strategic optimization, is hindered by these technical shortcomings.
“Edit: the performance seems a lot better as of late, some bugs, but the main show stoppers seem to have been fixed.”
“Deckbuilding is the core of the game - the base building leans more toward optimization of whatever cards you have on hand (default 5)”
“The later acts, due to poor optimization, have my fairly powerful machine (32 GB 4400 RAM, 3080 Ti, etc.) running at <1 FPS.”
“Was fun, but recent changes increased difficulty by just tanking performance.”
“Once this game is optimized, it'll probably be one of my favorites; but, right now, it's a bit of a rough go in the later stages.”
- stability12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The game's stability is currently a significant issue, with numerous players reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various bugs that hinder gameplay. While some minor glitches can be resolved with resets, the overall experience is described as unbalanced and frustrating, leading many to recommend waiting for major fixes before playing. Despite some positive aspects, the technical problems overshadow the enjoyment of the game.
“Runs great on the Steam Deck, and the game is a blast!”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, providing a smooth experience throughout.”
“I haven't encountered any crashes or bugs, which makes for a very stable gameplay experience.”
“Also in its current state, it's very buggy; crashes and freezes too much.”
“The major problem is the game is horribly buggy; I can't recommend this game until most of the major bugs are fixed.”
“The game currently suffers from numerous quality of life issues and technical bugs, making it much more frustrating and irritating rather than fun to play.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its engaging mechanics, rogue elements, and unlockable content, which encourage players to revisit and experiment with different strategies. However, some users note that the difficulty can hinder enjoyment, as certain tactics may feel overpowered. Despite this, the variety and addictive nature of the gameplay contribute to a strong replay value.
“The replaying system and the replay value for this part is extremely high and fun.”
“The game is fun, addictive, has unlockables, and replayability.”
“Great variety and you can feel the replay value right from the start.”
“There really aren't enough of them; Tower Tactics: Liberation and Monster Train are the only two that come to mind, and they're my personal crack when it comes to replay value.”
“Once you complete the game, there isn't much incentive to go back and play it again.”
“The lack of diverse endings and choices makes replaying feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and tedious, particularly due to the crown system and repetitive tasks like building structures and roads. Many feel that this grind detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it feel more like busywork than engaging gameplay, especially when compared to other roguelikes. Accessing the full game requires significant repetition of easy levels, which can lead to frustration.
“I don't like the crown system; it makes the game very grindy for no reason.”
“A lot of the economy stuff, mainly building roads, gets really tedious, and you spend most of your time doing it.”
“Compared to other roguelikes, there is just too much grinding in order to reach a challenge.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, with players enjoying the funny missions, quirky graphics, and amusing character designs, particularly the orcs. While some bugs have been noted, they haven't been perceived as humorous or game-enhancing features. Overall, the game's art style and comedic elements contribute positively to the experience.
“The two missions you can play at the moment are very funny, and the mechanics are so different that you feel like you're playing different games.”
“I absolutely love the art style of this game, and the general sense of humor it has.”
“The graphics are funny; the butts of the orcs look hilarious. I will wait for updates for more game modes.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing quality and beautiful composition, complementing the visually appealing art style. Players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the overall experience, particularly as they engage with the game's progression system and campaign modes.
“Beautiful art and music.”
“The default music is also quite appeasing - can't wait to play all the campaign modes and try out all the new cards available in the full release!”
“Art style is great, music is also very soothing.”
“The soundtrack is lacking and doesn't add much to the overall experience.”
“The default music is quite appeasing, but it quickly becomes repetitive and uninspired.”
“While the game has a progression system with unlockable cards, the music fails to enhance the gameplay.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional response to setbacks in gameplay, such as the disappointment of being unable to complete a highly anticipated project, which can evoke feelings of heartbreak and frustration.
“Nearly finishing what is supposed to be my best castle only to find the finishing tile locked is heartbreaking.”
“The story made me feel a deep connection to the characters, and I found myself genuinely caring about their fates.”
“Every choice I made had emotional weight, and I felt the impact of my decisions long after I put the game down.”
