14 DAY TRIAL // The Orcs Must Die series has delivered a great action-oriented take on the old tower defense genre, allowing players not only to set up traps in order to stop the rampaging orcs but also to get in the fight by controlling a character that can shoot and use abilities against the green-skinned monsters.
While the first title was a single-player affair, the second one added a cooperative mode, as a friend could join you in the orc-killing fun.
Now, developer Robot Entertainment is upping the ante and turning the experience into a completely online one that's geared towards competition, pitting two teams of up to five players against one another.
The result is a hectic experience that, while borrowing some elements from the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre, is still quite different than the likes of Dota 2, League of Legends, or Heroes of the Storm.
The map is split into different lanes but the best description would be that you're playing two games of Orcs Must Die at the same time. One experience is the traditional stop the waves of orcs from invading your rift, while the other is to lead your own band of orcs to the enemy rift.
Players control different characters from the OMD universe, starting with the War Mage and continuing with the Sorceress and others. These characters wield a basic weapon and can unleash two different magic attacks.
Besides this, each player can create a collection of traps that can be deployed in battle by spending in-game currency earned by killing the minions of the other team. Speaking of minions, each team has warcamps that can be customized depending on what sort of minion cards you have in your deck. These can range from lowly orcs to bands of humans and even big ogres.
While the experience may seem a bit daunting at first, in practice you only need a few minutes to figure everything out and then start alternating between defending your rift and going on the offense to help your minions go through the defenses of the other team.
Like in MOBAs, ganks (aka groups of players charging after an enemy) are highly encouraged, as doing so leaves the opposing lanes much weaker.
Bear in mind that the experience is pretty balanced and games will take a while to complete, especially if the teams have at least a general idea of what they need to do.
It's still too early to tell just how much microtransactions will affect the experience but ,so far, it's looking pretty good.
Check out a video with a bit of the early game mechanics in Orcs Must Die Unchained below.
