Orcs Must Die! 3 is a 2020 action-tower defense video game developed and published by Robot Entertainment. It is the fourth installment in the Orcs Must Die! series, and the direct sequel to Orcs Must Die! 2. It was released as a timed exclusive on Stadia on July 14, 2020,[2] and for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on July 23, 2021.[3]

Orcs Must Die! 3
Developer(s)Robot Entertainment
Publisher(s)Robot Entertainment
SeriesOrcs Must Die!
EngineUnreal Engine 4[1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseStadia
July 14, 2020
Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
July 23, 2021
PlayStation 5
June 9, 2022
Genre(s)Tower defense, action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay edit

Similar to its predecessor and the original game, Orcs Must Die! 3 is a variation on a tower defense game. The player takes the role of one of two apprentice war mages and is tasked to defend rifts from an onslaught of orc armies by using the characters' weapons and special abilities, as well as setting traps.[4] The game launched with 18 different levels.[5]

Besides the standard Story game mode, the game includes an Endless mode and Weekly Challenges game mode.[1] Unlike its predecessors, it includes a War Scenarios game mode, which tasks a player to defend against armies of orcs at a much larger scale (up to 1,000).[4] This mode utilizes oversized traps, referred to as War Machines, to defend a castle and its rift from larger armies.[6]

The game allows for two-player cooperative multiplayer mode.[6]

Plot edit

The story picks up 20 years after the events in Orcs Must Die! 2.[6][4]

Expansions edit

An expansion entitled "Drastic Steps" was released November 6, 2020.[7] The expansion includes a new story campaign, 5 new scenarios, an endless map, weapons, traps, enemies, and hero cosmetics to the game.[8]

An expansion entitled "Cold as Eyes" was released on November 11, 2021.[9] The expansion includes 3 new scenarios as well as new weapons, traps and enemies to the game.

Another expansion title "Tipping the Scales" was released on April 7, 2022, for all platforms, with 5 new scenarios, new traps, new weapons, and enemies.

Reception edit

Orcs Must Die! 3 received "mixed or average" reviews for Stadia and "generally favorable" reviews for Windows according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[10][11]

Jeremy Peel of PC Gamer said "Robot Entertainment has shown it still knows exactly how to make Orcs Must Die!" and defined the game as a "conservative but confident return to form from the masters of a much-loved genre".[15]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Orcs Must Die 3! FAQ". Robot Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "Orcs Must Die 3 Releases Today For Google Stadia". Gameinformer. July 14, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  3. ^ Phillips, Tom (June 13, 2021). "Stadia timed-exclusive Orcs Must Die 3 launches elsewhere next month". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Orcs Must Die! 3 Review: Monster murdering mayhem is one of the best games on Google Stadia". Daily Mirror. July 16, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "ORCS MUST DIE! 3: GOOGLE'S BEST EXCLUSIVE STILL CAN'T SAVE STADIA — YET". Inverse. July 14, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Orcs Must Die 3 is Out Now on Stadia". Co-Optimus. July 20, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  7. ^ "Orcs Must Die! 3 - November 6, 2020 Patch Notes". Robot Entertainment. November 6, 2020. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  8. ^ "Orcs Must Die! 3 gains Stream Connect and 'Drastic Steps' expansion [Updated]". 9to5Google. November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  9. ^ @OrcsMustDie (October 7, 2021). "Announcing new Orcs Must Die! 3 DLC, 'Cold as Eyes' coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and Steam Nov. 11!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ a b "Orcs Must Die! 3 for Stadia Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Orcs Must Die! 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Peel, Jeremy (July 26, 2021). "Orcs Must Die 3! Review". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  13. ^ Erskine, Donovan (April 7, 2022). "Orcs Must Die! 3 review: The next generation of tower defense". Shacknews. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  14. ^ Barducci, Gabriele (July 31, 2021). "Orcs Must Die! 3 – Recensione". The Games Machine. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  15. ^ Peel, Jeremy (July 26, 2021). "Orcs Must Die! 3 review". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 7, 2022.

External links edit