So I noticed a new Orcs Must Die came out 3 days ago and I've seen nary a peep about it.
Via GameForge's press release:
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFYfsYzCfdg
Steam Store link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/427270/
Publisher's website: http://en.omd.gameforge.com/
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I decided to give it a try since it's F2P. Some personal observations below.
It seems rather than stick the previous singleplayer/co-op format, the developers opted for a MOBA type game. Oddly enough rather than jack the enemy number up to compensate for the amount of players, it's enemy health that's ridiculously high instead.
In addition, only a couple areas per map can be trapped, leaving you with long stretches of rooms where you have to handle things yourself. Classic 1 hit kill traps and physics traps don't seem to exist either.
The PvP mode doesn't seem very balanced at the moment. Mostly, you're not guaranteed to be matched against players with similar levels of progression, so you might trounce or get trounced by teams with more options and better traps than you.
The F2P format is here in full force. Basically you're looking at 30 hours worth of games to get enough currency for new traps, even more if you want different characters. Stuff isn't exactly cheap in real currency either. The game adopts the free character rotation system from various other MOBAs as well.
I wasn't sure whether to share impressions, especially since I don't mean to put a damper on an announcement thread, and being a beta all this is subject to change. But since the original OMD was one of my first Steam games, seeing it charge format so much is disappointing. There's still fun to be had in PvE, but I'd have happily forked over $60 for Orcs Must Die 3.
Via GameForge's press release:
Orcs Must Die! Unchained today enters open beta, now all can join in on the fun without any game entry restrictions.
Once they log in, players can head into Survival mode with friends or face other players in the Siege mode. To defend their rifts they can build traps and use a range of weapons in order to blow countless orcs to kingdom come, thus following the grand Orcs Must Die tradition.
Gameforge and Robot Entertainment have used the time in closed beta to steer the course of the game in a completely new direction: initially conceptualised as a PvP game borrowing some ideas from the MOBA genre, the developers acted on community suggestions and expanded Orcs Must Die! Unchained to include an extensive PvE mode and in doing so, recaptured the all-too-familiar tower defence gameplay of the previous games.
Fans of PvP duels can battle away on two maps; in cooperative mode the game starts the open beta with 8 available maps, all of which vary widely in appearance, difficulty and the range of minions that charge toward your rift. Recently added maps Shark Island and Frostbite are no exceptions to this rule: the former offering a Caribbean flair with blazing rays of sunshine, snappy sharks in the water and swashbuckling pirate minions whilst Frostbite stays true to its name, taking place in an icy castle scenario.
Ready for open beta, Orcs Must Die! Unchained is available in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish and Turkish and can be downloaded directly from omd.gameforge.com or from Steam. Theres a special treat for those quick off the mark: all who participate in the open beta between 29th March and 13th April at 12 PM (CET) will receive the exclusive hero skin Firestarter for hero Smolder this skin will only be available in these two weeks of the open testing phase.
The biggest details on the open beta launch in review:
Free access to the game via omd.gameforge.com and Steam
7 language versions
12 playable heroes
8 maps in PvE mode Survival and 2 maps in Siege PvP
Traps and items for crafting and upgrading
Orcs, orcs and even more orcs!
Orcs Must Die! Unchained takes the award-winning Orcs Must Die! action tower defense gameplay to a whole new level with team-based gameplay! Bust skulls with your best pals in 5-player PvE co-op Survival, or put your teamwork to the test in 5v5 PvP Siege action!
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFYfsYzCfdg
Steam Store link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/427270/
Publisher's website: http://en.omd.gameforge.com/
---
I decided to give it a try since it's F2P. Some personal observations below.
It seems rather than stick the previous singleplayer/co-op format, the developers opted for a MOBA type game. Oddly enough rather than jack the enemy number up to compensate for the amount of players, it's enemy health that's ridiculously high instead.
In addition, only a couple areas per map can be trapped, leaving you with long stretches of rooms where you have to handle things yourself. Classic 1 hit kill traps and physics traps don't seem to exist either.
The PvP mode doesn't seem very balanced at the moment. Mostly, you're not guaranteed to be matched against players with similar levels of progression, so you might trounce or get trounced by teams with more options and better traps than you.
The F2P format is here in full force. Basically you're looking at 30 hours worth of games to get enough currency for new traps, even more if you want different characters. Stuff isn't exactly cheap in real currency either. The game adopts the free character rotation system from various other MOBAs as well.
I wasn't sure whether to share impressions, especially since I don't mean to put a damper on an announcement thread, and being a beta all this is subject to change. But since the original OMD was one of my first Steam games, seeing it charge format so much is disappointing. There's still fun to be had in PvE, but I'd have happily forked over $60 for Orcs Must Die 3.