Orcs Must Die! 3
Fourth installment in the Orcs Must Die! series.
Orcs Must Die! 3 is an action-tower defense game from Robot Entertainment, who both developed and published it. As the fourth game in the Orcs Must Die! series, it directly follows the events of Orcs Must Die! 2. It first launched as a timed exclusive for Stadia on July 14, 2020, before arriving on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on July 23, 2021.
The gameplay builds on the tower defense formula of its predecessors. Players control one of two apprentice war mages, defending rifts from waves of orcs using their weapons, special abilities, and an array of traps. The base game includes 18 levels. Alongside the standard Story mode, there are Endless and Weekly Challenge modes. A new addition, War Scenarios, tasks players with defending against much larger armies—up to 1,000 orcs—using oversized traps called War Machines to protect a castle and its rift. The game supports two-player cooperative multiplayer.
The story takes place 20 years after the conclusion of Orcs Must Die! 2.
Several expansions have been released. "Drastic Steps" arrived on November 6, 2020, adding a new story campaign, five scenarios, an endless map, plus new weapons, traps, enemies, and hero cosmetics. "Cold as Eyes" followed on November 11, 2021, with three new scenarios, weapons, traps, and enemies. "Tipping the Scales" launched on April 7, 2022, for all platforms, including five new scenarios, traps, weapons, and enemies.
Reception varied by platform. On Metacritic, the Stadia version received "mixed or average" reviews, while the Windows version earned "generally favorable" scores. OpenCritic reported strong approval, with 72% of critics recommending the game. Jeremy Peel of PC Gamer noted that Robot Entertainment "still knows exactly how to make Orcs Must Die!" and called it a "conservative but confident return to form from the masters of a much-loved genre."
Quick Facts
- Title
- Orcs Must Die! 3
- Developer
- Robot Entertainment
- Series
- Orcs Must Die!
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Platforms
- Stadia · Microsoft Windows · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S
- Released
- Stadia / July 14, 2020 / Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S / July 23, 2021 / PlayStation 5 / June 9, 2022
- Genre
- Tower defense, action
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The story picks up 20 years after the events in Orcs Must Die! 2. 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. The game launched with 18 different levels. Besides the standard Story game mode, the game includes an Endless mode and Weekly Challenges game mode. 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). This mode utilizes oversized traps, referred to as War Machines, to defend a castle and its rift from larger armies. The game allows for two-player cooperative multiplayer mode.
Reader's Guide
Orcs Must Die! 3 received mixed or average reviews for Stadia and generally favorable reviews for Windows according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 72% of critics. 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'. The game saw three expansions: 'Drastic Steps' released on November 6, 2020, adding a new story campaign, 5 new scenarios, an endless map, weapons, traps, enemies, and hero cosmetics; 'Cold as Eyes' released on November 11, 2021, adding 3 new scenarios as well as new weapons, traps and enemies; and 'Tipping the Scales' released on April 7, 2022, for all platforms, with 5 new scenarios, new traps, new weapons, and enemies.
Did You Know?
- Orcs Must Die! 3 is the direct sequel to Orcs Must Die! 2.
- The War Scenarios mode allows up to 1,000 orcs on screen at once.
- The expansion 'Drastic Steps' was released on November 6, 2020.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Orcs Must Die! 3?
Orcs Must Die! 3 is an action-tower defense game in which players take on the role of an apprentice war mage, defending magical rifts from relentless waves of orcs by combining direct combat, special abilities, and strategically placed traps. It is the fourth entry in the Orcs Must Die! series and serves as the direct sequel to Orcs Must Die! 2.
Who developed and published Orcs Must Die! 3?
Robot Entertainment handled both development and publishing for the title, making it a fully in-house project for the studio.
When and where was Orcs Must Die! 3 released?
The game first debuted as a timed exclusive on Google Stadia on July 14, 2020, and then expanded to Windows PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on July 23, 2021. At launch it shipped with 18 levels of content.
How does Orcs Must Die! 3's gameplay work?
You pick one of two playable apprentice mages and hold a series of rift arenas against escalating orc waves, mixing melee and ranged attacks, spell-like special abilities, and a wide selection of traps (such as spikes, fire, and electric hazards) to thin out the horde. The core loop stays true to the series' tower-defense roots while giving the player more direct, hands-on combat than earlier entries.
How was Orcs Must Die! 3 received by critics?
On Metacritic the Stadia version landed in the mixed-to-average range, with reviewers generally praising the tighter combat and trap variety while noting that the level count at launch felt limited and some design elements felt familiar to returning fans.
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