Orcs Must Die! Review

The title of this PC and Xbox Live Arcade game tells you everything you need to know: Orcs are busting in and you have to kill them.

It’s a tower defense game—similar to the smash Plants Vs. Zombies—where bad guys are invading your house/castle/base/whatever. In this case you're an apprectice magician and a bunch of ugly orcs are trying to invade your castle, and you have to use traps, tricks, and spells to stop them from doing that. The waves of orcs get harder and tougher and more advanced as you progress through the game.

And that's pretty much it.

Rather than the side-scrolling view of Plants Vs. Zombies, Orcs is an over-the-shoulder camera, so the game feels like an action shooter.

You'll have some items unlocked at the beginning, and you'll get better stuff as the game moves along. There are pits that slow them down, and spike traps, and springboards that can send them off into spike traps. It's all very cartoony violence. Plus, they're orcs, so they deserve it, right?

The game isn't too difficult—it ramps up at a good pace. There are a few weapons and traps that you can use over and over to achieve success, but the fun comes in forcing yourself not to use those. Plus, the game will throw new enemies at you, so sometimes you're forced to change tactics.

It's not perfect. Your character's constant jokes get old fast. And there are a LOT of load screens. But overall, it's pretty fun.

There's only a single-player campaign, but it's fairly lengthy. The game is only $15--and if you're patient you can wait for a price drop.

Rated: T for Blood and Gore, Violence