Satisfying mix of action and tower defense
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 positive reviews
“You are the core of each defense and *need* to kill some of those things yourself to succeed.”
Steam review · 10.3 h played ↗
Orcs Must Die!
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Overwhelmingly PositiveOverwhelmingly Positive · 96%Robot Entertainment2011Tower Defense · Action · Strategy
The verdict
A charming, funny third-person action and tower defense hybrid with satisfying traps that still holds up. Skip it if you want co-op or fear the spellbook bug.
Great for
Solo tower defense fans who like active trap-and-crossbow action and chasing 5-skull runs
Main risk
The B-key spellbook bug can make the game unplayable on modern PCs, and there is no fix or key rebinding.
What players love
Fun, varied traps and strategies
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 positive reviews
“Each level requires a different approach, especially on Nightmare difficulty, so not one out of the 22 traps go unused.”
Steam review · 22.5 h played ↗
Still holds up well years later
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“it's aged far better than it should have”
Steam review · 23.1 h played ↗
Humor, music and cartoony style
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“The music is perfect, and the humour is endearing.”
Steam review · 79.7 h played ↗
Cheap, short and easy to pick up
Mentioned in ~1 in 12 positive reviews
“Simple fun and cheap tower defense game.”
Steam review · 6.6 h played ↗
Challenging, with Nightmare difficulty
Mentioned in ~1 in 12 positive reviews
“Nightmare mode is genuinely brutal, but clearing a wave without letting a single orc through and seeing that cocky shield waggle at the end is its own reward.”
Steam review · 30 h played ↗
What players complain about
Won't launch or run on modern PCs
Mentioned in ~1 in 7 negative reviews
“would be an easy recommend if it wasn't completely broken on Windows 11”
Steam review · 45.9 h played ↗
Spellbook (B key) bug makes game unplayable
Mentioned in ~1 in 8 negative reviews
“Got softlocked to the first part of the (unskippable) tutorial due to a bug that prevents me from opening the spellbook”
Steam review · 0.1 h played ↗
Gets repetitive and boring quickly
Mentioned in ~1 in 8 negative reviews
“Gets boring waaaayyyy too quickly.”
Steam review · 6.2 h played ↗
Many traps feel useless, one forced strategy
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 negative reviews
“only viable strategy EVERY. SINGLE. MAP. is guardians and player support. traps are just garbage.”
Steam review · 7.7 h played ↗
Better to buy Orcs Must Die 2 instead
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 negative reviews
“Buy the second one. Skip this one. The second even has most maps from this game, and has co-op which is missing here.”
Steam review · 7 h played ↗
No key rebinding or controls options
Mentioned in ~1 in 15 negative reviews
“I'd have thought they would have FINALLY allowed changing binds/keys, but alas no they haven't”
Steam review · 0.5 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: Playable5 GB
Minimum
OSWindows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7
Processor2GHz Dual Core
Memory2 GB RAM
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce 6800 or ATI Radeon x1950 or better with 256MB VRAM
Storage5 GB HD space
OSWindows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7
Processor2GHz Dual Core
Memory2 GB RAM
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce 6800 or ATI Radeon x1950 or better with 256MB VRAM
Storage5 GB HD space
More games to check
Other games we’ve read the reviews for
Dome Keeper
Very Positive · 93%+ Addictive mine-then-defend loop
− Repetitive and shallow over time
analyzed 18 h ago
Sanctum 2
Very Positive · 92%+ Unique FPS and tower defense blend
− Worse than Sanctum 1, with features cut
analyzed 19 h ago
Dungeon Defenders II
Mixed · 68%+ Addictive loot grind and progression
− Aggressive monetization and paywalled heroes
analyzed 1 d ago
Orcs Must Die! 2
Very Positive · 92%+ Fantastic in co-op with a friend
− Constant crashes, often at end of level
analyzed 1 d ago
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