Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap: New Roguelite Elements Add Endless Build Possibilities

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Back in 2012, the debut of “Orcs Must Die!” marked its entry as a fantastic tower defense game, offering a unique twist by presenting the action from a third-person viewpoint. Since then, the franchise has produced an additional four installments, with the most recent being “Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap“. This game promises to deliver a fresh new perspective on the series, featuring support for up to four players in cooperative mode and introducing new Mages, traps, and adversaries.

A captivating feature of Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is its introduction of rogue-lite characteristics into the series for the first time. Infusing rogue-lite mechanics and meta progression into Orcs Must Die!’s formula, Deathtrap aims to provide players with limitless building opportunities. Game Rant recently interviewed game director Kyle Snyder about how the rogue-lite elements in OMD! Deathtrap operate, as well as the difficulties the development team encountered when creating them.

Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap’s Roguelite Elements Explained

As stated by Snyder, one hurdle the development team faced while integrating roguelite aspects in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap was creating a multitude of results during each playthrough. This was crucial to let players observe how their choices and builds significantly influenced their future runs. From the get-go in development, Snyder didn’t want every player decision to just result in simple stat boosts. He clarified that while stats play a significant role in advancement, aspects like visual changes would also be essential. For instance, if a player decided to triple the size of their traps, this alteration would clearly be noticeable. Snyder emphasized that maintaining equilibrium among all these factors was not an easy task for the team.

The task was about creating effective systems and tools that would allow design, coding, and art to bring our exciting game concepts to life. As a result, we have seven playable War Mages, over 30 traps, and close to 500 Threads (benefits). It’s a substantial amount of work to balance everything (though some faulty builds can be entertaining), but we managed to ensure that each gameplay session offers a distinct experience.

In the game “OMD! Deathtrap“, following an enemy attack, three unique options called “Threads” become available to players. Players get to pick one Thread from the group, which enhances their Mage’s attributes, lessens trap and skill cooldowns, and offers additional benefits. It’s important to mention that each War Mage has exclusive abilities that contribute to the game’s diverse builds. At every level, players must decide on one of three random maps, each connected to a specific “Distortion.” These Distortions serve as cumulative difficulties that elevate the run by raising trap costs or summoning tougher enemies.

Upping the Stakes

Snyder describes how the development team aimed to set OMD! Deathtrap apart by enabling players to intensify their gameplay journey by increasing the challenge as they progress. Unlike numerous roguelites that require players to continue playing until they reach the end of the game or get defeated, OMD! Deathtrap offers players a daring decision after each level: they can opt to return with all the experience accumulated or put half of it at stake for a tougher level.

In this game, we encourage the players to make numerous significant choices, aiming to provide an abundance of play options and introduce an element of “risk versus reward” that will keep them engaged.

After the race concludes, spectators can proceed to the Stronghold Citadel and enhance their character and trap setups for the upcoming round. Each run in Orcs Must Die! Unchained is unique due to the blend of every Thread, Distortion, and decisions made. It will be intriguing to observe how players strategize and utilize the optimal mix of skills and Threads to outmaneuver their builds, according to Snyder. The game director even provided an example of how, working together with another developer, they were able to increase headshot damage from a standard 1,000 to an astounding 97,000 through the use of specific character and Thread combinations. “And I can assure you,” he added, “we’re barely touching the surface.

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2025-01-29 21:25