Robot Entertainment has announced a new installment in its Orcs Must Die! series. Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap will offer four-player co-op, specialized classes, and improved combat, and it's due to arrive on Xbox Series X|S and PC next year.
In an announcement post on its website, Robot provides a crash course in the history of Orcs Must Die!, beginning with 2011's inaugural game of the same name, which was swiftly followed by a sequel in 2012.
Following those two games, in 2017, Robot released Orcs Must Die! Unchained, an experimental free-to-play PvP entry in the franchise that "didn't last as long as [the studio] hoped". It was shut down in 2019.
Robot says it recognized the need to return to the franchise's roots after Unchained's shutdown, resulting in Orcs Must Die! 3, the first entry in the series to experiment with roguelite systems and mechanics (albeit with the series' signature orc-murdering gameplay intact).
Amusingly enough, Orcs Must Die! 3 was originally revealed as a Stadia exclusive, something Robot omits from its series rundown (an understandable omission, given the colossal failure Stadia represents).
Now, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap continues in the vein of Orcs Must Die! 3, albeit with revamped visuals, tighter combat, and a number of other changes that help it to stand out from both its series and its competitors, or at least that's what Robot is hoping.
New features include four-player co-op, so you don't have to "split up your friend group", as Robot says, as well as new heroes with distinct skills and traps, echoing the approach Unchained took to its playable characters.
A "deep skill tree" and new progression paths for weapons and traps will help you to carve out a unique niche for your hero, and you can also look forward to roguelite-style changes across each run, as well as better visuals and physics.
All in all, it sounds like Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is aiming to be the definitive Orcs Must Die! experience. We'll get to find out whether it achieves that goal sometime next year, when it lands on PC and Xbox Series X|S. Watch this space for more info.
