Perhaps I should have seen this coming, but Robot Entertainment’s next Orcs Must Die! title comes as a multiplayer only title that ‘evens the playing field’, very much so in the spirit of the recent wave of MOBAs popping up all over the place. In Orcs Must Die! Unchained, you can choose to play as the Order or the Unchained, new monsters that have emerged from newly discovered rifts. The core gameplay is still the same: build traps and fight waves of enemies, but this time around, you will be pitted against and adversary that will be doing the same thing. This time around, you will have to go on the offensive as well.
The multiplayer context automatically brings up a more challenging aspect to the game. Instead of just fighting mindless hordes, you fight their generals as well. As the Unchained gain champions to lead them, the Order acquires an army to fight for them. While the minions themselves will pick their paths, the hero characters are free to do as they please. Each of them will be specialised in a discipline, from assassination to leadership, trap specialisation, close-quarter combat expertise, and so on. The setup will be 5v5 multiplayer, but can also be played solo or co-op against bots.
As far as the pricing model goes, Orcs Must Die! Unchained is planned as a competitive free-to-play game that promises that no content will be locked behind a paywall. While there isn’t a definitive answer on how exactly the free-to-play transactions will work, Robot Entertainment is looking at Riot’s model for League of Legends. This means rotation of paid heroes that will be temporarily available for free, and maybe cosmetic changes like new skins and models for your heroes and minions. They could even throw in an announcer pack like Dota2 and Heroes of Newerth do.
Orcs Must Die! Unchained will be playable at PAX East this weekend, so be sure to check it out if you’re interested. If the game is anything like its predecessors, it promises to be a fun ride. Orcs Must Die! Unchained will be available late this year, but should you wish to play it sooner, you can buy in into the Founders program.
