Orcs Must Die! 2 coming summer this year, features co-op play

Orcs Must Die!

Orcs Must Die! was one of our favourite games of last year, a blend of third-person action and tower defence that nailed that sweet spot between hands-on greenskin slaughter and the satisfaction of executing a carefully-prepared plan. The sequel introduces a second playable character, the Sorceress, a new campaign, and - most excitingly - co-op. Tim isn't in the office today, but I think I can hear his squeals of excitement from here. Read on for more information.

Announcing the game on the Robot Entertainment website, CEO Patrick Hudson claimed that players have killed 3.4 billion orcs in the original game. "The only way we will get to a respectable orc death toll is by adding another killing machine and cooperative play", he said. "Bring a friend and destroy the orcs!"

There'll be more enemies and defences, but the biggest changes seem to have been made to the upgrade system. There are now multiple permanent upgrades for each trap, and skulls - OMD!'s currency - are earned every time you play, not just when you improve your rating. Hopefully this means more meaningful choices as you work through the game, and more incentives to go back and really nail down your orc-slaughtering strategy.

When we spoke to Robot Entertainment back in December, they wouldn't confirm that a sequel was in the works. "We haven't necessarily made a firm decision yet on Orcs yet" Patrick Hudson told us, "whether we'll return to it, and when, but we certainly think there's something there to expand on." It's likely that the success of the game on Steam has pushed that 'maybe' to a clear 'yes'. It's a quick turnaround for a sequel, but the addition of co-op should add substantially to the game's scope. You can find out more on the game's official site.