ORX is a hybrid tower defense, which is inspired as much by board games as by card games. Johnbell's title, published by CRITICAL REFLEX, was first discovered by Sodzounet at gamescom: Gamescom 2022 - ORX. For my part, I had the opportunity to play it quietly installed at home, thanks to a key provided during the launch in early access, on August 30.
At the beginning, few choices available to launch his new game, only one faction is accessible, the Guardians of the runes. It is mandatory to complete the Act 1 campaign with them to unlock the second, which introduces the Dune Raiders. The progression takes place on a sort of tree, with a stained glass window of medieval inspiration in the background. At each stage, fights or bonuses. The path to take is up to the player. Knowing that with each run, you have to start from the bottom. Rogue-like, when you hold us. But this presentation of levels avoids the monotony of repetition.
Gameplay is entirely card-based, whether positioning structures or casting spells, each with a separate gold cost. By default, one gold coin is earned per "turn", or every 2,5 seconds in play. With cards costing an average of 3 to 6 gold coins. Each time a card is played, a new one is drawn from the deck, for a maximum of five cards in hand. Draw tokens are offered for each wave of enemies killed, the famous ORX (hence the title of the game), which allow you to remove all your cards... A joker to be used sparingly because, once you run out of chips, changing his hand leads to the appearance of a bonus wave. Not saying it's worth it!
The Guardians of the runes are based on mechanisms very inspired by the board game Carcassonne, in which tiles are placed to form roads and found cities, like the pieces of a huge puzzle. In ORX, routes are used to increase the amount of gold obtained (and therefore the rate at which cards are deposited). Once completed, they yield an amount proportional to the number of tiles. Defenses are secured by creating castles, which are built wall by wall. Their size defines their power, as well as the number of runes that can be cast. Attack or defense bonuses that can also be applied to mercenary camps.
The objective is to protect its central castle from the different waves of ORX that follow one another. With nevertheless enough latency between each horde to prepare its defenses. Red markers displayed on the edge of the screen indicate where each attack is coming from, and it's of course not always from the same side. Anticipation is key, as neither castles nor mercenary camps move. In addition, safes are scattered around the map, some of which can be hidden in the fog of war. Building next to it opens it and unlocks access to a quest. Its accomplishment rewards new cards that provide a significant advantage to ensure victory.
Each level completed, as well as certain choices to be made on the intermediate events of the campaign tree, increase the level of corruption in the world. On the one hand, this is positive, as it increases the rarity of the rewards obtained. But it is also true for the enemies, who therefore also become more powerful. Personally, I try to keep my corruption as low as possible. I prefer not to play this dangerous game too much!
No limit on the number of attempts per level. On the other hand, no saving of progress within a campaign. As I said above, each time you have to start from the beginning. But that doesn't mean there aren't rewards up for grabs, even for not reaching the final tier of the act. Indeed, new cards are offered at each run, whether completed or partial.
The Dune Raiders, the faction of Act 2, are perhaps more original because here, no fortress to build. The roads remain, but this time they are the basis of the extension of the control zone, especially when they end with a lighthouse. Gold is won thanks to the bazaar, and its caravan which goes back and forth between the center and the building. But especially by the fields, with an exponential side due to the fact that each field is boosted by its neighboring fields. It's so powerful that in some games, I managed to win more than the maximum of forty gold coins per turn. The use of the tactical pause is essential at this time to spend everything between each turn and not waste anything.
Once a barracks is installed in this control zone, all the houses created, before or after, generate the creation of a soldier's camp, randomly posted on the map. Cards allow you to convert these soldiers into healers, archers or men-at-arms. Another offers the possibility of combining them to increase their power. Fortunately, these camps are moving for gold. Their placement is decisive for the outcome of the battles, because it is imperative to keep the ORX away from the center of the city. In addition, various buildings provide bonuses to armies or additional cards. Without forgetting the safes which remain a safe bet to enhance your deck with some very useful cards.
A point on the graphics and the sound environment before finishing. Fantastic medieval environment, of course. But two very different atmospheres between the Guardians of the runes and the Raiders of the dunes. At a glance, the cards of one and the other are distinguished. The maximum zoom offers a nice level of detail, for a map that does not become too messy once zoomed out. For a good reading of the general action. The interface is efficient. The gold gain in each turn is indicated at the bottom left, an essential guideline for planning which card to lay down. I also appreciate the (can be disabled) option to pause the game by hovering the mouse over a map. The music lives up to the title: frenetic. With of course all the guttural sounds one would expect from a horde of savage orcs!
Addictive in its gameplay, ORX is an excellent reinvention of Tower Defense. Only downside: the impossibility of defining a difficulty and a slightly uneven balance. I cleared almost every level in Act 1 on the first try. Even if I had not yet fully understood the mechanisms. Only the last one took me two tries, because of a boss who surprised me. Act 2 is a leap forward, so much so that I'm currently stuck in a fight, which I can't get past despite a good bunch of tries. I admit that I was not ready for such a gap after walking around from the start. Also note some small performance issues on this same map, with hundreds of ORX attacking from two or three fronts, and a good fifty fields. The game is starting to struggle to handle all the calculations.
If these points don't put you off, and I honestly hope they don't, go for it. ORX is in early access and balancing adjustments are planned. Not to mention two new factions that will enrich the gameplay. Fans of Tower Defense and strategy will find what they are looking for.
