There Are No Orcs Review Summary

Three factions and diverse commanders deliver fun, engaging playstyles, but repetitive gameplay, poor balance with overpowered builds, and scarce maps and content hold it back.

Diverse commanders with unique playstyles: Commanders provide significant variety, with each feeling different and requiring distinct playstyles. Their unique abilities and mechanics enhance replayability and strategic options.

Fun and engaging gameplay: Many players find the game genuinely fun and entertaining, with engaging gameplay that keeps them coming back. It is often described as a great game to unwind with and play in short sessions.

Three distinct factions: The game features three factions that function completely differently, each with unique mechanics and playstyles. This distinctiveness adds variety and strategic depth.

Positive overall impressions: Reviewers generally regard the game as well-made, beautiful, and fantastic, with many expressing strong enjoyment. It is often described as a great game overall.

Great RTS and autobattler: The game is highly regarded as a charming RTS and a delightful autobattler with deckbuilding elements. It offers a fun and strategic experience with interesting combinations.

Repetitive and boring gameplay: Many players report that the game becomes repetitive and boring over time. This is a widespread issue affecting enjoyment across different stages.

Poor balance and overpowered builds: Many reviews mention balance issues, including overpowered builds (e.g., lemure spam) and weak commanders. Balance is often described as broken or off.

Lack of content and maps: Players complain about limited content, specifically only 4 maps and few levels. The game feels short and lacks variety.

Dwarf faction difficult to understand: The Dwarf mechanics are complex and hard to grasp, making the faction challenging to play. Dwarves also feel weak compared to other races.

Low difficulty and easy game: The game is considered too easy, with slow difficulty progression. Even chaos mode is too easy.

Multiple Factions and Races: The game features three main factions or races: Humans, Demons, and Dwarves, each with unique mechanics and playstyles. This division shapes strategic choices and gameplay variety.

Varied Playable Commanders: Players can choose from a large roster of commanders, each with distinct abilities, playstyles, and combat mechanics. This variety supports diverse strategies and replayability.

Commander Customization and Traits: Commanders have passive traits, unique buildings, equipment slots, and gear that can be upgraded. This allows players to tailor their commander's strengths and abilities.

Chaos Difficulty System: Chaos levels provide escalating difficulty with special modifiers and mechanics. The system adds replay value and challenges for experienced players.

Survival and Endless Modes: Survival mode and endless runs offer alternative game experiences, often unlocked after reaching high chaos levels. These modes extend gameplay for dedicated players.

Performance issues with many units: Several players report severe lag and slowdown when there are many units on screen, such as nearly 500 units or heavy unit spam. This can reduce the game to a slideshow or 1 FPS, impacting playability.

Runs well on Steam Deck: Multiple users report that the game runs smoothly on Steam Deck, even without official support. However, one user notes it is semi-suboptimal, indicating mixed experiences.

Low system requirements and smooth performance: The game has low configuration requirements and runs smoothly even with many mobs on the field. Some players report zero software issues since launch.

High framerate causes GPU noise: The game can run at extremely high framerates like 3000 FPS without VSync, causing the GPU to spin loudly. This may be a concern for users with sensitive hearing or hardware.

Freezing during long sessions: A player experienced a computer freeze during a long session, resulting in the loss of the entire run. This critical issue affects game stability over extended play.

Excellent value for money: Many reviewers emphasize that the game is well worth its price, often calling it a great buy even at full price. The low cost relative to the hours of entertainment makes it a standout value.

Strongly recommended overall: A large number of players give a clear recommendation, often enthusiastically endorsing the game. This sentiment spans various player types and playstyles.

Appeals to RTS and tower defense fans: Fans of real-time strategy and tower defense games, especially those familiar with titles like Castle Fight or Nexus Wars, highly recommend it. The game fills a niche for players who enjoy strategic unit management.

Great for casual players: Reviewers frequently recommend the game for casual play, noting it's fun for short sessions or when bored. It appeals to those seeking a relaxed experience.

Wait for a sale: While the game is often considered worth full price, some reviewers recommend waiting for a discount, especially if budget is a concern. A few state it's not worth full price.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 3.0h.

Session length: 0.5h.

Endgame: 20.0h.

Players commonly describe the game as immediately addictive and satisfying, but many report it becomes repetitive or a slog later. The dominant time-to-fun profile is strong early enjoyment followed by diminishing returns.

Friction: Early progression and unlocks can feel grindy when options are limited.; No clear tutorial or guide for how buildings function and should be laid out.; Repetitive objectives and identical levels can quickly drown out the fun.; Language barrier creates a chore-like feel for some players..

Unlock drivers: Unlocking varied commanders and playstyles keeps the loop interesting.; Gear and equipment progression helps overcome later difficulty.; Progression curve consistently provides new commanders, structures, and modifiers.; Meta progression and faction diversity compensate for repetitiveness.; Finding the right strategy or item combinations makes progression much easier..

Chill Auto-Battler Spectator: Low-effort auto-battle; choose simple commanders, watch units fight, and play in short or background sessions. Motivation: Relaxing, low-stakes spectacle of soldiers auto-fighting. Stance: buy.

Build Optimization Roguelite Grinder: Theorycrafts commander builds, farms relics and equipment, climbs Chaos difficulties, and optimizes strategies. Motivation: Mastery and progression through build optimization and Chaos climbing. Stance: buy.

Classic Tug-of-War RTS Veteran: Lane-based tug-of-war with resource and army management; tries different factions and commanders and requests PvP. Motivation: To relive and support the classic tug-of-war RTS and custom-map experience in a modern singleplayer game. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: The Steam Deck experience is largely functional: several users report that the game runs without issues on the device. The main friction points are non-ideal controls, awkward UI scaling, difficult touchscreen keyboard input, and the lack of Steam Deck Verified/native support. No evidence was found for external launchers, Proton Experimental toggles, anti-cheat failures, severe crashes, or battery drain. Overall, the game is playable with minor friction rather than fully seamless or broken.

Linux and Proton: The filtered feedback is uniformly positive about running the game on Steam Deck. Users report playing for several hours, testing it successfully, and encountering no issues. No Linux-specific crashes, Proton workarounds, anti-cheat blockers, or launch failures are mentioned. The only platform-related caveat is that the game is not marked Steam Deck Verified, but actual playability is described as working well.

Similar to Warcraft 3 Castle Fight: Many reviewers compare the gameplay to the Castle Fight custom map from Warcraft III. The game evokes nostalgia for classic mods and offers a similar experience. This comparison is a common reference point.

Good Value for Money: Reviewers frequently mention the low price point, considering it a steal or high cost-effectiveness. The game is often sold for less than 9 euros. This makes it appealing for budget-conscious players.

Steam Deck Compatibility Varied: Feedback about Steam Deck performance is mixed, ranging from working perfectly to lacking official support. Some reviewers exclusively play on Steam Deck. This indicates inconsistent compatibility that may affect handheld players.

Long Playtime and Replayability: The game provides countless hours of engagement, with some stating 10+ hours or around 20 hours. It can be played for a long time due to its engaging mechanics. This indicates good replay value.

Content Rich but Compact: Some describe the game as not big but content rich, while others mention a small amount of content. Opinions on content volume are divided. Overall, it offers substantial content for its size.