Of Orcs and Men

 PC
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Cheat Code Central
    Oct 15, 2012
    74
    A success, thanks mainly to its innovative battle system. And best of all, there's plenty of room to improve the formula in sequels and other games; this franchise could be unstoppable if it adds better character development options and more variety in its combat.
  2. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    72
    An interesting experiment of an “intellectual” action game, with unique protagonists, a story with strokes of magnificence and dilemmas. Alas, its launch is badly-timed (many blockbusters around this time of year). Of Orcs and Men is not for everyone, but at least all fantasy fans should have a peek. [December 2012]
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  3. 3DJuegos
    Oct 18, 2012
    71
    Of Orcs and Men is a "correct" action-rpg, but it's too linear.
  5. GameSpot
    Nov 13, 2012
    70
    Of Orcs and Men's few design issues don't prevent it from being a fun, table-turning take on the age-old conflict.
  6. GameStar
    Oct 15, 2012
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
  7. Meristation
    Oct 13, 2012
    67
    Flawed, but with potential. There are shining elements in Of Orcs and Men. It looks very good, it has a great soundtrack and the combination of the two protagonists works. But it´s too linear for its own shake, the story tries too much to be "mature" and it doesn't take advance of its potential, among general problems of presentation and production.
  8. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 30, 2012
    60
    Action adventures with orc and goblin in leading roles aren't too usual. Unfortunately, there is not much to offer – gameplay is flat and eye-catching visuals can't save it all. [Dec 2012]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. GRYOnline.pl
    Oct 24, 2012
    55
    Despite an interesting concept, Of Orcs and Men is a mediocre and poor game even for an action RPG. The entire world fits into several dozen simple paths and there are almost no secondary quests. What is more, there's a too simple progress system and a boring story (which was a strong point of Cyanide's A Game of Thrones). Of Orcs and Men has an interesting team of lead characters, but that's not enough for a quite long adventure ahead. If only the developers had spend more time making the game and not just copying things from their previous title, it would be much better.
  10. Absolute Games
    Nov 9, 2012
    50
    Of Orcs and Men is based on a great concept that should have been tackled by a bolder, more talented team.
  11. Games.cz
    Oct 28, 2012
    50
    Of Orcs and Men looks like a promising and fair game, but only for a couple of minutes and thanks to the effort that's been put into the perfect stylization. Afterwards, there's just boring gameplay you will try to endure because of the storyline pieces. The truly important game elements have been killed to no avail by an attempt for innovation that is a failure.

Awards & Rankings

86
#86 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
90
#90 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 214 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 103 out of 214
  2. Mixed: 66 out of 214
  3. Negative: 45 out of 214
  1. johny5w
    Nov 23, 2012
    2
    I just got this game on the Steam sale, and even getting it half off I think I just threw away $20. After playing for 2 hours I doubt I willI just got this game on the Steam sale, and even getting it half off I think I just threw away $20. After playing for 2 hours I doubt I will spend any more time with this game. First the good: the game seems to be a unique take on fantasy tropes (similar to Dragon Age) which was the thing that first interested me about it. Also, the graphics seem to be pretty well done and I encountered no graphical glitches in my time playing. Now the bad. I should have read some of the reviews more carefully, because then I would have known what to expect. Combat is just you choosing abilities and waiting for you character to execute them. I think the developers were going for sort of a rock paper scissor counter mechanic, but my experience so far is you could basically just randomly choose abilities and get the same results. Not only that, but when you pause to issue orders you can not issue movement orders, so it becomes almost impossible to avoid melee. After 1 or 2 battles this system is so extremely lackluster and boring, that I can't imagine how the good points of the game could counter balance the combat. If the combat had just been ok, or kind of bad, I think the good would make this worth playing; unfortunately the combat is AWFUL.

    One final note: I should have actually read the positive reviews first instead of just looking at the score, because most of them are just things like "I am just balancing the troll reviews." Well shame on you, because you basically are trolling people yourself. You make the score look much higher than it should have been. I certainly would have not wasted my money on this game had I realized that was why the score was higher (I will admit this was certainly my fault, but it is frustrating none the less).

    Bottom line: this game is wasted potential. It seems like it could have been great, but the combat is so bad it ruins it.    … Full Review »
  2. wasabi867
    Oct 12, 2012
    8
    Either the People who Rate it with 0, before the Game is barely Released, are 12 Years old, or they have a Massive Stick up their anal Ways..Either the People who Rate it with 0, before the Game is barely Released, are 12 Years old, or they have a Massive Stick up their anal Ways.. I just don't get it.. As for the Game itself, its a solid Experience… Full Review »
  3. zornsthorne
    Oct 13, 2012
    10
    I have seen a lot of trolling on many fronts because of the gameplay not being a hack and slash. The gameplay is like dragon age origins forI have seen a lot of trolling on many fronts because of the gameplay not being a hack and slash. The gameplay is like dragon age origins for anyone who is interested and plays as smoothly and balanced as it. Although word of warning due to only having the tank and rogue archetypes it is somewhat simplified, they have replaced the healer class with skills that gradually regenerate health for several seconds. There has also been a lot of trolling due to the fact that the orcs are the heroes although anyone who has actually played the game will know that just because you play an orc and a goblin; this does not mean that all the orcs in the game are good and not all humans are evil. The storyline is simple and the maps are linear but I am having a blast playing the game and "HIGHLY" recommend it to anyone who enjoys old bioware rpg's, it may not have as much depth as them (not very many games do to be honest) but it will satisfy your taste buds. The game deserves an 8/9 out of 10 but I am giving it a 10 to do what I can to counter-act the massive negative trolling that has emerged on the user score.

    Just a follow note if you enjoy fantasy with a grungy dirty feel to it, for example Game of Throne then you should enjoy the feel of this game. It hasn't got everything but you can see focus have really put time and effort into making the game and the stats/gameplay are able to be manipulated enough to change how you play the characters for a second or third play through.    … Full Review »
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