There Are No Orcs

I jumped into There Are No Orcs expecting a cute little tug-of-war auto-battler and came away pleasantly surprised. BaseTrade Studio managed to mash together tile-based placement, commander abilities, and roguelike runs into something that’s easy to learn but hard to master. If you like quick strategic loops with goofy charm and plenty of buildcrafting, this one scratches that itch. It’s cheeky, occasionally chaotic, and often very rewarding.

Building the Endless Horde

The core loop of There Are No Orcs revolves around placing buildings on tiles to produce income or units and then letting those forces auto-battle toward the enemy base. You spend most of your time juggling tile real estate, deciding whether to invest in economy, unit spawners, or commander-specific structures, and reacting to enemy push patterns. The pacing leans toward short, focused runs — each match is a tug-of-war where a single late-game combo can swing the entire map. There’s still a surprising amount of tactical depth: range vs melee, unit counters, and spawn timing all matter. Pausing to micro-manage is minimal because the game purposely automates combat, which keeps the flow fast and forgiving for short sessions. As someone who loves planning but hates micromanaging every unit, this felt like the right balance.

Commanders, Chaos and Combo-Driven Mayhem

What gives the game its personality are the 30 commanders and their exclusive buildings: every leader brings active skills, passive traits and unique towers that change how you arrange your base. Mixing commander quirks with faction-specific mechanics (Humans, Demons, Dwarves) opens up real experimentation — you can funnel a skeleton swarm or build an elite-dino/air combo if the relics and equipment line up. Chaos mode adds another layer by altering rules per level, not just inflating HP: one Chaos modifier might make all units fragile, another might buff certain attack types, so you’re forced to rethink standard builds. Synergy bonuses for tile placement reward smart layouts rather than random spam, and equipment/relic choices mid-run let you pivot strategies in satisfying, sometimes absurd ways. The game encourages creative “break the meta” thinking — and yes, demons can zerg, which I both loved and cursed when they steamrolled my perfect setup.

A Scrappy, Clear Visuals and Soundtrack

Graphically the game keeps things simple but readable: clean top-down sprites and readable UI mean you never lose track of what’s spawning where, even with a field full of units. Sound and music lean into playful, slightly chaotic tracks that fit the tug-of-war vibe without overstaying their welcome. Performance is excellent on modest PCs — players reported smooth runs even with many mobs on screen, which I can confirm from testing. There are rough edges in the UI: some resource bars and equipment tooltips feel opaque and could use clearer breakdowns, and a few commanders or systems (looking at you, Dwarves according to plenty of players) can feel fiddly or under-tuned. Still, the polish level punches above its price point, and the devs are actively patching and adding content.

There Are No Orcs is a lovable, clever little strategy game that nails short, satisfying runs and creative base-building. It’s perfect for players who enjoy experiment-heavy, pick-up-and-play strategy bouts and don’t demand hardcore micromanagement. Buy it if you want a cheap, well-made time sink with plenty of replay value — just be prepared for some balance quirks and a UI that could use a polish pass.