Players will gain some of these unlockables playing the story mode, but the rest they’ll unlock by choice through the skull currency. Gaining skulls in OMD2 works a little differently than in OMD, but I find it to ultimately be more advantageous. Completing a level (even multiple times) will reward a certain number of skulls. As with OMD, players receive a skull rating, out of 5 possible skulls. These skull ratings also turn into additional skull currency, but players can only earn them once. For example, if a player completed a certain level with a three skull rating for the first time, he would be rewarded three extra skulls on top of the normal reward. If he did the same level again and got a four skull rating, he’d still receive the normal reward, but he’d only get one additional skull as this is the difference between his last personal best and his new rating. Once earned, skull currency can be spent on whatever a player desires and all skulls can be reset any time players have access to the spellbook. This is a great feature as players are encouraged to try out upgrades. If they don’t like them, they can start fresh. Also, since there’s no cap on the amount of skulls players can earn, it’s possible to unlock every item and upgrade in the spellbook.
Great, so we’ve covered the co-op connectivity, the characters, and the spellbook, but what about the actual gameplay? OMD2 features three different modes, all available in co-op: story, endless, and classic. All of these modes have the same goal: kill the enemies before they reach their destination. If the rift points counter reaches 0, it’s game over. Co-op play is just about identical to single-player play, with only a couple of differences: coin from trap and weapon kills is evenly split between players in co-op (but not coin drops), and in co-op players only get 6 equipment slots each. This is surely to preserve the balance of how many traps players have access to on any given level, and is really not much of a hindrance. Also, while players are in the spellbook at the beginning of the level, they can see what items their co-op partner has equipped, so make sure to coordinate with your buddy for maximum effectiveness!
Story mode is the game’s campaign, comprised of a total of 15 levels. These levels feature a set amount of waves which can differ upon the level. Waves will start out with easier enemies, but each successive wave will add tougher enemies into the mix. These levels also possess multiple doors for orcs to spawn, so players will have to split their attention and keep tabs on enemies’ positions. In story mode, players simply want to prevent the rift point counter from reaching 0 before the last enemy is killed on the last wave.
Endless mode features 10 levels, 5 of which are taken from the story mode with the other 5 being unique to Endless. The gameplay of Endless mode is about the same as Story, except that the waves keep coming until players lose all rift points. Also, every 5 waves a huge golden ogre, named Mr. Moneybags, will stomp his way through the level. If killed, he will drop a large coin worth a huge amount of coin.
Classic mode is only available to players who also own the first OMD. It features 10 maps, and like Story mode features a set amount of waves. The levels in classic mode are taken directly from OMD, but this time they’re playable in co-op. It’s a nice little bonus to fans of the first game.
In sum, OMD2 is a fantastic game and has completely lived up to my expectations. It features all the stuff from OMD that I know and love, and makes it even better. Co-op enhances and enriches the experience and additional traps and new enemies as well as a revamped and more customizable unlock system make the game an absolute delight to play. I have absolutely no complaints and I’ll certainly be pushing this game on my friends like a deranged crack dealer.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Play as the Sorceresses or War Mage through the game's levels in two player co-op.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.