Of Orcs and Men

Of Orcs and Men is a 2012 action-RPG developed by Cyanide Studio and Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Distinctively, it tells its story entirely from the perspective of the traditionally villainous races: players control Arkail, a hulking warrior of the Bloodjaws orc clan, and Styx, a cunning goblin assassin (who would later star in his own stealth-focused spin-off series), as the pair are sent on a near-suicidal mission to assassinate the Emperor of the human empire that has long oppressed and enslaved their kinds. The game blends two contrasting playstyles, Arkail's brute-force, rage-fuelled melee combat and Styx's stealth, invisibility and backstabbing, and asks players to switch between and coordinate them through its linear, narrative-driven campaign. It emphasises a darker, more mature tone and a sympathetic look at fantasy's usual monsters. Critical reception was mixed; reviewers praised the unusual premise, the central characters' banter and the story's perspective, while criticising repetitive combat, technical rough edges and uneven pacing. Of Orcs and Men is most notable for spawning the popular Styx: Master of Shadows stealth games, but it stands on its own as an ambitious, character-driven attempt to flip fantasy's moral lens onto its monsters.