Gangs of Sherwood is a modern take on the Robin Hood legend that might be perfect if you enjoy coop games.
For many, Robin Hood is an iconic character from the worlds of film and video games. Despite several attempts by developers, very few video games have managed to capture the spirit of this legendary story. Hood: Outlaws & Legends, Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders – Bandit’s Trail and similar titles failed to achieve the kind of success that the developers had hoped for. But THQ Nordic isn’t a name to be taken lightly, and they are a well-known video game publisher, and Appeal Studios is now a part of them. Their first upcoming release after the takeover will be Outcast—A New Beginning, a cutting-edge open-world action adventure.
In contrast, Gangs of Sherwood is still being considered a game by Appeal Studios, a company that has not made many games of this kind. At least, none that I have come across since their most recent title, The Bluecoats: North & South, did not do a great deal of credit to the turn-based strategy genre.
Gangs of Sherwood, on the other hand, is a cooperative action game that adds a new dimension to the Robin Hood storyline. Set in a reinvented universe and story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, it is a cooperative action game that can accommodate up to four players except those who purchased the Lionheart Edition, granting them Early Access to the game.
The game was released on November 30th. Appeal Studios was the game’s developer, while Nacon was the publisher. It was immediately upsetting that there was no crossplay in Gangs of Sherwood, which limited the potential player base. However, the game does put a new perspective on the Robin Hood story and its characteristics. The game’s success will thus most likely hinge on how well it handles solo mode compared to its multiplayer multiplayer options.
The events of Gangs of Sherwood transport readers back in time to the Crusades, when King Richard II oversaw the discovery of the magical Stone, The Lionheart. The Stone brought technological developments beyond anyone’s wildest vision, transforming the kingdom. On the other hand, it also brought greed, which the Sheriff of Nottingham used to build his harsh authority over the settlement.
The Rebellion, formed to fight against this oppression, was led by a group of legendary heroes from the story of Robin Hood. From Maid Marian to Friar Tuck to Little John to the famed Archer Robin of Loxley, you have the option to play as any of these characters. A different set of skills is brought to the table by each character.
From the moment you open up Gangs of Sherwood for the first time, you are presented with a menu that allows you to play in two distinct modes. The first one is online, which enables you to participate in and host multiplayer games, and there is another offline one. This seems unnecessary because you can already choose to make it private or friends only when you choose a task; thus, there’s no need to include it here.
Nonetheless, the first significant decision you will have to make in Gangs of Sherwood is the character you choose to play. Choose from the following: Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, and Robin of Loxley. Robin is a ranged damage dealer, Marian is an assassin, John is a tank for melee damage, and Tuck is a tank for melee damage with healing. The primary hub of the game allows you to switch characters whenever you like, so you don’t need to worry about giving this a lot of thought if your initially picked character isn’t doing the tricks for you.
The moment you start your gameplay, you’ll notice that Gangs of Sherwood is influenced by games such as Devil May Cry, and it shows its appreciation for those games by incorporating a style gauge that dynamically assigns a grade to your combo sequences. But due to its reliability on multiplayer, it’s more difficult to gain a high grade while flying solo since it is more difficult to pull off a 100-hit sequence without soaking up the hit you have received.
And this eventually increases the sense of excitement associated with the multiplayer experience. You can form groups of up to four people in Gangs of Sherwood, and they can all play as separate characters. While Robin Hood’s long-range strikes are available to test out, each Merry Man has its own distinct playstyle. John throws devastating strikes, Maid Marian is a master of ranged warfare, and Frier Tuck is the group’s tank.
A brief tutorial mission will then be shown to you, allowing you to become acquainted with the fundamental controls. And there you are, staring back at the stunning Sherwood Forest setting, ready to be captivated by the game’s visual beauty. Once you accomplish that tutorial mission, you can advance through the plot with new combination attacks and abilities, and even shards, which alter the functionality of your skills.
You will find yourself in the Gangs of Sherwood’s hub. It’s great because it lets you customize your characters with different builds and play styles. The gameplay becomes simpler and enjoyable as you level up and gain access to these additional abilities and combos. The amount of fun the combat is absolutely startled me. I was surprised to see fighting comparable to Final Fantasy VXI and Devil May Cry, but it was fun and rewarding to play, particularly when you level up your abilities.
The game’s tempo also feels pretty adaptable, with parts having segments, except for an unpleasant slow-motion cutscene after each battle phase. Though enjoyable the first time, you’ll eventually get bored with it by the end of the game due to how repeatedly you see it.
Another great thing I observed about the gameplay and battle was that you could capitalize on the surroundings against your opponents, which was great on your part. Take, for instance, the ability to pick down bee nests and set them on the heads of enemies in Sherwood Forest. This will unlock trap doors that will instantly kill them. This is only one approach. However, there are many more that you can discover during your play.
Similar to the tempo of arcade racing games, the battles are quick and fierce, with little rest between engagements, which sets Gangs of Sherwood apart from other games. Every character in Gangs of Sherwood has a unique gameplay style, one of the game’s most intriguing features. New combos and pieces will become available to you as you continue through the game, enabling you to perform more powerful and stylish attacks. You may play the game alone, but it shines in co-op mode, where you and your teammates can build lethal synergies by combining your heroes’ abilities.
In general, the game’s story is rather good. There is nothing riveting or tragic that has a lot of comedic moments. Particularly noteworthy are how the characters communicate with one another and how Marian interacts with her family, given that the Nottingham are the game’s antagonists. Thus, whenever they appear, Maran intimidates them and engages in playful banter; the same applies to the rest of the squad. Nonetheless, one of the game’s attractions is the characters talking to one other since they are very nicely written and fun to listen to.
It was great to see backstories introduced to Gangs of Sherwood, which allows you to hear the characters’ feelings on events in their life as you uncover hidden objects throughout the levels. All the characters themselves are quite well-written. I also like how the game incorporates a puppet performance that tells a little story about each level before you start a mission, adding a touch of vintage humor. Attempts to make you feel something and lose yourself in the story’s environment occur throughout.
Having established that the Sheriff is evil and the outlaws are virtuous, I feel the tale of Gangs of Sherwood lacks further direction because of its fixation on Robin Hood. While it’s not the developers’ fault that the ending is predictable, there was room to make changes and embrace plot risks. Additionally, I have the impression that the game’s intended goal of having players immerse themselves in the story may be lost amidst the inevitable small talk in multiplayer, making it easy to miss out on numerous crucial plot points.
Furthermore, to ensure that the game may be played multiple times, Gangs of Sherwood features nine different plot missions. There wasn’t much time to complete each Mission; I completed the whole game as Maid Marian, which took me about thirty minutes. However, as you progress through each task, you will discover the game’s primary hub and then journey there. From then on, you’ll be able to embark on their side quests, including anything from discovering a picture to killing specific foes in a specific method.
Even though I don’t mind the tasks they assign, I find Gangs of Sherwood’s side quests unsatisfactory because I don’t think they’re worthwhile. Even after completing them, I still don’t notice any modifications to the hub, and I have no idea what prizes are there. It seems that these are primarily included to extend the amount of time that can be spent playing the game, especially for individuals like you who are completionists and feel something is lacking.
There are also several elements that are concealed throughout the Gangs of Sherwood’s plot. Alan Dale’s puppets, a fortunate coin, and a wooden toy sword are among the artifacts that provide insight into the characters’ histories. Additionally, you can rescue civilians and locate wanted posters; however, doing so merely adds Fame to your character’s level upon completion of missions, and you can continue to collect them even after rerunning the missions.
To complete Act 1, you will face a massive lamb machine in tremendous combat. The mechanics of this enemy made it feel amazing to fight. After Act 3, you’ll find two more task types. One is a four-minute gauntlet of all three tale bosses, while the other is a thirty-round wave survival that takes around thirty minutes to finish. The benefits from these side quests aren’t impressive, save for the increased wealth and Fame. You can buy additional skins, skills, and shards to unlock more content.
You have the opportunity to level up and get new abilities in between missions. Battle hubs and personalization options may be found in the primary oak. For example, you can equip Robin Hood with a ring of explosives and set it to go off whenever his opponents get too close. Additionally, there is a training ground where you can try out various skins and test out new combos. Gangs of Sherwood will begin with nine missions that are split out across three chapters. In addition, the game will feature more content, such as a new game, greater difficulty levels, wave-based horde, and Boss Rush modes.
Gangs of Sherwood really impresses with its visuals. It may not have the visual polish of your average AAA game, but it will astound you as you go through each level. The developers deserve credit for the game’s high quality in terms of its appearance and gameplay. The forest appears beautiful, and the river and caverns are quite appealing. In addition, the surroundings and buildings have a pleasing appearance. Currently, the natural graphic style is typical in games; it feels relatively straightforward while still being enjoyable.
There is not much else to say regarding the other aspects of the game’s appearance. The game has realistic sound effects for battle and your abilities, along with the cutscene audio. The audio in Gangs of Sherwood is crystal clear and free of crackles and other problems that may plague video games.
The developers have put a lot of thought into the audio for this title. But the soundtrack was undoubtedly its weakest link when it came to Gangs of Shows. Usually, iconic tracks play at specific moments or whenever you’re at the hub. But except for the main menu track, no music stood out to me during the remainder of the game.
A few glitches were brought to my attention; however, they were not very significant; they consisted of the overall shaping of characters and costumes, followed by ascending platforms underneath another player in multiplayer. In other words, I don’t say something particularly significant, but it seems a little strange and apparent.
Regrettably, Gangs of Sherwood only supports PC users on Steam and the Epic Game Store for crossplay. Because people are responsible for hosting the game in multiplayer rather than on a server, it may be easier to recruit team members down the road. Since some stages’ paths can only be accessed by a very slender or hefty character, it stands to reason that you can switch between playing as different characters and replaying the game.
As a result, you can’t have Little John or Friar Tuck as the large ones and Robin or Marian as the Finn. You shouldn’t have any problems if you’re participating in multiplayer. Having said that, there is one issue that I would like to bring to your attention: although your rank is directly related to your account, the gold you earn is directly related to the character you are now playing.
Because you will not have any gold on a character you switch to after completing the game, you cannot purchase even the first basic ability. I get the impression that they made an effort to artificially boost the replay value; while I didn’t like it, it could be fun for some players. Overall, Gangs of Sherwood is a great cooperative experience that adds a thrilling new dimension to the Robin Hood Legend.
However, some will inevitably find issues with any game. Unless you’re looking for an experience without breaking the bank or need a respite from things other than the game’s excellent combat, not much happens in Gangs of Sherwood. You won’t, however, regret playing it, especially with the multiplayer options available. Playing this game with friends or those interested in coop games is fun to spend time together.
Despite Gangs of Sherwood’s shortcomings, the multiplayer mode is enjoyable, the puppet narration is entertaining, and the combat is top-notch. It may be too difficult to achieve high-style grades while on your own. This could be a great addition to your library if you enjoy updating the Robin Hood mythos and enjoy fast-paced cooperative games. The fast-paced gameplay, varied character powers, and the possibility of spectacular multiplayer cooperation make this game worth playing.
