The mere mention of the Robin Hood character in video games makes me wince. Some little voice in my head hopes that this game is worthy of my attention. And moreover, it’s my time. Defender of the Poor has so much gaming potential, and yet, over the years, no one has been able to figure it out without it being just something that’s hard to call a good game and just using a famous name. The last big effort of 2021, Hood: Outlaws and Legends, still gives me PTSD. And so I have no choice but to hope that the same Robin Hood will appear on the market, who will save not only the poor, but also my faith that the hero from Sherwood still has hope in the games. However, I don’t know if Gangs of Sherwood, reviewed today, is such a game.
The title takes us to something new alternative fantasy world, combining a steampunk concept with elements of science fiction, magic and classical medievalism. An interesting concept that expands on the classic story of a gang of outlaws.
The combination of an interesting world and co-op play during missions it sounded like something I was looking forward to and would like to try. After all, there are still many good co-op games on the market, and each attempt occupies my close attention. Plus, I’ve always had a soft spot for original worlds. But rarely do such attempts turn out half as well as I always hope.
Gangs of Sherwood is a four-player co-op hack and slash game that focuses on combat and customizing your playstyle to best suit your hands. This should help you overcome the pitfalls that await you when liberating an alternate England. It is ruled by the dictatorial regime of the Sheriff of Nottingham, who stole the Philosopher’s Stone, which led medieval England to the Industrial Revolution half a millennium ago. Alternate world offers a certain originality, but to be honest, in this case, Robin Hood this is not necessary at all. It can be seen that this is purely an attempt to attract something and make the title something different from other games from the gang environment. And even if the alternate world view is actually well done and its backdrops work perfectly, they end up becoming completely irrelevant. The developers simply failed to capture the world and take full advantage of the interesting backstory of the plot. This is because it is superficial, without any higher purpose or perhaps concept at all, but does not work at all with the original world. The whole point is to kill the sheriff and that’s it.
The entire game is divided into three story chapters, each of which contains three missions. Each mission will only take you about half an hour, so don’t expect much in terms of playtime. The missions are really just one long corridor that takes you from arena to arena where you encounter enemies. You will meet them as one of four playable characters – Robin, Little John, Tuck and Marian. Each of the four characters has a different fighting style. While Robin focuses on ranged attacks, Tuck uses massive clubs for brutal melee attacks. Jon then offers an interesting mechanic of well-timed attacks for more damage, and Marian is an assassin who uses quick melee attacks but also has the ability to throw daggers.
Each character offers a slightly different gaming experience, and a combination of all four heroes can be interesting. Although the gameplay of each of the heroes is different, they have one thing in common – a combination of light and heavy attacks that lead to maximum damage.
The combat is fast, easy to understand, and actually quite satisfying. The mechanics seem very simple, and the attack combinations are actually quite primitive… Perhaps too primitive. It’s all about combining light and strong attacks. For the first few hours I was absolutely delighted with the fighting. It was like going back twenty years. You’ll quickly master basic attacks, and unlocking combos gradually and quickly keeps the gameplay fresh. However, over time, enthusiasm quickly gave way to sobriety and the feeling that the deeper I delved into the story, the more stereotypical the gameplay became. The combos are too simple and then begin to repeat themselves in battles three quick combinations, because they are simply not there anymore, you begin to feel that you are constantly spinning. Just so you understand. It’s all about a fast and then a strong attack, two fast and one strong, and then three fast and strong. No more, no less.
A small consolation is that you can customize your fighting style to some extent. The changes aren’t that drastic, and the biggest differences are in the damage focus. This can be an area attack or a direct attack on a single enemy. Or maybe you can support the team more. However, despite the change in style, the gameplay for individual heroes remains largely the same, only your abilities have a different effect.
However, I’m glad that changes like this can be unlocked. But that’s all worth gold coins and personally, I was a little annoyed by the lack of somewhere to try out individual changes before purchasing them. You’ll earn money by completing missions, looting chests, and by how well you manage to hold combos during fights. In each arena, depending on the combo, you receive an overall grade from S to D. The better you do, the greater your final reward. Besides changing your fighting style, gold is also useful for unlocking individual combos, new abilities, or perhaps cosmetic outfits.
Source :Indian TV
