Review: Gangs of Sherwood Is Not Worth Trying For

29.11.2023 - 11:01 / fortressofsolitude.co.za

Who had a Robin Hood action-adventure video game on their 2023 bingo card? Well, Gangs of Sherwood brings the infamous outlaw and his band of merry allies to the medium, promising a barrel of action-packed combat and co-op good times. Unfortunately, the results are mixed to say the least, showcasing how the original delay in the game’s release wasn’t enough time to turn this from meh to magic.

Set in an alternate setting featuring high-tech technology, Gangs of Sherwood sees the Sheriff of Nottingham secure the magical Lion Heart stone, which holds immense power and helps to explain the futuristic aesthetic of this world. So, it’s up to Robin of Locksley, Marian, Little John, and Friar Tuck to team up and take down that nasty Sheriff and his stooges. Players choose between the four main characters – each holding their own fighting style and unique personality – and as the game progresses, and players collect more gold, they are able to unlock more customisable options for their character’s combat system. In other words, it’s time to rise and grind, baby!

Much like Nacon’s other recent release, RoboCop: Rogue City, Gangs of Sherwood doesn’t possess premium graphics or game-changing cutscenes. This isn’t competing with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for the most beautiful game of the year, but neither does it try to. Considering this isn’t a title being sold at an ungodly price, the character designs and backgrounds work for the budget and do their job in absorbing players in this carefully constructed and different Robin Hood tale. Hell, football sims all still look like they are stuck in 2014 and certainly have higher budgets than this game, so…

At the same time, credit needs to go out to the dialogue and voice acting, as there are genuinely funny moments scattered throughout the game while the conversations always remain on point and advance the narrative. The character Alan-A-Dale, in particular, proves to be a hoot, and it’s always welcome whenever this minstrel shows his many faces. Taking into account that the story isn’t exactly the most novel or riveting around – since this is all about the action, duh! – it’s important that the dialogue keeps the player invested in the journey, and fortunately, that remains intact here.

At first, Gangs of Sherwood starts off in frenetic fashion with button-mashing being the order of the day, especially as the wave of enemies keep on coming. Players can also make use of environmental attacks, such as trapdoors and poison, to inflict damage on foes and this adds a nice variety to the gameplay. A character like Robin is a safe choice to get used to the controls and settings, since his long-ranged attacks buy the player some time to adapt to the dodging and block system