Gangs of Sherwood is an offbeat take on the legend of Robin Hood, putting an unexpected dystopian twist into a story that is renowned as being down to earth. A tale of ragged rebels that aren’t willing to abide to the tyranny of the Sheriff of Nottingham, the spirited and good-willing adventure is now drenched in a steampunk atmosphere that scores high in originality, despite some divisive aspects. While it can be enjoyed solo, the game comes into its own when played with four characters, a synergy of skills that is enjoyable in many ways.
Men in Fights
Describing the approach chosen by Appeal Studios for this spin on Robin Hood isn’t easy, but can be understandable if we compare it to the Wolfenstein series. It’s a medieval setting that many players are familiar with, but now there’s a host of machinery and advanced gear that is permeating through the characters and environments as well. This is especially visible in the bosses that our team of rebels gets to fight, donned from head to toe in heavy armor, sometimes controlling a mechanical attack vehicle, but always looking like a dangerous piece of high tech with some outlandish outfit to go with it.
The result is a place where worlds collide, a surprisingly solid merger where technology seems to have invaded and dominated nature and medieval structures. The forest of Sherwood is often remarkable, beautiful to explore and to watch, with quite some postcard-worthy sights, even if the quality wildly swings throughout the game, faces somewhat below the desired quality, with the NPC ones being the main offenders.
This mix lends itself well to the game, in parts almost like a fever dream, as Maid Marian uses her chain attacks with a grace and subtlety that is comparable only to the legend himself, Kratos. It’s a clash that works, and Marian is one of four very different protagonists, possibly the most agile of the group and displaying a fine balance between melee and ranged dagger combat. Friar Tuck is another recognizable name of the legend, but surely a somewhat unprecedented look due to the new aesthetic. A hulking fighter wielding a massive mace, he delivers powerful blows and is capable of healing, not lacking the skills to dodge roll like any of his companions. Robin of Locksley is the most recognizable name, a ranged character with his traditional bow and arrow, and finally, Little John, trading his quarterstaff for an imposing fist of steel to showcase his novel brawler abilities, while taking a wardrobe approach that sympathizes with what is commonly known as female endgame armor. The reimagining of four iconic names may not be consensual, but the artistic freedom allows for such takes and the overall result works well within the game.
The amount of combos to perform will steadily grow as you earn gold to unlock more and more, with the clever use of light and heavy attacks resulting in some visually stylish and effective actions. When various players are performing their combos against hordes of enemies, the screen is filled with effects and while sometimes hard to discern or even confusing, it can be enjoyable to watch until it gets in the way of reading the scene.
Something the four protagonists have in common is the grapple hook. This helps navigate through some parts of the scenario and reach areas that you couldn’t otherwise, but it’s also a tool for aerial combos, grabbing enemies mid-air to unleash a flurry of attacks. Dodge roll is the other aspect that is shared throughout, the inevitable maneuver to escape from touchy situations, and you are going to use it quite often.
Checking the environment for traps and hazards is another element of combat, saving you some time and danger. From beehives to trapdoors, stalactites and more, a swift grapple hook pull is going to turn the tides in your favor. Gangs of Sherwood is fairly clever in this regard, combining the strengths of the various characters but also providing some room for improvisation.
A good performance will activate Rebel Instinct, a brief phase where your character has increased damage and health regeneration abilities. The resulting attacks are more devastating, but the visual effects are a bit on the exaggerated side, making things sometimes more chaotic than they should be.
Finishers are another aspect you must learn to execute, as they can bring extra gold into your account. However, this was realized in a somewhat lazy way, a predetermined cutscene that doesn’t even take the stage where you are at the time of execution into consideration.
Artifacts of the Resistance
Major Oak church is the hideout of the rebellion, the hub where you go to pick the next mission, upgrade your characters, purchase new garments, and grab some side-quests from a few NPCs. Each mission is introduced via a puppet show, an oddly suitable manner of keeping the player on top of the events. It’s worth noting that Gangs of Sherwood can be played offline if you want to go solo, or online in case you want to search for gangs to join.
Stages are designed with a mechanic that gives the game an interesting spin. While your global rank is permanent, gang power is solely bound to the mission you are currently playing. This increases at some checkpoints where you often find the good old Jester, and quickly hits the level cap before the end of the mission, resetting when you start a new one. Same thing goes for artifacts that you find along the way, giving you some buffs such as critical damage or healing, but they are gone when you move on. It’s also important to stress that you must purchase artifact slots so that you don’t have to be constantly pressed to make difficult choices on which ones to carry along.
Specific zones tailored to this or that character are visible in each stage, areas that can only be used or opened by a couple of gang members, encouraging cooperative play in this department as well. You won’t see the bulky Friar Tuck squeezing through tight passages, but Maid Marian or Robin of Locksley can do so and check the potential chests on the other side. Barricades can be destroyed by the powerful Friar Tuck or Little John, so it’s a matter of using the right character to reap the most rewards. Gold chests are also common, and this currency isn’t just necessary to purchase new abilities, artifact slots, and others, it’s also used to revive on the spot with different health amounts.
Frequently you’ll engage into standout battles where your performance is translated into a visible combo score, the better you do, the more gold you rack in at the end. From Dull to Ace and Saviour, this is all about dodging hits and executing complex combinations.
It’s not inaccurate to say that each mission may last up to 30 minutes, a considerable length that is gradually shortened as the number of players increases. Every so often you will stumble upon a boss, and while these aren’t remarkable for the most and seem to lack imagination in terms of attack patterns, being quite far from what games such as Remnant 2 or Bloodborne have achieved, they provide some excitement in a more arcade and forgiving way.
One thing that troubled me is how frequently we can get stuck on bosses when up close, dodge rolling on the same spot instead of moving away from danger. Collision issues could have been handled better, allowing the player to dodge instead of frustratingly trying to find the direction where they can be set free.
Some design issues also rear their ugly head, mainly of the invisible wall type, as health orbs and gold are laid beyond reach. Destroy some of the crates and other furniture and gold not only hovers in the air, but it also teases you from a foot’s distance, this impenetrable barrier stopping you from collecting it.
The Good Merry Men
Gangs of Sherwood is a good entry in the cooperative action genre, without being a revolution of any sort. The original take on a popular legend is the first thing that catches the eye, a medieval steampunk blend that works, but there’s more to it than looks. The combat is nice as a solo player and gets better with a few friends, each protagonist being sufficiently unique as to provide a decent range of strategies.
It’s unambitious, sometimes goofy fun that can be instantly picked up and enjoyed. If you’re not looking for the next milestone in coop gaming, dive into this journey in a reimagined universe and enjoy this group of rebels with a fresh set of eyes.
Score: 7.5/10
Pros:
- A medieval steampunk reimagining of the Robin Hood legend that mostly works
- Interesting solo play and fun cooperative synergies
- It’s fast, unambitious arcade fun
Cons:
- Bosses are lacking in strategies
- Some odd invisible walls and bugs
- Too many graphical effects make visibility take a hit
Gangs of Sherwood review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.