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Robin Hood
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Graphics & Sound:
Robin Hood may comfortably hold the title "Most Bloody Game" for iPad, based on our visit to Nottingham Woods. For a game that bills itself as appropriate for the 9+ crowd, discerning parents may be a bit surprised at the quantity of blood splashed against the screen. Our game-test lab is outfitted with a curious 7 year-old and we were certainly looking for an option to turn off the blood once we booted this one up. The older crowd will likely find a high cool factor in the headshot animations, and other violent attacks. It IS a game about killing people with arrows, after all, so why would anyone expect it to be less than violent? The camera settings are a bit odd, and detract from the game overall. Considering the need to attack early and often, when enemies are still on the far right-side of the screen, we can't imagine why anyone would want to pinch-and-zoom in on a narrow slice of the action. The camera is set this way by default, forcing you to pull out to a wider-angle view of the battlefield. The option to scroll left and right also seems a bit superfluous, since you'll eventually have your hands full defending territory right in front of you. Robin Hood doesn't sport nuanced graphics, but they get the job done. There was at least attention paid to creating some funny and unintuitive imagery, such as the dragon-cow boss that periodically attacks your settlement. DraCow? CowGon? Either way, we loved it. The snap of arrows flying and hitting the mark is a joy, while the sound of crumbling houses as enemies attack is a downer. Headshots are rewarded with a gurgling death-rattle, and who doesn't like to listen to that?
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Gameplay:
The story of Robin Hood is pretty simple already, but the iPad rendition takes an even more reductive view on the Prince of Thieves (or was that Ali Baba?), and focuses in on his archery. Yes, this is essentially a trumped-up version of any tower/cannon/artillery game you've played before, but there are some distinct differences in the style of play. Because Robin Hood is shooting arrows, you get a different game mechanic that focuses less on adjusting angles and power at the point of fire, and more about targeting enemies directly on the field of battle. The advancing army is intent on destroying houses that you are attempting to defend. Occasionally, you'll find bosses enter the scene, requiring more pinpoint control, or at least a few upgrades. These upgrade items are only temporary, but they make Robin Hood a far more efficient killing machine. You'll pick these up, along with health-packs that repair some of the damage done to your houses, by shooting them with an arrow. There's a lather-rinse-repeat quality to Robin Hood that diminishes replay value considerably. You'll become very skilled at taking out enemies, but will eventually be overwhelmed and defeated. Other than competing for high scores, there's nothing new to keep fighting for. More enemies, more weapons, or even a different landscape would have improved the shelf value of Robin Hood.
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Difficulty:
Aiming the arrows is a skill you'll need to develop quickly if you hope to progress through more than a few waves. Once the houses are all destroyed by your enemies, it's Game Over. More skilled players will be firing headshots frequently, but body shots will also do the trick nicely. Armored enemies require two shots, unless you nail them in the head, and bosses can be defeated more quickly by aiming for the head. At least one of the boss battles can only be won by aiming for the head, so it pays to master this shot. Precision isn't as important when you collect upgraded arrow abilities, but actually collecting the boxes containing these upgrades requires some accurate shooting. We weren't put off by the mechanics, but we're also veteran players of various shooting and action games. Younger players coming to this from more of a casual-gaming background may find it extremely difficult to control, which will result in a cluster of enemies attempting to knock down your homes, and a speedy demise. Eventually, even the most skilled players will succumb to the swarming soldiers, so Robin Hood really ends up being a survival game where you compete for highest score. Considering the modest pricing of the game, it's a fair amount of entertainment for a buck...
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Game Mechanics:
The arrow shooting mechanic here takes full advantage of the touch screen. You can pull back on the screen at any place to launch an arrow, even though Robin Hood remains rooted in one spot the entire time. It takes a bit of getting used to, but the best play is in the middle of the screen, where you can get the combination of angle and power to drill distant enemies. As with any "launcher" game, there are several ways to take out incoming waves. Shooting lofty arrows is difficult because you really have to get those angles right. The straight, flat shots require more power, but are a bit more forgiving. Especially when you have one of the more devastating special weapons, aiming is a non-issue. The H-Bomb upgrade, for example, tears up a huge swathe of enemies at the top and bottom of the screen. The Drill item you pick up turns a normal arrow into an armor piercing missile that can skewer a line of marching enemies without losing any speed. It does take time to get used to aiming and adjusting power through the touch-screen, but you can track the contrail left by each arrow and adjust accordingly. There's limited depth to Robin Hood in terms of progression to new and different levels. We got the sense that after you exhaust the available bosses and enemy types, you simply revert back to the beginning to repeat at a higher level of difficulty. Again, for a dollar this doesn't seem like a bad deal, but don't come expecting any exhaustive action title. Robin Hood does a nice job with arrow-shooting action, and provides a bloody distraction for those down moments when Twitter is over capacity and you've emptied your email Inbox. All that's missing is Maid Marian...
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-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock |
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