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Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
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Graphics & Sound:
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood is an isometric, 2D strategy game. The graphics engine provides a crisp view of the action, and offers three levels of zoom. Unfortunately, when zoomed in all of the way, the graphics are quite blocky, and only the middle, default, setting is terribly useful. All of the maps are highly detailed and chocked full of objects. Buildings, trees, children, soldiers, and others are present, and many can be interacted with. Most of the animation in the game is confined to people, although some missions start out with fairly involved in-engine animation sequences. Sound is generally good, although the music and voiceovers can become quite annoying. Ambient sound effects are high quality, and tend to fit the environments quite well. Overall, the graphics and sound are excellent, especially considering the nature of the game, and the fact that its 2D graphics engine should run smoothly on lower-end computers.
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Gameplay:
The real-time strategy game focuses on the mythical character of Robin Hood, the man who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. You assume control of this do-gooder and his Merry Men in a non-linear campaign that includes over 30 missions. The first two missions are solo, with Robin Hood setting up the story, and the rest use a subset of the Merry Men to complete both Ambush and Strategic missions. Ambush missions are used to gather supplies and gold, and typically amount to a group of Robin Hood's men attacking a convoy. Strategic missions, on the other hand, further the campaign, and allow Robin and his men to earn shields. Since the game rewards stealth, traps and other non-lethal means are best used to complete missions. If Robin and his Merry Men kill a few enemy soldiers, then more new recruits will be available to join them. Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood has a resource management component, but unlike the typical Command and Conquer clone, you can only access the resources you create between missions. When in their camp in the Sherwood Forest, Robin's men can be allocated to build such items as arrows, nets, and healing supplies. The interface here is somewhat difficult to understand, though, as none of the building stations are labeled. This can make resource allocation confusing, but not terribly so. >From camp a map can be accessed, and it is here that missions are taken. There are usually two or more missions available at any time, and most have clearly defined objectives and resource requirements. You assign men to a mission, making sure to take what resources you deem necessary, and then complete the mission while the remaining men build new resources. Each of the principle characters have unique abilities, and generic versions of them are available as new recruits, although they are less capable then the original men. Some, like Robin Hood and Maid Marian, can use a bow and arrow, and others, like Friar Tuck and Stuteley, can tie up unconscious foes. |
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Difficulty:
There are three difficulty levels in the game, although even at the lowest setting, Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood is hard. Most missions have a significant number of enemies, and attempting to be stealthy is never an easy task. To make matters worse, resources are scarce, so resource conservation is key. It is never prudent to carelessly use items, as it is likely that a future mission will need the item just as badly as the current mission does. The game has a lot of options, and there are numerous interactions for each character. Robin can jump on rooftops, climb ivy, as well as shoot arrows, and other characters have similar abilities. While this provides a lot of flexibility when completing missions, it also makes way for confusion, especially since navigating through the environments can be difficult. This last point is probably the most important to consider, as the maps are all extremely detailed, and yet the view cannot be rotated, which means navigation is a matter of trial and error. Just because you want to move a character to a specific location doesn't mean you can, or that they will take the route you thought they would, so most missions are a matter of trying a few strategies, reloading, and then trying a few more. |
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Game Mechanics:
The user interface is streamlined, with a minimum of elements onscreen. The keyboard is well supported, so most users can get comfortable regardless of their preferred input method. Loading and saving times are fast, and overall the entire interface is very slick and professional. It is apparent that great care went into producing the game, as it is lavish and efficient. Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood is a rare game in an extremely crowded genre. It has great although limited graphics, excellent performance, solid sound, and finely tuned game play. Its shortcomings not withstanding, it should appeal to both hardcore real-time strategists, as well as those who find the subject matter appealing. The one aspect of the game that will likely turn off some is the difficulty level, but for those who thirst for a tough single-player game, this is a match made in heaven. |
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-Gordy, GameVortex Communications AKA Gary Lucero |
Minimum System Requirements:
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, Pentium II 233MHz, 64MB RAM, 4MB Video Card, DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card, 4x DVD-ROM. |
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Test System:
Windows XP Home, 2 GHz Pentium 4, 256MB RAM, GeForce 4 Ti4200 w/64MB RAM, SoundBlaster Live! Value, 32x DVD-ROM. |
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