Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood is a 2002 stealth-based real-time tactics video game developed by Spellbound Entertainment.[1] It is similar to games such as Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive and the Commandos series. In the game, the player controls up to five characters in a setting based on the stories of the protagonist, Robin Hood.[1] The player can also control Robin Hood's Merry Men, including Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, Will Stutely, and Maid Marian. Robin and his crew must evade the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham and his henchmen and stop the machinations of the vile usurper to England's throne, Prince John. However, Robin must avoid killing enemies as much as possible, or he will not be able to recruit as many new Merry Men.
| Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Spellbound Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Strategy First Mindscape Freeverse Inc. Wanadoo Edition Meridian4 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (PowerPC/x86), MorphOS |
| Release | Windows
2005 Linux November 1, 2012 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time tactics, stealth |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Plot
editThe game starts with Robin Hood, arriving in Lincoln from the Crusades, and finding out that his inheritance has been stolen by the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham. After the player finishes the first and second missions, meets Maid Marian in the Nottingham cathedral, and subsequently tries to meet the Prince, it is understood that King Richard has been kidnapped by Leopold of Austria for a ransom, and that the Regent Prince John is unlawfully usurping the rightful king. The responsibility of getting the ransom of £100,000 to save the king falls into the player's hands. Missions generally include ambushing convoys and infiltrating towns, usually to gather information or even liberate a notable outlaw from the sheriff's clutches. In the final mission, Robin must fight the Sheriff of Nottingham, thereby defeating the Prince.
Gameplay
editWhile the merry men can kill or wound enemy soldiers, their resources are limited to a certain extent, with main characters having more than minor miscellaneous ones. In addition, in every town, the player can give money to beggars, who, when given coins and purses, help by providing hints and tips. Common folk sometimes, though rarely, offer help but two—a woman in a red apron and a man in a red-and-blue shirt—flee at the sight of a merry man and alert nearby enemy soldiers. The greed of enemy soldiers is also limited, with money purses not affecting sergeants, while ale does affect them. Sometimes, money can be found in knights, cavalry units, sergeants, and more rarely, normal soldiers.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 80/100[2] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Games Magazine |   [3] |
| Computer Gaming World | [4] |
| GamesMaster | 74%[5] |
| GameSpot | 8.6/10[6] |
| GameSpy | [7] |
| GameZone | 8.5/10[8] |
| IGN | 8.2/10[9] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 12/20[10] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 71%[11] |
| PC Zone | 71%[12] |
The PC version received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2] The Linux version of the game, which was available in German and English, also received favourable mentions.[1]
Awards
editThe game received awards for Best Game Design[13] and Best Animation[14] at the 2003 Animago Awards.
References
edit- ^ a b c Mielewczik, Michael. "Spielspass pur. Kommerzielle Linux-Spiele". PC Magazin LINUX (in German). 2/2007: 80–83.
- ^ a b "Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ "Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". Computer Games Magazine. No. 147. theGlobe.com. February 2003. p. 78.
- ^ Ernst, Rick (March 2003). "Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 224. Ziff Davis. p. 88. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ "Review: Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". GamesMaster. Future plc. 2003.
- ^ Todd, Brett (November 12, 2002). "Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Walker, Mark H. (February 18, 2003). "GameSpy: Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 26, 2005. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ Lafferty, Michael (November 11, 2002). "Robin Hood - The Legend of Sherwood - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ Blevins, Tal (November 21, 2002). "Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ pilou (November 22, 2002). "Test: Robin Hood: La Legende De Sherwood". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ Leupold, Thomas (February 2003). "Robin Hood [The Legend of Sherwood]". PC Gamer. Vol. 10, no. 2. Imagine Media. p. 84. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ "PC Review: Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood". PC Zone. Future plc. 2003.
- ^ "Best Game Design: Robin Hood - Die Legende von Sherwood Forest". animago.com (in German). Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- ^ "Best Animation: Robin Hood - Die Legende von Sherwood Forest". animago.com (in German). Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2009.