Gangs of Sherwood Review

Gangs of Sherwood, developed by Appeal Studio and published by Nacon on the 30th of November, is a game that lets you play in a fantasy setting inspired by the Robin Hood legend. As an action RPG, it consists of many different levels in which you fight all kinds of enemies in all kinds of scenarios. It features four playable characters, and you can play it online with three other friends.

The game starts with a cutscene explaining some of the world’s history and how the situation we play in came to be. The person telling us about it is actually a resistance fighter preaching on the streets, and he explains that a treasure was found that is so precious it made England’s richest richer. He talks about how it brought scientific wonders and advanced society, but it also brought the evil Sheriff who stole it. This sheriff, the Thief of Nottingham, now rules as a tyrant, disallowing anyone from criticising him or his rule.

The resistance fighter is heard by a soldier, and in order to escape, he tries to rally the small crowd to help him fight against the soldiers, but no one does so. He is arrested but saved by our main characters. The first mission then begins. It’s a short tutorial in which you need to get to the main resistance headquarters, and it’s not very hard. It’s an interesting story and a world that can be easily expanded on if the developers would want to do so.

Gangs of Sherwood features the basic action combat system of light attack, heavy attack, and some combos. It’s not the most sophisticated or innovative system, but it still works really well. Being a multiplayer-focused game, there isn’t a pause function, which is very frustrating when playing single-player or with friends. Similarly frustrating is the fact that there are no saves inside missions — once you start, you either complete it or restart when you can. The multiplayer itself functions well, and it’s definitely fun to play with your friends instead of alone.

There are four main characters, and all are interesting in their own way. They’re named after characters in the Robin Hood universe, although they don’t share the same stories as them. Robin of Locksley is an archer very similar to Robin Hood in his personality and story. Maid Marian, my personal favourite and the character whom I completed the game as is the Sheriff’s daughter, who, instead of being a tyrant like the rest of the family, decided to join the resistance. Friar Tuck is a religious man who decided to join because of how the Sheriff destroyed churches and outlawed religious practices. Finally, there’s Little John, and I think his in-game description explains him best: “We’ll call him Little John and let him prove it otherwise with a giant crushing fist of steel”. They all have different mechanics and optimal playstyles, which makes the game a lot more enjoyable with the immense variety there is in how you can play. The characters talk and interact with each other a lot throughout the game, and all of these instances feel natural and help make the characters and the world itself feel more real.

There isn’t a lot to say about the sound design in the game; the music is great, and the sound effects are decent. While the voice acting is pretty well done, Maid Marian’s British accent sounds a little off. Originally, I thought it might have been on purpose to distinguish her from the rest of the Resistance as the Sheriff’s daughter, but people who know more about British accents said it just sounds fake.

So, all things considered, Gangs of Sherwood is a pretty good game that’s really enjoyable; its great story and fun and versatile gameplay make the experience very enjoyable and definitely worth playing. It has some problems and can certainly be improved on the technical level, but it’s definitely got the basics down. While the game can get a little frustrating at times if you aren’t the best at it, it’s really fun once you get the hang of it, although probably not worth the full price of £34.99.