Every forest mission is an “ambush” mission, where you rob a gold shipment or a tax collector, and they all play about the same.
Worse, the objectives aren’t all that exciting, either. Since Robin Hood is a game that has a certain amount of repetition built in, it needs to have a new map for every mission to keep things fresh. For example, the campaign has roughly 30 missions, but there are only eight maps (five castle maps and three forest maps), and so you find yourself visiting the same places over and over. But Spellbound Studios impressively botched the campaign that comes with it, which is more important than normal here since Robin Hood doesn’t have a multiplayer option or a scenario editor, and so the campaign is everything. Unfortunately, gaining experience seems to be flakey in the game (you can only improve skills by training in Sherwood Forest rather than fighting actual enemies), but it was nice that Spellbound Studios tried to add some role-playing elements to the game.At this point Robin Hood is a nice enough game, if a little similar to other titles. Plus, characters gain experience now, and they can use that experience to improve their fighting skills. Sherwood Forest works as a base of operations for Robin Hood and his Merry Men, and any characters who don’t go on a mission can stay behind and train their fighting skills, heal, fletch arrows, pick medicinal herbs, or more. However, Spellbound Studios did try some new things with Robin Hood.
Unfortunately, it means Robin Hood is a little less useful than you’d expect a main character to be, since his weapons are a sword and bow (which kill people), and so I found myself not using him much after the first few missions.I’ve mentioned Desperados and Commandos a lot now, but it’s difficult not to since those games and Robin Hood are so similar.
Luckily, Robin Hood and Little John can both punch people to knock them out, and Little John always knocks people out when he hits them enough with his staff, so it’s relatively easy to knock people out rather than kill them. Since Robin Hood is a good guy, the game penalizes you slightly for killing enemies, and so you have to knock them out (and then tie them up) instead. So, just like in Desperados and Commandos, you get to control a variety of people, and they all have unique abilities.Just like Desperados and Commandos, in Robin Hood you spend a lot of time sneaking around, disabling enemies, and then hiding their bodies. Plus, Maid Marian can heal people, Friar Tuck can tie people up, and Will Scarlet can knock people out with his slingshot. Little John wields a mean staff, and he’s strong enough to carry bodies around. Robin Hood is there, of course, and he’s an expert with the bow as well as being able to distract enemies by throwing gold on the ground. The only difference in Robin Hood is that Richard managed to get himself kidnapped, and so instead of giving the money to the poor, Robin Hood is hanging onto it so he can pay the ransom.Everybody you’d expect to be in the game is there, along with some who I think are made up (my knowledge of Robin Hood only extends to the handful of movies I’ve seen about him, so I’m no expert). That set the stage for Robin Hood to show up and - you know the phrase - rob from the rich to give to the poor. When King Richard went off to fight in the Crusades, his brother John decided to take over - and bleed the populace dry while lining his own pockets with gold. Unfortunately, while Robin Hood isn’t a bad game, it doesn’t match up very well with Desperados or the Commandos games, and it seems curiously flat and unimaginative, especially after the slick, over-the-top feel to Desperados.If you’re familiar with the Robin Hood mythos at all, then you’re probably also familiar with the backdrop to the game. Now Spellbound Studios is back with Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood, another Commandos-style game, but this time set in medieval Europe. It was a game that owed more than a little to Pyro Studios’ 1998 release of Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, and it featured the same sort of stealthy, tactical missions, but it was set in the Wild West rather than World War II. Spellbound Studios released Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive in the summer of 2001. Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood review
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