So maybe you’ve heard about older tales about Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Hood: Outlaws & Legends, the new co-op PvPvE heist game from Sumo Digital and Focus Home interactive, is a reimagining of one of favorite outlaw’s stories. One of the surprising elements of the game is that it takes on a Hunt: Showdown vibe, in that your team is competing with another team in pursuit of the same treasure as you. You can practice cooperatively against the state as well.
I loved playing the tutorial, introducing the characters one by one, like something out of a Sly Cooper game. We can play as four iconic characters, including Robin Hood, Maid Marianne, Little John, and Friar Tooke – they are all outlaws, but they possess different sets of skills. There is a stark difference between John and Robin, for example. John is a big heavy hitter, more suited for lifting gates and tanking enemy guards. Robin is more suited for long range attacks, scouting, and tactical support.
The gameplay handles very well on the Xbox. I personally thought it was as on par with playing an Assassin’s Creed title without the crazy calisthenics. You can still climb towers and sneak around like a pro, but nothing quite like jumping into haystacks. As I mentioned about the characters, they all play a little differently. In the demo, Robin serves as the brain of the operation and can see the heist from a bigger picture. He supports the team with his arrows, as well as his mind. Marianne is more of a situational, tactical, role-player. In the demo, she is the operative we use to pickpocket the sheriff and locate the loot. Tooke appears to be a more supportive role, having the ability to heal allies and to carry the booty back home. John is the toughest of the group, but his role does not call for subtlety; he will mostly like provide the team needed relief via distraction or clearing heavy obstacles.
What I mentioned so far exists in the introduction. If you play competitively online, you are going to notice a difference fairly quickly. You know the tactics when going against the state or bots, but players know your playbook. The good news is you know theirs too. You may need to experiment for a while, getting used to how each character feels when you are in control of them. Be mindful, that someone like Marianne can act like a glass cannon, so be careful if a Little John is around the corner. In both the cooperative and competitive playthroughs, you can still communicate with your team with symbols.
When you are back at the Hideout, you can go through all of your customizations that you unlock for each character. This includes skills, weapons, and skins. The items get more and more impressive as you scroll through them. Everything has a very Old English, Anglo-Saxon/Celtic, aesthetic, which is really cool. It may go without saying, but you need to increase your level in order to unlock and equip these number items and customizations.
I don’t have too many complaints, but I think they are important to consider. The game’s combat can be a little wonky. The experience outside of the tutorial can vary slightly concerning the AI of the guards. I’m not sure I like the progression system. I don’t want to call it generic, but it does not seem to reward the player in a meaningful way; the idea being “get loot and experience for upgrades so that you can get more loot and experience.” It’s fun, don’t get me wrong, but it I think the progression can be better. The level design is great, and I want more of that. Sometimes a heist can go very wrong with players wanting to Rambo by themselves, but the game is designed for teamwork. That last comment is more about the audience than the developers, but you get what I mean.
I really like this title. I wish they could expand on the cooperative side a little bit more, but I admit playing against other outlaws adds another layer of intensity for each scenario. Everything about this game screams Medieval Payday to me, and this is matched by the soundtrack. I think a fair rating for Hood: Outlaws & Legends should be an 8.5 out of 10. You will really enjoy yourself if you are a team player and understand that this isn’t going to be a stealth game for the entire duration of a match.
Check Out the Hood: Outlaws & Legends Gameplay Trailer:
Hood: Outlaws & Legends is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can also buy the game’s Year 1 Edition, which includes three Battle Passes due to be released post-launch.
For more on Hood, visit www.focus-home.com/en-us/games/hood-outlaws-legends.
Xbox Review
I like to think of myself as the average Joe who grew up alongside video games. I have fun playing strategy games, RPGs, shooters, sandboxes, the whole shebang! Every game provides an experience whether it strikes you as profound, mundane, or someplace in between. I'd like to weigh in my two cents before you spend a single penny.
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