The holiday season is around the corner, and between school holidays and loads of people taking leave, it’s ideal gaming time. With schedules a little more open (in theory anyway), it’s the perfect opportunity to rally your friends and take part in a little cooperative multiplayer. The question, though, is what to play? The past year or so has seen the release of a few co-op duds, like Redfall, and notably buggy on debut Warhammer 40K: Darktide.
Fortunately, Gangs of Sherwood, from Belgium’s Appeal Studios (the makers of Outcast), and publisher Nacon isn’t one of them. Up front I’ll say that this co-op third-person action adventure isn’t revolutionary, but it has an engrossing setting, looks good, runs smooth on PS5, and – most importantly – is loads of power fantasy fun. I spent the weekend happily tackling missions in Gangs of Sherwood, which can be played solo, or in groups of up to four players through online co-op. There’s no crossplay for the record.
The biggest selling point of Gangs of Sherwood is arguably the game’s universe. Instead of delivering a traditional take on the legend of Robin Hood, the game opts for a sci-fi speculative fiction approach that reinvents the well-known characters and setting. Gangs of Sherwood is set in a reality where King Richard returned to England from the Crusades with a giant magical stone known as the Lion Heart. The Lion Heart enabled the British Isles to leap forward technologically by centuries, with the result being that Gangs of Sherwood is essentially a Steampunk spin on the Middle Ages. Think knights with energy shields and fully automatic crossbows. Have I got your attention now?
Plotwise, the Sheriff of Nottingham has seized the Lion Heart and is using it to oppress the people as he makes himself, and his cronies, ever more rich and powerful. Standing against him are a band of rebels led by the four playable characters: hot-blooded archer Robin Hood, former military commander Little John, cleric Friar Tuck, and dagger-wielding Marian, the daughter of Nottingham. Also prominent is robotically enhanced minstrel Alan-A-Dale, who recounts the band’s exploits with puppet shows before and after missions.
Each character has their own combat style and unique special abilities. Robin uses his bow to deliver rapid ranged attacks with flair, supplemented with some melee strikes as needed. Little John using his power gauntlet to unleash devastating melee blows with a heat addition. Mallet-wielding Friar Tuck has an especial emphasis on area of effect attacks and healing. Meanwhile, Marian does lighter damage with her bladed weapons but is an all-rounder, shifting between toe-to-toe and ranged battles as needed. Everyone is also equipped with a grapple line to zip across the levels as needed.
Apart for its world, what’s most enjoyable about Gangs of Sherwood is its lack of micromanagement. You can invest in new attack combos, gem shards that supplement your fighting style, and new costumes, but otherwise the game feels practically pick-up-and-play. Your technique combos are limited to a few buttons, for example. Gangs of Sherwood seems intent on getting you and your band of merry men (and women) into the fluid action as quickly as possible.
Even this process is straightforward. Your base between missions is subterranean forest cathedral Major Oak. A safe haven for people fleeing the Sheriff’s army in Locksley and Sherwood Forest, Major Oak is where you’ll purchase upgrades, take advantage of a training arena to practice your techniques, pick up side quests, and display your collectibles.
It’s also where you’ll find the primary mission table. Select your fighter (you can chop and change between missions), choose a stage (progress through the story Acts unlocks them) and its difficulty, head to the lobby downstairs by Alan-A-Dale, and you’re in. Whether you’re playing online co-op and in offline solo mode, you’re then locked in until the round is complete. There’s no game pausing in Gangs of Sherwood, even if you’re tackling a stage in single player.
For the record, the game mixes up its player objectives. While there are boss fights in every mission, you may be rescuing people, escorting a payload or defending a key location against enemy waves while the clock counts down.
Gangs of Sherwood could perhaps do with a bit more humour, but the game definitely leans to the more light-hearted overall. This isn’t Grimdark Robin Hood. There’s a lot of banter between Robin and co., and the game explicitly rewards stylish combo-based combat. Every encounter is graded, so you’re encouraged to mix things up, even utilising environmental items like bees’ nests and trap doors to add an extra bit of flair. On that note, Gangs of Sherwood really delivers on fantasy wish fulfilment. You feel like a powerful rebel hero giving a finger to the rich and corrupt at every turn, even getting to chase down and wallop on heartless tax collectors.
For the record, there’s nothing ground-breaking about Gangs of Sherwood in terms of gameplay. Even if it’s been reskinned for the setting, systems are all familiar. As an example, the scored combat, with replaying of the short missions encouraged to improve results, can be seen in things like last year’s Midnight Fight Express. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with familiarity. Sometimes you just want some hearty home cooking instead of a boundary-pushing fine dining experience. Gangs of Sherwood takes the already known, and does it well.
That said, the game is lacking AAA polish in some areas. Character models lack speaking animations, and the NPC peasants don’t even have vocal audio, mumbling as text bubbles appear above their ugly heads. However, the game has enough overall charm, and well-considered inclusions to help you overlook its shortfalls. For example, on taking out an enemy close to a wall or other surface, Little John will smack their helmet against it with a gratifying ring. Each stage also contains treasure-filled hidden areas that small, nimble Robin and Marian can reach while bulky John and Tuck can’t, and vice versa.
One final note about Gangs of Sherwood is that gold is crucial to the game, and should not be neglected. Not only will you need it to gain peasant favour, and purchase upgrades, but it’s how you get back into a battle if you fall and don’t have either a revival artefact equipped, or a healing teammate around. Solo players beware. Without enough gold for revival (with the amount spent reflecting in your regained health), it’s mission over and you’ll have to redo the whole thing. Gangs of Sherwood isn’t a soulslike – it’s not brutally challenging – but without any healing consumables, you’re reliant on check points to restore life, and the overall impression is that a mission replay grind is how you’ll safeguard yourself and your game progress. Keep your in-game pockets stuffed.
My final impression: Following RoboCop: Rogue City, Nacon has delivered another solidly satisfying surprise that’s a little rough around the edges. Like its most well-known hero, Gangs of Sherwood has a roguish likeability and panache, and it’ll make an enjoyable co-op experience for the upcoming end-of-year break, and beyond.
Gangs of Sherwood comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC this week, on 30 November.