Co-op Action Game ‘Gangs of Sherwood’ Launches to Poor Reviews
New co-op action game ‘Gangs of Sherwood’ launched earlier last week and, unfortunately, it seems to have landed with a whimper. Leading a rebellion with up to three of your friends while fighting the armies of Nottingham in a cyberpunk-inspired setting may seem fun, but it seems to have failed in almost all of its key areas. Currently sitting at a weak 63 on Opencritic with only 39% of critics recommending it, this is a safe miss, which is a shame considering its potential with a unique setting and worldbuilding opportunities.
Multiplayer co-op action games are usually more hit than miss, and the genre has become oversaturated to the point that an average entry just isn’t worth the time or money investment required to play it. Other than its unique futuristic setting and fun concept of leading the Merry Men in a rebellion, none of the gameplay or story beats seem to stand out according to critics. Essentially, Gangs of Sherwood is yet another forgettable experience to add to the pile of shame for this genre. While there could be fun to be had here with friends, its nothing you won’t find in a hundred other games just like it.
Image by Appeal Studios
Review site PC Gamer was less than pleased with Appeal Studios’ offering here. They gave the game a 5/10- referencing the monotonous gameplay and short runtime as justification:
“Gangs of Sherwood shows initial promise with its creative setting and colourful combat but runs out of steam well before the end of its already brief running time.”
Similarly, GameSpew wasn’t very impressed at all as you can see with their 5/10 score:
“Pick up Gangs of Sherwood and you might get a few hours of entertainment out of it, especially if you play it with friends. Ultimately, though, this is a mediocre action game with a litany of issues ranging from unbalanced characters to sub-par presentation. For that reason it’s difficult to recommend, even if you’re intrigued by its visually fresh take on the legend of Robin Hood.”
Image by Appeal Studios
Unfortunately, it appears that this co-op action-adventure is less of an adventure and more of a slog. It’s not just critics either- with a mixed 52% rating on Steam, it seems that Gangs of Sherwood is an easy game to steer clear of unless you have some very dedicated friends. Even then, the short runtime doesn’t seem to justify the £35 price tag. Even the enticement of having fun with friends in a unique cyberpunk-inspired setting doesn’t seem to have saved this one.
