Gangs of Sherwood

Review game Gangs of Sherwood, Action packed with nostalgic charm.

The game Gangs of Sherwood must have been created twenty years ago, but it was released in 2023 by some magic that updated its graphics to match modern standards. It’s crucial to understand that I don’t mean to disparage the game; rather, I mean this as a compliment. It’s just making me homesick for the co-op Xbox 360 days when I had tons of friends and endless free time to play games with.

Whether you’re playing as Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marion, or Robin Hood, you’ll need to slug your way through a ton of enemies in order to find gold, find small treasure, and protect the populace from the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. In this updated version of popular mythology and folklore, steampunk technology is a major trend, and opponents are energy shield-wielding combatants.

However, you’ll also be battling with your own cutting-edge technology. When executing melee combos, Mr. Hood himself has the ability to produce hovering arrows that he can then release with a charged shot at a single target. With the help of her incredible dagger, Maid Marion can control magnetism and cause her enemies’ blades to hover around them before instantly bringing them all down on the target. Little John is a steampunk fighter who can charge up attacks to unleash devastating blows, while Friar Tuck has one of the biggest maces in video games and can deal enormous amounts of damage with it.
Combat, which uses a Devil May Cry-style rating system, is nice and fluid but initially feels very same-y. The good news is that you can quickly switch things up by unlocking new skills and abilities. If you want a change of pace, you can always switch up your hero in between missions. Because each character has unique areas they can access—the thinner characters can squeeze through narrow spaces, while the larger characters can smash things—completing missions with different characters frequently offers new opportunities for looting and cooperative play.

All of this is really just a pretext to replay the missions on different difficulty settings or with different team configurations, and it works great for that. Missions take about 20 minutes to complete, and that portion of the gameplay loop feels a lot like Vermintide, where you’re supposed to revisit previous missions purely for the experience of the combat rather than to progress the plot.

It’s a sufficiently entertaining story. I wouldn’t say it’s a game that changes the world, but even though you’re essentially up against a fascist dictatorship, it’s entertaining and lighthearted throughout. It’s entertaining to see how the Sheriff’s main henchmen have been modified to fit the steampunk theme of the world.

While you’re dodging bullets and dealing damage to enemies, the excellent sound design and graphics help you stay in the game. But the music really stands out, which is always a plus in games where the goal is to make the game as replayable as possible.

In brief

Gangs of Sherwood is just what it should be: enjoyable for all users. However, if you’re more of a lone player, do keep in mind that this is a game you’ll want to play with friends for the best experience possible. However, I anticipate continuing to play it for the foreseeable future, particularly if I can convince some friends to join me, because I’ve been enjoying it so much.