Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood
Encyclopedia
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood is a 2002 stealth-based real-time strategy
video game developed by Spellbound Studios. It is similar to games such as Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive
and the Commandos series. In the game, the player controls up to five characters in a setting based on the stories of the protagonist, Robin Hood
. The player can also control Robin Hood's Merry Men
, including Little John
, Friar Tuck
, Will Scarlet
, Will Stutely
, and Maid Marian
. Robin and his crew must evade the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham
and his henchmen and stop the machinations of the vile usurper to England's throne, Prince John
. However, Robin must avoid killing enemies as much as possible, or he will not be able to recruit as many new Merry Men.
, arriving in Lincoln
from the Crusades
, and finding out that his inheritance has been stolen by the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham
. After the player finishes the first and second missions, meets with Maid Marian
in the Nottingham cathedral
, and subsequently tries to meet with the Prince, it is understood that King Richard
has been kidnapped by Leopold
of Austria
for a ransom, and that the Regent
Prince John
is unlawfully usurping the rightful king. The responsibility of getting the ransom of £100,000 to save the king falls into the player's hands. In the final mission, Robin must fight the Sheriff, thereby defeating the Prince.
anywhere on the map, and he can search bodies and knock out enemies. On the
downside, in strategic missions Robin uses a sword, so if he gets into a fight
he can only kill his opponent. (In ambush missions, he gets to use a staff.)
Robin requires two punches to knock out officers, most knights, and most black
soldiers. All other soldiers only require one punch (this is possibly linked to his combat skill).
Robin is required for every mission except for the one where you have to rescue
him. But there’s a trick to allow him to train his combat skill. After the
mission where you rescue Maid Marian from the wedding (A Wedding and a
Funeral), have Robin train during the consequent ambush mission. When you
return from the ambush mission you’ll learn Robin has been captured, but then
during the mission where you rescue him the game will consider him to still be
training in Sherwood Forest, and so you can get his combat skill from 2/5 to
4/5.
he can unlock doors. He’s useful until Friar Tuck joins you.
the aggressive merry, but her spy ability is great for scouting.
knock out enemies from a distance. But the slingshot doesn’t have much range,
and it is difficult to target, and so Scarlet isn’t as useful as he could be.
However, the slingshot can knock out an officer with a single shot, and Scarlet
does come equipped with a flail, which usually knocks out enemies rather than
killing them, and so he’s useful enough to have around in missions where you
don’t have Little John.
Scarlet’s slingshot will only daze knights for a moment, not knock them out.
Don’t use Scarlet against archers. With 5/5 combat training he’ll kill them
with one hit.
knocks people out, but it has a long range, so he can take on and knock out
several enemies at once. Plus, a single one of his punches can knock out any
enemy, and he can carry enemies around.
Little John is susceptible to archers. It takes him so long to stop and pull
an arrow out of his chest that archers have time to fire again, and so a single
archer can defeat him.
enemies and unlock doors. But Friar Tuck has more useful skills, and his
weapon is blunt so he’ll knock out enemies rather than kill thrm. Once you get
Friar Tuck, you should use him instead of Stuteley.
The only time to use him is if you want to leave Stuteley and Friar Tuck in
Sherwood Forest to train.
because he heals. If you’re playing anything other than the easiest difficulty
setting, then you’ll probably need all the heals you can get, and you should
bring the aggressive merry along, even if you have Maid Marian with you.
his hammer, and he can carry bodies around. However, once you get Little John
(who does the same things and more) you should probably leave your strong merry
characters in Sherwood Forest.
does affect them. Sometimes, money can be found in knights, cavalry units, sergeants, and more rarely, normal soldiers.
based on 15 reviews and a score of 79.58% from Game Rankings
based on 24 reviews.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
video game developed by Spellbound Studios. It is similar to games such as Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive
Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive
Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive is a stealth-based real-time tactics computer game, developed by Spellbound and released in 2001. In the game, the player controls up to six characters in a wild west setting. The protagonist is a wordly knife fighter and gunslinger, John Cooper. He takes on a...
and the Commandos series. In the game, the player controls up to five characters in a setting based on the stories of the protagonist, Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. The player can also control Robin Hood's Merry Men
Merry Men
The Merry Men are the group of outlaws who followed Robin Hood, according to English folklore. An early use of the phrase "merry men" occurs in the oldest known Robin Hood ballad, "Robin Hood and the Monk", which survives in a manuscript completed around 1450. The word "merry" in this and other...
, including Little John
Little John
Little John was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood, and was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men.-Folklore:He appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories...
, Friar Tuck
Friar Tuck
Friar Tuck is a companion to Robin Hood in the legends about that character. He is a common character in modern Robin Hood stories, which depict him as a jovial friar and one of Robin's Merry Men. The figure of Tuck was common in the May Games festivals of England and Scotland during the 15th...
, Will Scarlet
Will Scarlet
Will Scarlet was a prominent member of Robin Hood's Merry Men. He was present in the earliest ballads along with Little John and Much the Miller's Son....
, Will Stutely
Will Stutely
Will Stutely or Will Stutly is in English folklore a prominent member of Robin Hood's Merry Men.-Ballads:He was present in two of the ballads in the Child collection, although not ones dating from the early medieval period...
, and Maid Marian
Maid Marian
Maid Marian is the wife of the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood. Stemming from another, older tradition, she became associated with Robin Hood only in the 16th century.-History:The earliest medieval Robin Hood stories gave him no female companion...
. Robin and his crew must evade the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham
Sheriff of Nottingham
The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is...
and his henchmen and stop the machinations of the vile usurper to England's throne, Prince John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. However, Robin must avoid killing enemies as much as possible, or he will not be able to recruit as many new Merry Men.
Plot
The game starts with Robin HoodRobin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
, arriving in Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
from the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
, and finding out that his inheritance has been stolen by the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. After the player finishes the first and second missions, meets with Maid Marian
Maid Marian
Maid Marian is the wife of the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood. Stemming from another, older tradition, she became associated with Robin Hood only in the 16th century.-History:The earliest medieval Robin Hood stories gave him no female companion...
in the Nottingham cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
, and subsequently tries to meet with the Prince, it is understood that King Richard
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
has been kidnapped by Leopold
Leopold
-Literature:* Aldo Leopold , American author, ecologist, forester, and environmentalist* Jan Hendrik Leopold , Dutch poet and classicist-Crime:* Nathan Leopold Jr , convicted of the kidnap and murder of Bobby Franks-Music:...
of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
for a ransom, and that the Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
Prince John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
is unlawfully usurping the rightful king. The responsibility of getting the ransom of £100,000 to save the king falls into the player's hands. In the final mission, Robin must fight the Sheriff, thereby defeating the Prince.
Robin Hood
Robin is a good all-around character. He can jump and climb, so he can getanywhere on the map, and he can search bodies and knock out enemies. On the
downside, in strategic missions Robin uses a sword, so if he gets into a fight
he can only kill his opponent. (In ambush missions, he gets to use a staff.)
Robin requires two punches to knock out officers, most knights, and most black
soldiers. All other soldiers only require one punch (this is possibly linked to his combat skill).
Robin is required for every mission except for the one where you have to rescue
him. But there’s a trick to allow him to train his combat skill. After the
mission where you rescue Maid Marian from the wedding (A Wedding and a
Funeral), have Robin train during the consequent ambush mission. When you
return from the ambush mission you’ll learn Robin has been captured, but then
during the mission where you rescue him the game will consider him to still be
training in Sherwood Forest, and so you can get his combat skill from 2/5 to
4/5.
Stuteley
Stuteley is a good utility character. He can tie up unconscious enemies, andhe can unlock doors. He’s useful until Friar Tuck joins you.
Maid Marian
Maid Marian is a little better than the aggressive merry. She heals just likethe aggressive merry, but her spy ability is great for scouting.
Will Scarlet
Scarlet looks like a good character because his “catapult” (aka slingshot) canknock out enemies from a distance. But the slingshot doesn’t have much range,
and it is difficult to target, and so Scarlet isn’t as useful as he could be.
However, the slingshot can knock out an officer with a single shot, and Scarlet
does come equipped with a flail, which usually knocks out enemies rather than
killing them, and so he’s useful enough to have around in missions where you
don’t have Little John.
Scarlet’s slingshot will only daze knights for a moment, not knock them out.
Don’t use Scarlet against archers. With 5/5 combat training he’ll kill them
with one hit.
Little John
Little John is easily the best character in the game. His staff not onlyknocks people out, but it has a long range, so he can take on and knock out
several enemies at once. Plus, a single one of his punches can knock out any
enemy, and he can carry enemies around.
Little John is susceptible to archers. It takes him so long to stop and pull
an arrow out of his chest that archers have time to fire again, and so a single
archer can defeat him.
Friar Tuck
Friar Tuck and Stuteley are about the same character, since they both tie upenemies and unlock doors. But Friar Tuck has more useful skills, and his
weapon is blunt so he’ll knock out enemies rather than kill thrm. Once you get
Friar Tuck, you should use him instead of Stuteley.
Mustachioed Merry Men
The mustachioed merry has limited use. He ties people up, and that’s about it.The only time to use him is if you want to leave Stuteley and Friar Tuck in
Sherwood Forest to train.
Aggressive Merry Men
The aggressive merry is the most useful of the secondary characters, simplybecause he heals. If you’re playing anything other than the easiest difficulty
setting, then you’ll probably need all the heals you can get, and you should
bring the aggressive merry along, even if you have Maid Marian with you.
Strong Merry Men
The strong merry is useful early in the game. He can knock enemies out withhis hammer, and he can carry bodies around. However, once you get Little John
(who does the same things and more) you should probably leave your strong merry
characters in Sherwood Forest.
Gameplay
While the merry men can kill or wound enemy soldiers, their resources are limited to a certain extent, with main characters having more than minor miscellaneous ones. In addition, in every town, the player obtains beggars, who, when given coins and purses, help by providing hints and tips. Common folk sometimes offer help as well (although this happens very rarely). On the other hand, there are two types of folk, who flee at the sight of a merry man, and alert nearby enemy soldiers. One is a woman, who wears a red apron; the other, a man, who wears a red-and-blue shirt. The greed of enemy soldiers is also limited, with money purses not affecting sergeants, while aleAle
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
does affect them. Sometimes, money can be found in knights, cavalry units, sergeants, and more rarely, normal soldiers.
Reception
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood received a metascore of 80 from MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 15 reviews and a score of 79.58% from Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
based on 24 reviews.