Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown

Written by Andrew Fitch on October 23, 2003

Full Review: Hark! Ye musteth endureth more of mine Fakey Olde English! Just kidding...

I've always enjoyed strategy games -- most of them are based on history, and if I'd chosen my college major solely on interest, I'd have picked history. While I'm certainly not one prone to violence, I enjoy taking on the role of a ruthless and cunning general, outsmarting and outdueling all of my rivals in order to take over a city/country/planet. Unfortunately, with the current graphics-over-gameplay mentality, the console strategy game is not nearly as prevalent as it once was (if it was ever that prevalent to begin with...!). Thus, I'm quite happy that the last two games I've reviewed have been strategy titles. I had Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII a few weeks ago, and this week, I'm tackling Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown.

The game is based on Defender of the Crown, originally released on the Amiga, Commodore 64 (those are old computers, for you young Сuns out there) and NES back in the С80s. The company behind the game, Cinemaware, folded back in 1991, but they've re-formed with some of their original employees, and are ready to make a comeback in the video game world. A remake of Defender of the Crown would seem like the logical return title for them, but a lot has changed since the С80s. Defender of the Crown featured graphics and gameplay that really hadn't been seen in a home video game when it was released. But the current incarnation of Cinemaware simply can't afford to compete with the giants of the gaming world graphics-wise, and Koei has since become the undisputed master of the console strategy game.

The original game was set in twelfth-century England, and was based around eradicating the evil Prince John's despotic rule. Robin Hood was in the game, but for reasons known only to Cinemaware, you played as medieval no-names instead. This time, the basic premise is the same, but you take on the role of Robin Hood himself, which allows for a much more intriguing storyline. While the Robin Hood story is well-known, Cinemaware does a good job of making things as fresh as possible with a very well-done script. Robin Hood has the archery skills of С70s rocker-turned-survivalist Ted Nugent -- and he's also got some of the same sassiness and bad-boy attitude! While he's certainly not as insane as the aptly-named УMotor City Madman,Ф he's not a prissy, stuck up hero either. Robin mocks both his enemies and friends, even verbally sparring with the fair Maid Marian on many occasions. Overall, you can tell the developers really did their research regarding the legend of Robin Hood, and medieval England in general.

Robin starts out his quest trying to take over his home county of Nottingham -- this serves as a tutorial mode for the overall game, and will get you acquainted with most of the features. From there, it's on to England's 38 counties. Most of your rival lords are Prince John's Norman (read: French) underlings, which I personally took great pleasure in plundering (take that for infesting the English language with words like УrendezvousФ!). Some of them will offer special benefits if conquered, such as cheaper troops and strongholds. Basically, the gameplay is consistent with what you'd expect from a strategy title: Get money, so that you can buy more troops, so that you can conquer more territory. Repeat as necessary.

Your troops are divided into two major types. There are those who charge directly at the enemy: Peasants (a.k.a. cannon fodder -- even though cannons were not yet invented in the 12th century!), footmen and knights; and those who attack from a distance: Archers and catapults. As for the battles themselves...well, they leave something to be desired, frankly! Most of them seem to last between 30 seconds and a minute -- contrast that with the epic confrontations in a Koei game, which can last an hour! However, the short battle length might attract more novice strategy players, who don't enjoy taking large chunks of their day trying to conquer a video game city the way I do...

When your enemies gain money and power, and build strongholds of their own, you'll have to siege them with catapults before a battle can take place. The controls for this are a little convoluted (you have to quickly rotate the two analog sticks), but they actually end up working better than you might expect. Naturally, the process gets harder the more massive an enemy's fortress becomes.

Robin Hood is well-known for his plundering skills, and on each turn, you'll have a chance to show your enemies just how good they are. You have two ways to loot: With a bow and arrow in the forest, and with a sword in an enemy castle. This is where the game adds fighting and action elements. The archery sequences are some of the more difficult areas in the game, in my opinion. There isn't a УsightФ to see where you're aiming, so the learning curve rather steep. The castle infiltration sequences are similar to the action you'd see in a fighting game -- not exactly on the level of Soul Calibur, though! You'll also end up dueling with several УbossesФ over the course of the game, but those encounters are few and far between.

Another action sequence is the jousting tournament, open to warriors from all over England. But while Robin is adept with arrows and a sword, he's no knight. He also has a rather hefty bounty on his head, so he can't exactly show up at jousting events with Prince John in attendance! Thus, his trusted ally Wilfred of Ivanhoe competes in tournaments in his stead. The tournament mode is almost an exact replica of the original Defender of the Crown -- you'll charge up on your steed, and aim your lance at the opponent, hoping for a headshot to knock him off. But once you get the hang of it, it's really almost too easy.

One problem with the gameplay is that you really can't afford to fall behind your rival lords. If too many enemies surround your territories, it makes winning almost impossible. So, you have to advance at a quicker pace than you'd like, which means you'll play through the game faster than you want to. You won't have all that much time to savor the experience -- I beat the game in about three days, which is a rarity for a strategy game. There are several endings, depending on how well you do -- that gives the game some replay value, but it's not enough.

The game's graphics are a mixed bag, but more good than bad. The CG cutscenes were done by an Australian company named Plastic Wax, and that name certainly fits their work in this game. The characters indeed look like wax -- they're okay when standing still, but their movements look awkward and unrealistic. However, the map of England looks very nice -- there's even a mini-Stonehenge if you look closely enough.

The sound is where Robin Hood really shines technically, though -- the music is wonderful, with a medieval-themed orchestral score. The voiceover work is also outstanding -- Robin's voice has just the right amount of mischief without having him seem annoying and overbearing. The other characters are just as strong -- you can almost hear the regal sneer in Prince John's voice, for example. The voice director is Kris Zimmerman, who also handled that duty in the Metal Gear Solid series, so it's definitely top-notch.

The last game I played before Robin Hood was Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII. Robin Hood has everything that game didn't -- a great script, impressive graphics, much better music, and a history that's more accessible to a Western audience (I may have been an Asian Studies major, but I don't expect everyone else to be!). However, I gave Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII a better score than this game. The reason? In the end, it always comes down to gameplay. In the case of Robin Hood, it's not really a case of what's there, but what isn't there.

For example, during the game, Robin wonders whether the other lords have Marians of their own -- that's something I'd like to know, too! However, you don't get the chance to find out, as you can only play as Robin. And that's one of the game's major failings: You can really only play it one way. Part of the fun with Koei's strategy games are the multiple characters and modes -- if you beat the game one way, you can always try it again any number of different ways. Not so with this game. There also isn't a multiplayer mode, which would really add to a game like this (and would also offer players an excuse to taunt each other in Old English...okay, maybe that's just my own twisted fantasy!).