Y’all, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I looked at this title, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. That’s no bad thing necessarily; sometimes surprises work out better than you’d anticipated. Sherwood Builders is an entertaining take on the survival construction genre and takes advantage of the perfect setting to do it in.
Plot Ahoy!
We’re mostly familiar with the base story of Robin Hood here, right? King Richard the Lionheart goes off to fight in the Holy Land, leaving his brother, the scheming and avaricious Prince John to rule as regent in his stead. The prince levies horrific taxes that cripple England’s populace and empowers the vicious Sheriff of Nottingham to collect those taxes. One of the minor nobles, the Loxley family, becomes one of the sheriff’s victims while their son, Robin, is also off fighting with the king. Robin returns home to find his lands repossessed and his family no longer among the living. Robin declares himself an outlaw and goes to Sherwood Forest where he assembles a band of Merry Men who then proceed to rob from the wealthy and give to the local poor people, earning him the undying enmity of the prince and the sheriff. We’re all good there, yes?
Sherwood Builders starts a bit differently. The king has died, and Black Henry, the former commander of his armies, has returned to take up the prince’s vicious mantle with the murderous sheriff. They’re both out to put an end to the last Loxley, leaving Robin terrifyingly alone. Their first order of business was apparently to burn down Robin’s base of operations, the famous Sherwood Forest. That’s where the building part comes into play here. It’s up to you to control Robin in order to craft not only weapons and tools but also your base itself in order to provide protection and succor to your band of thieves.
Review Notes
Sherwood Builders offers a nice balance between open-world exploration and resource management, and it can do this, in part, because players mostly already know the story and a bit about the world in which we’ll be playing. We’re aware that we’ll need to do battle with the sheriff’s forces and ravage royal convoys in order to acquire resources with which to build the base but also to help the local population. Choosing such familiar characters and settings lets developer Meanastronauts streamline the storytelling so that you avoid the long, drawn-out exposition.
Meanastronauts has also opted to streamline the resource management aspect of Sherwood Builders, which means that you don’t need to worry about overly complex controls or incredibly detailed menus. If you’re looking for a game that gives you incredibly granular control over your demesne, this won’t be for you. Even keeping track of the resources you need like food and water isn’t complicated. Rather, the management mechanics provide an extra layer of challenge to the action RPG elements of the title.
By that, I mean, of course, the actual business of stealing from the wealthy. Sherwood Builders offers two main avenues of strategy: stealth and open combat. Admittedly, the best strategy is to choose an approach that combines these two, but you can, if you choose, hack your way through the sheriff’s minions. You have two primary abilities as Robin: hunter’s sense, which identifies which objects are lootable, and slow motion, which allows you to slow time during combat for a set period. Slow motion in particular gives you the ability to strategize how you’ll approach an encounter, which is a nice touch. There is, however, no dodge ability as yet, which strikes me as odd in a game as thoughtfully designed as Sherwood Builders is.
The stealth mechanic, introduced to you by Little John, is extremely well designed. Sherwood Builders provides a diurnal cycle, which impacts your ability to stealth as it’s easier to sneak around at night. Meanastronauts has also thought about the weather. Y’all, this game takes place in medieval England, meaning that you have an idea of what kind of weather to expect: rain, mist, more rain, and the odd sunny day for funsies. The title gives that to you, which is great. Moreover, the weather impacts gameplay because it impacts your ability to use stealth.
Visually and in terms of sound design, Sherwood Builders is amazing. I was really impressed with how it looks, and I have to admit the voice acting is pretty solid. I really enjoyed Robin’s voice actor. Moreover, developer Meanastronauts creates a full suite of ambient forest sounds that, when combined with the visuals of the weather, makes for a beautifully immersive experience.
I will say that the map isn’t completely open in the prologue. The release might mean the map changes, but really, this is a pretty small complaint given how fabulous the rest of Sherwood Builders is. If I have a real complaint, it’s the lack of an instant save option. Currently, you save by either finding a stable master or taking a long sleep in a bed, but life is unpredictable. Sometimes, I really need that menu save option.
TLDR
Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders is clearly a prologue version of a much larger title, but I have to admit that I’m looking forward to its full release. It is an enjoyable, streamlined adventure that combines the best parts of resource management and RPGs for casual players. Sherwood Builders is a bit violent, and some of the images from the opening cutscenes are pretty graphic meaning that parents should definitely look into it before letting children play. Still, what we’re seeing in this early version is pretty impressive.
Stray Thoughts From Behind the Keyboard
- I kind of love that Sherwood Builders opens with Friar Tuck casting shade on Robin’s extremely bad undercut. Same, Friar. Same.
- Maid Marian introduces you to alchemy, which is really fun.
- Watch for some pretty nifty puzzles in the woods, usually in ruins.