Video Game Review: 'Sherwood Extreme' Features Robin Hood Crossbow Parkour

Chicago IL

14 May, 2021

11:00 AM

Description

By Antal Bokor, Third Coast Review: Video games are great because they enable some pretty inexplicably wacky things that you really just don't see anywhere else. I never thought I'd type "Robin Hood crossbow parkour," but Sherwood Extreme is exactly that. No, it's not an adventure game or a role-playing game—instead, visit Sherwood and Nottingham while flipping through the air, headshotting enemies and collecting shinies. That's Sherwood Extreme. Sherwood Extreme is a free to play third person action game that's all about playing short levels as quickly as possible, while scoring as many points as stylishly as possible. Slide down zip lines, swing on ropes, and jump into slow motion Matrix-style bullet-time as you line up precise headshots on your enemies. The faster you go, and the higher your score multiplier, the better your chance at getting higher on the leaderboard. It's all about raw skill in Sherwood Extreme—there really isn't any sort of progression beyond earning prestige by gaining levels. Beyond that, you can buy cosmetics, upgrade your appearance, or buy new weapons/shields. New weaponry doesn't necessarily give you an advantage, but it does change up your playstyle. Rapid fire or exploding crossbows, or shields that shoot spikes are some of the upgrades you can lay down your hard-earned shinies for. Sherwood Extreme is the most fun in co-op mode, where you can a friend can team up to try to get the highest score possible. It's not exactly about trying to stay alive, rather, it's about trying to complete the levels in the most spectacular fashion to earn as many points as possible—and with two, it's more fun to coordinate the mayhem to place on the international leaderboards. While Sherwood Extreme is entering Early Access tomorrow, it feels like a mostly polished experience. We did experience a few glitches while playing in co-op mode. Developer CAGE Studios plans to keep Sherwood Extreme in Early Access for at least six months. According to the Early Access info box on their Steam store page, there are currently seven levels, thousands of quests, and a survival mode with more levels, game modes, outfits, weapons and more being planned for the full release. So don your tunic, grab your shield and crossbow, and get ready to see a version of Robin Hood like you've never seen when it flips into Steam Early Access tomorrow. Sherwood Extreme is available for free on Steam. Third Coast Review is Chicago's locally curated website, specializing in Chicago-area arts and culture coverage. Read more at thirdcoastreview.com