Robin Hood: Sherwood Legend

Robin Hood has inspired countless movies, TV shows, books, toys, and songs over the past decades - not bad going for somebody who never actually existed.

He’s also managed to secure himself a pretty profitable line of video game adaptations, of which Robin Hood: Sherwood Legend is the latest.

A scrolling fighter which predictably places you in the fetching green tights of the titular outlaw, the game contains plenty of brawling action as well as minor role-playing elements.

Unfortunately, it's none the richer for its endeavour, as Robin Hood: Sherwood Legend is a disappointment.

Battling through the waves of relentless enemies brings you cash and special crystals. Between levels these two resources can be spent on new weapons, to boost Robin’s stats – health, speed, and strength – and imbue his arsenal with magical properties, such as the ability to freeze or set fire to enemies.

Thanks to a reasonably responsive on-screen control stick and intelligently laid-out action commands, controlling Robin is straightforward.

Throughout the quest – which features almost 30 stages of sword-swinging mayhem – you encounter a wide range of enemies from hostile birds to fearsome knights on horseback, each with varying degrees of strength and vitality.

Consequently, you're pushed into mixing up your attacks with ranged combat joining melee blows. Your trusty bow is supported by other weapons including knives and throwing axes.

Despite the need for tactical variety and the welcome ability to increase Robin’s proficiency in battle, it doesn’t take long for the game to become repetitive.

Each stage revolves around the same core process: walk around hacking at opponents until they’re all dead.

Occasionally, boss characters make an appearance but to be honest you're in such a trance repeatedly hammering the attack button that you may not even notice they were on-screen in the first place.

It’s a shame a bit more variety couldn’t have been included because in terms of presentation Robin Hood: Sherwood Legend is strong. The visuals are gorgeous and the music manages to create that mediaeval vibe effectively.

Authenticity isn’t the strongest point of the game’s plotline, though. For starters, the world map is completely the wrong way around, with Robin starting in the Holy Land (which is in the North) and progressing to his homeland of England (in the South).

Geographical concerns aside, the story seems fairly content with completely rewriting Robin’s exploits – apart from the opening chapter, which recounts the first scene of the Kevin Costner movie Prince of Thieves with astonishing accuracy. As for the writing itself, the kindest thing you can say is that English clearly isn’t the developer’s first language.

Mindless side-scrolling fighting games need to possess a certain quality to allow them to rise above the predictably samey nature of the action, and sadly Robin Hood: Sherwood Legend doesn’t qualify.