The Adventures of Robin Hood
(Les Aventures de Robin des Bois)
| Developer: N/A | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Millennium | Sound: |
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| Year: 1991 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Role-playing game | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
7/10 | |
After being unceremoniously booted from his castle by the Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin is out for revenge—with your help, of course. Rally the downtrodden peasants by sharing the spoils of your thievery, recruit a merry band of companions, and track down a few magical trinkets along the way.
The slow pace and clunky controls betray the game’s age, but if you look past that, there’s plenty to enjoy. First, despite an almost laughably straightforward plot (defeat the Sheriff, reclaim the castle), you’re given complete freedom to dawdle along the way. Be virtuous, be villainous, chat with anyone, meddle in people’s lives (silver tongue or drawn bow, the choice is yours), rob indiscriminately, or chase every woman in the village. On top of that, unpredictable developments and hidden secrets keep the game interesting long after the main quest is done.
The downsides? The map is disappointingly small—Sherwood Forest feels more like the local park. Oh, and the French translation? Utterly painful to read.
All in all, though, it’s a simple yet unique game with a cheerful atmosphere.
A few notes on the interface icons: the bow shoots, the sword fights, the eye repositions the camera for a better view, the heart lets you run, the open hand gives money (to the poor), and the closed fist either steals (ideally from the rich) or picks up items. The vertical bar shows your popularity with the villagers.
More screenshots here, here, here, here, and here.
A year later, the same publisher released a similar game set in antiquity: Rome AD92: The Pathway to Power.
And more recently: Rustler (2021).
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