Hunted: The Demon's Forge

A game with good ideas and a great cooperative experience, although it is not that polished and has some minor flaws in control and design. A mediocre title when played solo, but great when played with a friend.

Hunted is an interesting co-op hack'n'slash. Without a friend, the game looks a little bit annoying and frustrating, but played either split screen or online it can be amusing.

The shine is somewhat diminished by an engine that just can't seem to cope with what it's being asked to do.

A fun co-op experience with an interesting storyline. Tie in a dungeon creator, and it can keep you coming back for more with a fresh new map to play on.

In a market more and more saturated with action RPGs, Hunted: The Demon's Forge focus its attention on Coop play with just a few drops of RPG. Even when it fails in many other areas it`s quite fun to play, provides many hours of exploring and achieves its target of taking you to the darkest side of Kala Moor.

Hunted isn't an amazing game, but it will entertain action-RPG fans with hours of good old-days gameplay.

It has a pretty rough beginning section, but players who endure will be treated to some great gameplay. Whether or not it's worth trudging through the awkward tutorial or the burdensome first chapter is up to you. Personally, I'm glad I did it.

Play this game in co-op, then you will have fun, but that is not because of the high standards in this game. The graphics are old, the camera doesn't work all the time and the story is a disappointment. But the co-op, like already said can be fun and the level editor is pretty cool, but there are a lot of better games out there at this moment.

inXile Entertainment had a clear vision with what it wanted to do with Hunted: The Demon's Forge. That vision came up short due to clunky controls, linear gameplay and a very frustrating single player experience. The game's core fun is based on co-op, but there are still some design flaws that hurt even that experience.

If you're not sure on the game, wait for a price drop or two, and a weekend where you and a buddy don't have much to do.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge is a fun game but it never seems to reach its true potential. The concept is interesting but it looks like the developers didn't spend enough time creating better puzzles. The co-op and the special attacks are the only things making this game worthwhile.

A pool of interesting ideas that simply fails to deliver. A lame level design, a repetitive combat system and the lack of depth in customization of the characters' abilities make this hybrid one you should try only if you're looking for some light-hearted entertainment, ignoring the complete lack of polish.

A shameful and hybrid beast, but one you might just want to tame. [Aug 2011, p.112]

An action game in the Trojan horse of an RPG. There are better co-op experiences, but if you've already played those, Hunted will entertain for a little while.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge could have been something special if it had gone for more creative and risky co-op elements, but instead it plays it safe, which leads to something that feels only vaguely cooperative.

The ideas are there but in the end, it's just one of those games that a rental on a rainy day or a purchase in a few months when the price drops would actually be the smartest choice to make.

The dialogue and plot are more clumsily written than the lyrics to a Christian rap song, which makes it hard to get involved in the tasks at hand. When you don't care, you don't care, ya know?

Whether you see it as a fantasy-slanted Gears homage or a punched-up and streamlined dungeon-crawler, the end result is roughly the same: Hunted is an adequate diversion for co-op aficionados, but little more.

It's odd blend of cover-based shooting, a fantasy setting, and hot co-op action make it an eyebrow-raiser, but the execution is flawed.

As much as Hunted grated on me, I really liked Caddoc and E'lara. Even though their physical designs ape the stereotypical buff dude and barely clothed sexy elf, their personalities transcend their clichéd appearances. Their relationship is based on mutual respect, and there isn't any forced flirtation in their myriad conversations. The pair clearly enjoy each other's company, and I would have loved to learn more about their past together. If that means having to play through more of this, though, I'll just read some fanfic and call it good.

Not a terrible game, but it's far from being a brilliant one. [Issue#207, p.87]

In a pile of generic ideas, Hunted: The Demon's Forge descends into the darkness becoming instantaneously forgettable.

With its derivative world and characters, it's at best a guilty pleasure but probably isn't worth your time unless you can find it at a bargain bin price.

Hunted's attempt at reinvigorating a densely populated genre relies upon a tired formula. [Aug 2011, p.85]

This new co-op offering from Bethesda may be quite flawless from a technical standpoint but, unfortunately, its characters are too shallow to care for and the action is extremely repetitious and uninspired to retain our interest for more than a few hours, even when playing with a friend.

Hunted has potential. It has the art design and spark, but the attempt at a genre hybrid ultimately falls short. Though the idea of a fantasy RPG with a third-person action mentality, from Gears of War or Resident Evil 5, is innovative, it just isn't polished enough to make it work.

Quotation forthcoming.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge buries its rock-solid ideas under a mound of execution blunders.

I can certainly think of worse ways to spend your time, but that list would pale in comparison to the staggeringly long catalogue of better ways.

Unfinished, unpolished, and broken. If not for the online co-op this would be a complete dud. They put in a lot of features that are great in theory but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Have I mentioned that I can't stand the main characters?

A real lazy effort where the much-hyped co-op doesn't do squat.

A terrible experience, years behind the competition. [Aug 2011, p.92]