Hunted: The Demon's Forge

Hunted: The Demon's Forge isn't going to win any awards for originality or for its looks, but what it does provide is a welcome action adventure game that can be enjoyed by most gamers willing to overlook the somewhat dated presentation. The gameplay is solid and the characters likeable enough to encourage players to stick with it. If you're after a co-op or solo game that rests in the done to death fantasy realm, then you'd do well to have a look at Hunted as it's enjoyable and well worth the price of entry.

Hunted could really have used another couple of passes just to tighten things up, but what's here is perfectly playable. There are a lot of puzzles and secrets, multiple endings, a design-your-own-dungeon mode, and two different playable characters who fight in entirely different ways. This isn't a bad game, but it's one that could be vastly improved.

Brian Fargo's new pet project turned out to be a cross-breed of Gears of War and God of War. Medieval co-op experience is somewhat nice snack between larger meals. The team has worked in haste, which can be seen in almost every aspect. There's a lot of potential, which has been sadly wasted. [Aug 2011]

Hunted's flaws, I imagine, won't be forgivable by a good number of the folks who choose to check it out. For those that can look past the warts, though, a truly fun game exists below the surface here. Dungeon crawling is fun, right? Gears of War's cover-based shooting is the cat's pajamas, correct? Right, and Hunted: The Demon's Forge is the diamond in the rough game of the season.

It'll never hit a home run, but it does an all right job of passing the time between better games. [Issue#74, p.85]

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.

Gloomy dungeons, contorted medieval alleys plus a felicitous soundtrack.

While Hunted isn't an amazing game, it's still a good game, and a unique experience all around.

Good for a quick and fun diversion, Hunted is far from the perfect coop game or fantasy dungeon crawl, but the storytelling almost makes up for it. Almost.

Hunted's big failing stems less from what it brings to the table as what it leaves in Diablo's bat-infested cellar. The level editor packs each and every one of the campaign's big tricks into one tidy grid-based package, but it lacks the single player's beguiling sense of mystery.

Despite it's "not-so-well-polished" graphics and game design, Hunted the Demon Forge will entertain action-RPG fans with hours of good old-days gameplay, mixed with a little "Gears of" spice. A good appetizer for the next RPGs to come.

But those who can overlook Hunted's design shortfalls and occasionally tepid fantasy backdrop will extract a good few hours of fun slashing and exploring before something better comes along.

Ultimately, one of Hunted: The Demon Forge's biggest strengths is also its biggest weakness -- there's just not much there. Yes, its constituent components are polished and impeccably streamlined, but after a few hours, there aren't any surprises in store.

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.

There is certainly a level of monotony here and the level design runs from clever to painfully linear and stale, but I got exactly what I wanted out of Hunted. I didn't expect a game of the year candidate but I desired, and received an old school hack and slash adventure where I could play with a friend and discuss the proper way to handle a battle situation. If you felt burned by the recent release of Daggerdale and want a better rpg combat alternative, you could do much worse then Hunted: The Demon's Forge.

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.

But mostly you'll just grind through wave after mildly entertaining wave, and wonder why hardly anyone drops any desirable equipment. [Sept 2011, p.85]

Hunted: The Demon's Forge doesn't excel in anything in particular and is hindered by noticeabel graphical and AI problems, but it manages to offer a fair amount of fun if played in co-op. We expected much more, but if you like fantasy games you could be willing to give it a chance.

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.

Should have been a great game. It has all the necessary components and the innovation to make it so, but all of the great thinking and ideas were spoilt when the coders and graphic designers got hold of it.

You will miss nothing at all if you choose to ignore the game. I'd definitely recommend you try it out if you're bored and looking for a good time waster, but playing Hunted is just not essential.

A serviceable action-RPG but the execution and lack of polish puts us off. [Sept 2011, p.86]

This game is a mash-up of a few successful ideas but as a finished product it never quite adds up to the sum of its parts. You may well find it fun to blast through in co-op, but don't expect it to leave you with any lasting memories.

Despite the disappointing graphics and the frustrating gameplay I have to admit I still had some fun with Hunted: The Demon's Forge, both playing alone and cooperatively. The splitscreen sucks but I guess those without Internet still deserve their chance to play with a friend, and at least you only need one copy of the game. Considering we don't have any Army of Two or Kane and Lynch titles coming out this year, Hunted may be your only alternative for true two-player co-op gameplay. If you can get past the design issues there is a good time to be had, but I'd still probably rent or at least wait for the price to drop.

Caddoc and E'lara are OK but largely forgettable characters, and the muddy graphics and frequently questionable design choices make the campaign sometimes feel like a chore.

It isn't nearly as awful - no, indeed, as hopelessly generic - as it might first appear. [Issue#111, p.100]

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.

If you're after a stop-gap before Gears of War 3 comes out, this might well fit the bill. Take your time, root around for secrets, play sporadically, and chances are good that you'll warm to the game. It's just a shame that the wonderful ideas aren't pushed nearly hard enough and that the game, as a result, feels overwhelmingly generic.

There's just not enough variation to keep interest in this game over 36 stages, despite a really great core concept, solid controls, a story you might actually want to follow and impressive voice acting.

It's a decent enough game to play through, but certainly one you'll forget in a hurry. It's the kind of game perfect for a lull in gaming when there's nothing else left, and you fancy something disposable but enjoyable.

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.

Like a horse swishing its tail with futile persistence, Hunted never manages to rid itself of bugs.

Only worth playing in co-op, where the fluid controls, half decent mechanics, some basic teamwork, and mindless action elevates what is decidedly mediocre into something that although average, can be a lot of fun.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge tries to hybridize fantasy dungeon crawling and cover based shooting, but the mix isn't exactly elegant. There are a few glimmers of charm but the frustrating combat and linear, generic environments made it hard to stay interested.

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

You probably won't want to play through this lengthy, unpolished, one-note adventure more than once, let alone make your own maps with the included level-builder.

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: The Demon's Forge is not a bad game. The idea has quality, it is unfortunate that its implementation and the final result falls very far short of what really could be.

Fantasy co-op for the desperately bored. Tip: never compare your game to Gears... [Sept 2011, p.88]

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.

Hunted has a fun concept that mixes the mechanics from Gears of War and the aesthetics from God of War with RPG elements from World of Warcraft. But the end reslut is messy and feels very rough around the edges. The saving grace is the coop mode, which is quite fun.

Quotation forthcoming.

One more malignant tumor in the blasé cancer eating the videogame industry. It's derivative from the start, and the game's concept is as poorly thought out as its execution.

That's essentially the problem with Hunted in general: It thinks ham-fisted cooperation is indistinguishable from effortless cooperation. Any two people playing together know better.

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.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge suffers from an identity crisis. It can't quite figure out if it is a thirdperson shooter or a action RPG. The combat tendens towards being boring and the level design is less than inspirational. Some of the side quests are good, but that's just not enough for this game.

Gears Of War meets Diablo turns out not to be a classic pairing after all, or at least not when it comes to this low rent hotchpotch of other people's ideas.

As a resurrection of the dungeon crawler genre as it wants to appear, Hunted: The Demon's Forge just is another FPS without any real subtleties. It's a shame since its world is fine and action globally ok, but some camera issues, a poor story, some clunky gameplay and outdated production values clearly undermine the fun.