Set in a dark fantasy world, Hunted: The Demon's Forge is an unforgettable cooperative action game, pitting you and your partner against waves of vicious enemies. Taking control of either E'lara, a ranged weapon expert, or Caddoc, a master swordsman, you must use a variety of weapons, powerful spells, and cover tactics to battle your way through menacing dungeons, overgrown ruins, and downtrodden towns. Discover secrets and complete co-op-based puzzles whilst exploring the sinister world to discover answers to the game's deep, dark mysteries. The dark ages have become corrupted. Heinous creatures have emerged from underground. Townsfolk across the land are disappearing. Upon the promise of their fortune in gold, mercenaries E'lara and Caddoc take on the daunting task of discovering where the innocent villagers have been taken. Their journey will lead them on a dark and twisted path where they will encounter death, slavery, and sacrifice. Travel deep within the world of Kala Moor...and to the secrets of The Demon's Forge.
Features:
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Powered by the Unreal 3 engine, the world of Hunted comes to life in a third-person dungeon crawl
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Combine E'lara's ranged attacks with Caddoc's melee expertise to pull off gruesome co-op kill moves
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Wade into the thick of the fight using melee skills, or tactically use cover combat to dispatch hordes of creatures with bows and spells.
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Powerful magic spells can be used to boost your partner's combat effectiveness
Average Customer Review:
( 39 customer reviews )
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43 of 52 found the following review helpful:
Unexpected FunJun 01, 2011
By T. R. Kanavy
"The Friendly Cyborg"
3.3 ***
I knew nothing about this game until a friend encouraged me to pick it up. The only thing I knew, was that it was touted as being a fun co-op hack and slash- a promise on which the game delivers. One thing I will emphasize is that this game, at least for me, is a lot more fun playing with a human partner rather than the game's AI. It's not that the AI is poorly programmed (though they do walk in front of you and impede your movements at times), but rather that the presence of a human presents a more dynamic and interesting game-play. One thing that ultimately sold me on the game was the Bethesda logo- it's hard for me to think of a game with their brand that does not meet expectations.
Graphics
The graphics won't blow your mind, nor will they disappoint you and render the game less playable. If great graphics are important to you, beware this will not be the selling point of the game.
GamePlay/Control
This game plays VERY similar to Gears of War, as others will note. The button layout is practically the same, with a dedicated "action/run/dodge" button leaving your other buttons for aiming and weapon selection. The controls in my opinion are very user friendly and excellent overall. One interesting element for this hack-n-slash is the use of block. Yep, you'll actually have to block.
Characters
The game has two interesting characters with engrossing personalities. The dialog is often humorous and feels relatively natural for the world in which the protagonists interact. Where some hack-n-slash games can become tedious this game prevails during such moments with interesting conversation through out it's presentation.
Challenge
This game is quite challenging on the higher difficulty levels. However, with a human partner this is very welcome and greatly adds to the games enjoyment as you both struggle to survive the next wave of enemies.
Should You Buy It?
If you have a friend to play with and are in the mood for a fantasy romp with a decent story- this game is a bucket of fun. If you are looking for an action role playing game, this will likely let you down a bit. The game is geared for fast pacing, without the need to halt the action. You will not collect items and have an inventory to root through. Instead, you'll have a sword, armor, bows, etc and replace them with better loot that you find along the way. This game is an enjoyable slash-fest/shooter that will keep you entertained for hours. The replay value is enhanced with the added ability to create your own dungeons, or play a friends creation. In my opinion, this game is definitely worth a play-through. However, playing single-player is rather dreadful and the game becomes quickly monotonous.
Have any questions or comments? Feel free to leave me a comment and I will respond ASAP.
9 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Overall Not to BadJul 03, 2011
By dgdbear
"David"
Hunted: Demons Forge
This is an interesting game to review, for it has an abundance of strengths and weaknesses. When I went into this game, I didn't completely know what to expect. I'd heard this was supposed to be a dungeon crawling RPG. I'd seen comparisons drawn between Demon's Souls and this; never in a million years would I have thought that it would have been so similar to Gears of War, but it was. This game is a far cry from an RPG. That's ok though, I loved Gears of war. A forewarning to those coming into this game expecting an RPG, get the thought out of your head. This is as much an RPG as God of War, Ninja Gaiden 2, or Gears of War is one; that is to say, it isn't. Some minor customization doesn't make a game an RPG.
Basically, the game plays like a dark fantasy (as opposed to dark science-fiction) Gears of War, cross to some extent with Dante's Inferno for combat. It actually works, but there are issues.
Story: 7/10
The game is fairly weak here. There is very little character development or back-story to them. Aside from the banter exchanged, there is little to go on. They are obviously friends, and their motivation is money, but aside from that, there is nothing more to their actions. As for the actual main-story, there is an evil horde (comprised of Minotaurs, Wargar, spiders and dragons) that has subjugated the towns people and are using them for slave labor...your job: you are hired to liberate them (more or less). There are also side characters (witches, etc.), but it's not really much more complicated than this.
Graphics: 7/10
While the graphics aren't bad, they aren't great either. They are basically a little like the game: Darksiders , albeit less refined. That said, the designs are quite good and there are a decent variety of enemies to fight through. A few are recycled, but that's typical of this genre.The effects are quite average to be honest. The shading work could have been better, there are also quite a few artifacts (e.g. when you prompt the glowing light for guidance), and there are quite a few jagged lines, but a lot of it is forgivable.
Audio: 7/10
The soundtrack is average. There isn't anything epic here that will likely make you remember the game for its great music (much like Gears of War 2 - the music was average in contrast to the original game where Embry Square and the Locust theme were quite memorable). Similarly, the dialog is delivered largely monotone, and what dialog is presented (especially in game), is usually reused so much so that you will get sick of it by the end (e.g. "Look! Another door!")
Game-play: 8/10
Where the game is lacking in the other areas, it more than makes up for here. The combat is fun. I played this solo and for the most part had a great time. I played E'lara and sniped like crazy. There weren't a multitude of bows to choose from (slow and high powered, medium speed and medium powered and fast and low powered). Basically from these, you get various drops you can use (I chose medium because I wasn't quick enough on the triggers to take advantage of the fast paced ones) many of which have a limited enchantment on them making them much more powerful (e.g. In Chapter six I found one that was around 490 for standard power and enchanted to well over 1200 - that was a beast).
The movement was also quite smooth, you could dash long distances and dive roll ala Gears of War. There was also a hack and block element to the game too that wasn't unlike Darksiders. Attacks were quite smooth, and evasion through dive rolls could generally be done mid-way to cancel (not always though).
In regard to co-op there were quite a few attacks which worked well together, e.g. the levitate attack of your partner helped you to take out quite a few enemies in tandem. All in all, the game-play was quite cleverly done through elements like this.
Despite the positive aspects of the game-play, there were negatives as shall be outlined below. Firstly: there were a few too many hordes of enemies for my liking. Basically, once you turned a corner, you got three waves of enemies. This aspect got a little repetitive. It would have been nice if there were less enemies so that you could play a little more strategically. Secondly: it would have been nice to have a scope for your bow so you can focus on headshots. Supposedly some of the bows do have this function, but I didn't encounter it during my play-through. I think it would have helped to make the game more strategic rather than the 'at times' purely button mashing extravaganza that it was.
Note: I've since been told that every bow has a scope (I tested this and found otherwise)...that said, the hordes of enemies that come don't make the game any more strategic. I still think there is a little to much enemy flooding in this to make it strategic, and they seem to pop up from everywhere; it's never fun get get flanked when you 'know for a fact' that you have cleared out an area.
Length/Last-ability: 7/10
The game has: the standard Co-op, Crucible where you can make your own levels, as well as standard Campaign. The first play-through should take you around 12 hours possibly a bit longer depending on how much exploration you do. There isn't a great deal of exploration though, as many areas are simply 'cut-off' from access though they look like they should lead somewhere (a slight annoyance, but you get over it. The game itself is six chapters, and each chapter is divided up into sub-objectives (again, much like Gears of War). There are collectables like Death Stones, Dragon's Tears, and secret areas to find (I only found one of the areas in my play-through). It should keep the average person quite busy.
Overall: 7/10
The game is quite solid all in all. With a bit more work, this game easily could have been an 8 or a 9, but it's with the areas that this game is lacking in (voice work, graphics and some of the tweaked combat mechanics mentioned like a scope for the bow) that this game loses marks. Hopefully this game will be like LA Noire in that it will motivate other companies to try and innovate on what they have done here. I personally love Dark Fantasy games (ala Demon's Souls and anime like Berserk), so I would love to see a game of this style with a beefed up story, graphics and voice work. That said, this will leave many happy, but for those coming into this expecting an RPG...I think you will be sadly disappointed.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
One of the best games of 2011. Don't listen to the reviewers.Dec 01, 2011
By Unknown This game is one of the best games of 2011. I hate how this game got a very low score from the reviewers even though it gives players a new gaming experience. I loved every single minute playing this game. I highly recommend everyone to play this game. It is worth more than $20.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Rented This, Love it, gotta buy it.Nov 29, 2011
By Erica Strange I rented this game on a whim. Loved it. Flew through this one in a few days, its co-op too so that makes it even better. If you like to treasure hunt with out being given horrible head aches and love old fashioned bow, sword, and magic killing, Give this a try!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Hack and Shoot!Aug 09, 2011
By Poisoned Blade Every single aspect of this game could be better, but it's still fun. It blends hack and slash elements, shooting, and adds a few RPG elements.
Concept: 8/10 In a world of High Fantasy, two mercenaries become entangled in a demonic plot to enslave humanity. Using the Unreal Engine (Gears of War) this is a co-operative hack and slash adventure with light RPG elements. There is a great deal of bow combat, magic, and melee combat. In single player, you fight with a nearly invincible AI character who helps you out. You can play co-op on split screen, Xbox Live, or linked systems. As the story progresses, you battle your way through fantastic levels through a fairly long six chapter adventure.
Story: 8/10 Two mercenaries are visiting a familiar town when they notice something amiss. Instead of hearing the boisterous laughter erupting from taverns and the mischief that typically follows nightfall, the town is unusually silent. As they approach a tavern, they watch a townsperson get slaughtered by a wargar (orc). Wargars normally stick to the woods and prey upon hapless travelers and to see one in the middle of town is unusual. Too late, the heroes notice that the town has been overrun by wargars and they must battle their way through hordes of them. But this is only the beginning, the story includes dragons, a powerful warlord, minotaurs, wargars, and evil sorcery.
Warning: There are 2 different endings to the game, depending on if you drink the Slag. This is a magic brew that makes you invincible and gives you unlimited magic for a short time, but it tastes like EVIL. If you drink it just once, you will be tainted.
Graphics: 7/10 Technically, the graphics look a few years old. They're a bit muddy and the lighting is fairly bland. The color palettes are also a bit too gritty. It's like you're looking through a dirty glass.
However, the art direction and imagination that created the fantasy world is really good. There are ancient temples and ruins, medieval cities, foul creatures, dragons... Throughout the game, there are some cinematic shots of fantasy settings (God of War style) and they really make you feel like you are on a fantasy adventure.
Gameplay: 7/10 The gameplay is simple. Use cover and bow combat (Gears of War) to pick off faraway enemies. Use blades and spells to vanquish charging enemies. The levels are a bit like arenas where you encounter waves of bad guys. This is not an auto-heal game and you can only carry a limited number of potions. This greatly increases the tension.
The combat does get a little bit repetitive, because you only use X for light attack and Y for heavy attack in 4 hit combos. You can block, dodge, cast simple spells, and cover / shoot. (This isn't Bayonetta)
Levels: 7/10 The level designs are well constructed and you do feel like you are on a fantasy adventure. You'll battle through towns, dungeons, caverns, ruins...
There are also side quests that involve simple puzzle mechanics and riddles. Oh, those ancient ones and their riddles... Always trying to see if the current generation is worthy...
Design Flaw: The Upgrade System requires searching for hidden objects, but some of the doors are one way, so it is possible to miss things and not be able to go back for them.
RPG Elements: 3/10 The upgrades are tied into items that you find (crystals) and you use them to purchase skills from a skill tree. The skill tree is INCREDIBLY SIMPLE. I guess the designers didn't want to scare off the shooter crowd... But you only get 3 spells and 3 attacks and 3 more powerful versions of each. Each spell and special move has 3 slots to upgrade.
Fireball Example: Fireball 1 (Cost 2 crystals) a) costs less mana (1) b) does more damage (1) c) wider blast arc (1)
Fireball 2 (Cost 6 crystals) a) costs less mana (1) b) does more damage (1) c) wider blast arc (1)
Fireball 3 (Cost 11 crystals) a) costs less mana (1) b) does more damage (1) c) wider blast arc (1)
Higher powers are also LOCKED until you reach certain parts of the game, so you sort of have to upgrade the way they want you to upgrade. This game would have been much better if there was more to the skill tree like Diablo, Titan Quest, or Dragon Age. Special moves, special stat boosts, defensive spells, exploding arrows, bank shots, etc...
As you play, you also find magic weapons (bows, shields, and swords), but they have a durability stat, so after you use them X times, they become weaker.
Sound: 8/10 The voice acting is pretty good and you really get a sense that the characters are hardened mercenaries out for gold. They also have chemistry with each other, which is rare in these types of games. It's a refreshing change of pace from the "lawful good naive students just out of the academy." The action sound effects are pretty good and the music sets the atmosphere. It's not a soundtrack that you'll remember later on (Morrowind, God of War) but it is good.
Replay Value: 7/10 There are 4 different difficulty levels and you can play co-op. There is also a dungeon builder where you can create your own adventure. You can link up to 25 rooms and fill them with rewards, punishments, and hordes of enemies. You can play these online with friends. It's incredibly simple to use and pretty fun. You get enemy types and features by playing through the adventure and finding gold. The gold is cumulative and you'll have to play the game twice to unlock everything. The problem is that after a 24 hour campaign that has pretty simple mechanics, it does get a bit tedious.
Maturity: Teens There's fantasy violence and blood and some surly comments.
Overall: 7.5 Despite its dated appearance, game mechanics, simplicity, and slight flaws, this game is fun. It's also about 24 hours long and if you have Xbox Live, the dungeon creator is fun to use with a friend.
Buy this game (cheap) if you want a hack and shoot adventure. Rent it if you have 24 hours and you just want to blow through the campaign. (once is enough.) Avoid it if you are expecting a Bethesda Style RPG (Oblivion, Skyrim, Morrowind), you're a graphics snob, or you love complex combat like Bayonetta.
This is what Golden Axe: Beast Rider should have been, instead of the festering turd that it was. If you like co-op hack and slash, check out Castle Crashers on X-box Live, or any of the LEGO games. If you like fantasy RPG's, Dragon Age 1 and 2 are Ok. If you like open ended complex RPG's then you'll love Oblivion and Skyrim. If you want a great renaissance adventure, Assassin's Creed 2 + Assassin's Creed Brotherhood are great.
based on 39 reviews
( 39 customer reviews )
