Cinemaware and publisher Capcom are trying to rekindle the magic and the majesty of the classic Amiga (and later Nintendo Entertainment System) game, Defender of the Crown. The differences between the original and the new game are three-fold: Robin Hood, who played a mere cameo role in the original game as a lord of a territory, whereas this time he takes on the lead-role in RH:DotC. The second notable and obvious change is that the game is played out telling Robin's side of the story as he battles evil King John and attempts to replant good King Richard on England's throne. Finally and most obvious of all is the slickness of the game's various elements has been improved a million-fold. While the original game may have been on the bleeding edge in terms of its graphics splendor, RH:DotC ups the ante in all departments but maintains the feel of the original game, which was light strategy combined with a variety of cool action sequences.
To give a basic overview of the game, RH:DotC combines strategy with a lot of action with the end result being the defeat of the evil King who has stolen the throne from his brother Richard, who has been taken away and is being held for ransom. Robin, who believes in Richard and who despises John's wicked reign decides that he must defeat John and his evil cronies who have taken up residence in various territories throughout England. Robin must fight and win these kingdoms, while moving ever closer to defeating John and restoring the crown to its former glory. But doing all this will not be an easy task for Robin and his Merry Men.
The strategic element of the game lets Robin struggle against the lords of 38 fiefdoms throughout England. With the evil King's henchmen in place, it will surely be a challenge for Robin to succeed, but with the help of his advisors Robin can slowly turn the tide and retrieve the crown from its self-appointed ruler. RH:DotC is played out on a large "Risk" style map board, complete with visual effects and animated objects like soldiers, keeps and castles. Each fiefdom is controlled by a lord who can be bested by using troops that you purchase (through your advisor Little John) and moving them into that territory. The battles for these fiefdoms is played out in what can best be described as a chess-like fight, slightly animated with stacks of archers, knights and catapults on each side, laid out on unfurled scroll. Through tactical planning and a bit of luck, the winner scores the victory and gains control of the territory. From there players can build keeps, contribute to the cost of King Richard's ransom (which is pretty steep) or buy more troops. Players can also use siege tactics to weaken a lord's stronghold; players get a limited amount of time to attack key points on the stronghold using catapults armed with plain old stones or Greek fires - this allows you to weaken the forces inside the castle, giving you an edge when you are ready to engage in battle.
Beyond that Robin Hood can engage in a lot of his trademark mischief in the game - He can ambush merchants who are ignorant enough to pass through the forest to collect extra cash, invade various locations and duel against knights for cold hard cash, or to rescue "damsels in distress". These methods are a great way to fund the global warfare efforts that you'll have to engage in. Finally, players can battle in Jousting Tournaments for fame, money and in some cases territory. The action sequences in the game (jousting, sword fighting, archery) are all action-based and simplistic in nature. RH:DotC maintains the feel of the original game while beefing up each sequence with a lot of atmosphere and English flavor.
RH:DotC offers about an hour's worth of voice acting, and around twenty minutes of CG animated cutscenes that are used to move the overarching storyline along. The game, true to Cinemaware's signature cinematic rich style, offers a lot of dramatic and small touches that make its overall presentation to life. A good portion of the character interaction is done on the main screen using animated portraits (Think Ultima VII Serpent Isle). These interactions are interlaced with voice acting and animated expressions that add nicely to the presentation. These portraits also serve as drop-down menus for various activities including raids, buying and moving troops, buying keeps, participating in tournaments, raiding merchant caravans, and donating cash to free poor King Richard.
Overall I think RH:DotC's elements coming together nicely into an interesting and entertaining game. One of the things that Cinemaware must do in order to make this game more enjoyable is to provide a detailed explanation of how each element works in the game - either through in-game tutorials or by providing a decent and understandable manual. Because this game has name recognition (amongst old school and casual gamers) it would be a good idea that it offer a reasonable explanation on the much more complex elements of the game. Overall RH:DotC offers a lot of gameplay variety, and offers gameplay that isn't landlocked into one path to victory. Add the slickness of Cinemaware trademark visual storytelling and you have a game experience that is worth looking forward to on the PC.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
