Hunted: The Demon's Forge
2011 video game
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Hunted: The Demon's Forge is a 2011 action-adventure game set in a dark fantasy world. It was developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.[2]
| Hunted: The Demon's Forge | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer | inXile Entertainment |
| Publisher | Bethesda Softworks |
| Director | Michael Kaufman |
| Producer | Stewart Spilkin |
| Designer | Chris Keenan |
| Programmers | Keith Miron Matthew Fawcett |
| Artists | Robert Nesler Craig Drageset |
| Composer | Kevin Riepl[1] |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Platforms | Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 |
| Release | |
| Genres | Action-adventure, hack and slash, third-person shooter |
| Modes | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
The game features co-operative multiplayer with online, splitscreen, and LAN options. E'lara is able to use a bow and small weapons, while Caddoc wields larger melee weapons, as well as a crossbow. Players have the option to explore some larger optional areas; however, the gameplay is mostly linear with many points of no return. Players are able to use spells and special attacks to help in combat, which can be upgraded.[3] The gameplay, especially the archery combat, has been compared to the gunplay of Gears of War,[4] with Eurogamer calling the game a "third-person looter".[3] Engadget called the game a "Gears of War clone",[4] and Metro described it as "Gears of War meets Diablo".[5]
The game supports cross-regional co-operative play on all platforms, but the random match-making feature is regional on PC and PlayStation 3, and cross-regional on Xbox 360.[6][7]
Plot
Two mercenaries in battle, female elf E'lara and male human Caddoc, go searching for a mysterious artifact about which Caddoc had a vision, but events grow out of hand and the companions become wrapped up in a chain of events involving demons, the orc-like Wargar, and a sorceress named Seraphine.[2]
Development
Hunted: The Demon's Forge shares a similar title and fantasy setting with Brian Fargo's first widely distributed game, his self-published 1981 graphical text adventure The Demon's Forge.[8]
inXile Entertainment's President Matt Findley said that Hunted: The Demon's Forge's game mechanics are mainly based on his team's own experience playing co-op games and the resulting stream of ideas on how to improve the genre step-by-step.[9] Findley's personal criticism towards similar co-op titles is that the general definition of co-op has sunk "to allowing two players to play together". "We're co-op in that all of our special skills and abilities are designed to make you work together," Findley added later in the interview.
Before the game's release, Findley stated that a sequel and continuing series would happen if the first game saw enough commercial success. Many ideas were not used, and they would improve the co-op mode in sequels. The next installment would not necessarily be a sequel, but possibly a prequel or new story set in the same world with different characters.[citation needed]
Reception
| Publication | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| PC | PS3 | Xbox 360 | |
| Destructoid | N/A | N/A | 6.5/10[13] |
| Eurogamer | N/A | N/A | 7/10[14] |
| Famitsu | N/A | 29/40[15] | 29/40[15] |
| Game Informer | N/A | 6/10[16] | 6/10[16] |
| GamePro | N/A |   [17] | [17] |
| GameRevolution | C[18] | C[18] | C[18] |
| GameSpot | 4.5/10[19] | 5/10[20] | 5/10[20] |
| GameSpy | N/A | [21] | [21] |
| GameTrailers | N/A | N/A | 5.6/10[22] |
| IGN | 6/10[23] | 6/10[23] | 6/10[23] |
| Joystiq | N/A | N/A |  [24] |
| Official Xbox Magazine (US) | N/A | N/A | 6.5/10[25] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 68%[26] | N/A | N/A |
| PlayStation: The Official Magazine | N/A | 5/10[27] | N/A |
| The Daily Telegraph | N/A | N/A | 6/10[28] |
| The Escapist | N/A | N/A | [29] |
Hunted: The Demon's Forge received "mixed" reviews on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[10][11][12] In Japan, where the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were ported for release on August 25, 2011,[citation needed] Famitsu gave both console versions each a score of two sevens, one eight, and one seven for a total of 29 out of 40.[15]
The Escapist gave the Xbox 360 version three stars out of five and said, "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."[29] Digital Spy gave the same version three stars out of five, stating that "the muddy graphics and frequently questionable design choices make the campaign sometimes feel like a chore."[30] The Daily Telegraph gave said version a similar score of six out of ten and said it was "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."[28] Edge gave the console version six out of ten and said, "Like a horse swishing its tail with futile persistence, Hunted never manages to rid itself of bugs."[31] However, The A.V. Club gave the same version a C and stated that the problem with the game is that "It thinks ham-fisted cooperation is indistinguishable from effortless cooperation. Any two people playing together know better."[32] GameZone gave the game a score of five out of ten and said that it "offers a modicum of playing pleasure on a slow weekend, but a rental would be safer than a purchase."[33] Metro gave the same console version four out of ten and said, "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."[5]