Conquered

For the first time in a long time, another game has been struck down from my Hall of Shame. Goodbye Conquests of the Longbow: the Legend of Robin Hood!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th August 2017

It has certainly been a long time since I knocked one off from my Hall of Shame. Why, here we are, eight months into 2017 and here's the first one!

But no matter: This is one of the lesser known titles from Sierra's stable of adventure games. So it being a Sierra game, one kind of expects to see a mixture of good and bad. I certainly got the good - the gorgeous settings - and the bad - arcade sections that were crow-barred in - in equal amounts.

However the real strength of this game is in the writing - yes the writing is the lifeblood of adventure games but I understand what this game was trying to do: It was taking a legendary character and mythos and placing it within a realistic setting: The characters talk and act like people of the era and the plot of King Richard the Lionheart being held hostage by Leopold of Austria is historical fact. Indeed, this game is well-researched and it shows - and is all the better for it. True Robin Hood may be a combination of legend and historical figures but it see the legend with such historical accuracy behind it is a welcome change to say the least. Why, the manual lists a bibliography and clearly states what the makers of it were aiming for.
I also like how this game offers something new with a oft-used mythos. Sure we have the usual tropes - Robin's usage of disguises, helping out the poor and the scenario of showing up the Sheriff in an archery tournament - but it does it's own spin: Marion doubles as a Druid priestess, Friar Tuck goes against tradition of being a jolly figure and fond of rich living, and there is certainly an emphasis on druidism that, as far as I know, has been barely touched on in the Robin Hood mythos.
So in terms of providing a unique and historical accurate spin on Robin Hood this game is indeed a success.

Sadly this was the second and last game for the Conquest series. Which is a shame because series creator, Christy Marx, recently revealed she planned to do a third game but it was to be based on Charlemagne - a real person as opposed to Robin Hood or King Arthur (the basis for the first Conquest game). And seeing I enjoyed this game, I am only left with what could've been.....