Hunted: The Demon's Forge
Hunted: The Demon's Forge is an action game set in a dark fantasy world. The game was developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. 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 large areas; however, the gameplay is mostly linear with many points of no return. Players are able to use spells  to help in combat. 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. Plot. Two mercenaries in battle, E'lara and 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. 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". 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. 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. Reception. "Hunted: The Demon's Forge" received "mixed" reviews on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. In Japan, where the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360  versions were ported for release on 25 August 2011, "Famitsu" gave both console versions each a score of two sevens, one eight, and one seven for a total of 29 out of 40. "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." "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." "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." "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." 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." 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." "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."