"I'm gonna cut your heart out with a spoon!" Ahh, Robin Hood, ahh, Alan Rickman. This is a legend we've seen reinterpreted time and time again for the small and big screens. And now, Robin Hood is the inspiration for Sumo Digital's new game.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends is bang on trend as far as games like Hunt: Showdown are concerned. It's a PvPvE game which, in this case, means two teams of legendary outlaws try to break into a castle guarded by computer-controlled guards – and a monstrous-sounding Sheriff of Nottingham – and liberate the big chest of gold there. And all while competing with each other.
It's like Hitman meets For Honour. Or, to use the team's own inspirational touchstone, 'What would it look like if Game of Thrones did Payday in a Robin Hood universe?' Hence the grittiness, hence the violence, hence the dour look. But it sounds exciting to hear game director Andrew Willans talk about it – he who designed Grow Home and Eve Valkyrie, and helped make Watch_Dogs, The Crew, The Division and Driver: San Francisco. So do as I did, and sit back and listen.