Xbox 360 Critic Reviews

Hunted could really have used another couple of passes just to tighten things up, but what's here is perfectly playable. There are a lot of puzzles and secrets, multiple endings, a design-your-own-dungeon mode, and two different playable characters who fight in entirely different ways. This isn't a bad game, but it's one that could be vastly improved.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge isn't going to win any awards for originality or for its looks, but what it does provide is a welcome action adventure game that can be enjoyed by most gamers willing to overlook the somewhat dated presentation. The gameplay is solid and the characters likeable enough to encourage players to stick with it. If you're after a co-op or solo game that rests in the done to death fantasy realm, then you'd do well to have a look at Hunted as it's enjoyable and well worth the price of entry.

Add in an epic, bombastic orchestral score by Kevin Riepl (he also worked on Gears of War) and a surprisingly robust and easy-to-use level creation tool and you have one of the better games to be released so far in 2011. Highly Recommended.

Brian Fargo's new pet project turned out to be a cross-breed of Gears of War and God of War. Medieval co-op experience is somewhat nice snack between larger meals. The team has worked in haste, which can be seen in almost every aspect. There's a lot of potential, which has been sadly wasted. [Aug 2011]

Hunted's flaws, I imagine, won't be forgivable by a good number of the folks who choose to check it out. For those that can look past the warts, though, a truly fun game exists below the surface here. Dungeon crawling is fun, right? Gears of War's cover-based shooting is the cat's pajamas, correct? Right, and Hunted: The Demon's Forge is the diamond in the rough game of the season.

Ultimately, one of Hunted: The Demon Forge's biggest strengths is also its biggest weakness -- there's just not much there. Yes, its constituent components are polished and impeccably streamlined, but after a few hours, there aren't any surprises in store.

But those who can overlook Hunted's design shortfalls and occasionally tepid fantasy backdrop will extract a good few hours of fun slashing and exploring before something better comes along.

Despite it's "not-so-well-polished" graphics and game design, Hunted the Demon Forge will entertain action-RPG fans with hours of good old-days gameplay, mixed with a little "Gears of" spice. A good appetizer for the next RPGs to come.

Hunted's big failing stems less from what it brings to the table as what it leaves in Diablo's bat-infested cellar. The level editor packs each and every one of the campaign's big tricks into one tidy grid-based package, but it lacks the single player's beguiling sense of mystery.

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.