if you are a fan of third person shooters but are looking for something a bit different, then this is worth a look.
My best guess as to the bad reviews would have to be that Hunted was a much different game than expected. At first glance, it appears that it would either be a hack and slash RPG or God of War style adventure. If this is what you are looking for, then look elsewhere, because this probably isn't the game for you. Oddly, it has a great bit in common with Gears of War or Army of Two. The best way to describe the gameplay is fantasy medieval third person shooter, which is a rather unique category.
The gameplay has many shooter characteristics, with the ability to fire from cover, zoom in slightly at the expense of movement, and headshots scoring critical hits. Even with a typical shooter feel to the game, it also sports a surprisingly deep melee component as well. Strikes can be chained into three hit combos. After successfully landing three hits, the enemy has a chance to retaliate, so you must either block, sidestep, or doge their attack. Blocking is the easiest, but shields have a limited durability and will shatter after taking too much damage. Luckily there are plenty scattered around the battlefield, not to mention the ones that can be taken off on dead enemies (assuming you don't shatter them yourself when you kill them) that you won't ever go too long without one. Sidestepping really only works when the enemy starts their attack when not directly facing you. If you move to the side just enough, their side is left open to your counter attack. I relied more on dodging than the other two methods, as it quickly gets you out of range of just about any attack and is quick enough for you to retaliate quickly. The only thing to be careful of here is that you don't dodge into another enemy, as you will very rarely be facing a single foe at a time.
Players have the choice of two characters, each with different styles. Caddoc is a stronger melee fighter, though still has a crossbow that can do decent damage, although the reload time is quite long and it is best left as the backup weapon. E'lara is the opposite, with quick bow attacks and much weaker melee skills. Caddoc, being the stronger of the two, is the only one that can push certain objects, while E'lara can light her arrows on fire. These abilities are used in the mild puzzle sections of the game, but you don't need to switch characters to proceed. If you need something done that only your AI teammate can perform, simply look at the object, press the onscreen button, and they will perform the action for you. Switching characters can only be done at designated location through each level, but I suspect that most gamers will stick to a single character through the entire adventure then switch. Since the two are so vastly different in play styles, you will get two complete playthroughs out of the ten hour story before it feels truly completed.
There is a mild RPG aspect where you can use gathered gemstones to increase each characters' abilities and spells. In a nice touch, you don't have to spread these points between both people; finding a single gemstone gives a point to each characters. Each character has three abilities unique to them and three spells that either of them can learn. The abilities are the standard damage type skills that fit each persons fighting style, while the magic can either be cast as an offensive blast or defensive boost for your teammate. The mana costs of spells and abilities are balanced well, where you won't be spamming overpowered attacks, but you won't need to reserve them for only the big fights either. In addition to leveling spells and abilities, there are also combat goals, such as get a set number of melee kills, executions, or the like. This felt a bit tacked on, though, since the rewards are passive and I accomplished almost all the goals before the end of the game without actually shooting for any of them. It's hard to really complain about this aspect, as it is really just an add-on to an already satisfying combat setup.
Unlike most games designed as co-op experiences, you will actually be able to rely on your AI teammate if you play alone. If you get into trouble and need to retreat, they can be counted on to keep the enemy busy enough for you to recuperate. They very rarely will get themselves into something they can't handle. I fell in battle several times through the campaign, while my AI partner fell only twice. Their AI isn't perfect though. Twice I noticed that they had fallen behind and I backtracked to find them stuck on a piece of scenery which required me to reload the last checkpoint or go on alone. There were also a few occasions where they continued fighting a few feet from my dying body instead of throwing a revive potion at me, again causing an unneeded restart. These problems were few and far between, but were frustrating when they did surface.
The plot justifies the action, but won't win any awards. It opens with Caddoc having a vision of a woman needing his help and showing him a vision of things to come. She then appears before both characters and sends them on their quest to stop the evil guy trying to summon demons. Stereotypical, but it is saved by likable main characters. Caddoc is the elder of the two, and thinks tactically while still making it clear that he enjoys the battle. E'lara is more impulsive and rather sarcastic, which leads to her having some memorable lines. Both have a few personality quirks that make them stand out. For example, E'lara is afraid of heights while Caddoc is terrified of spiders (a fear that I share, so I related quite well with him). I also appreciated that while Caddoc is a burly barbarian and E'lara is a scantily clad vixen, the writers developed their relationship more along the lines of father-daughter rather than a romantic involvement.
Like the plot, the graphics are enough to get the job done, but don't really impress. From a distance, everything look detailed and good, but many up close textures are fairly poor, which becomes quite evident in most cutscenes. This game also relies on the Unreal engine's outdated technique of texture fade in when loading new areas that can sometimes take up to ten seconds. It's quite jarring to have the characters try to explain a new situation while still looking like clay figurines.
I didn't run into anywhere the number of glitches other reviewers are complaining of. Aside from the above mentioned instances of AI teammates getting stuck, I only had one notable problem. Fairly early in the game, the graphics flickered to a combination of bright yellow and orange and then my character proceeded to fall through the level endlessly until I reloaded the checkpoint. These problems weren't enough to ruin the experience, but where still things that should have been caught in testing.
Hunted: The Demon's Forge may not be a classic, but I enjoyed every bit of it. Be warned this isn't a game that will appeal to everyone, especially if you are looking for a deeper experience. However, if you are a fan of third person shooters but are looking for something a little bit different, then this title is right up your alley.