Hunted: The Demon's Forge takes its co-op action cues from the Gears of War series but with a healthy dose of fantasy and loot collection it still feels distinct.

Gear's of War is a clear influence for Hunted: The Demon's Forge thanks to its adoption of a cover mechanic and a heavy focus on co-operative gameplay. Most interesting of these two systems is undoubtedly the co-op, which will play a vital role in the experience. While Hunted can be played alone (you will constantly be accompanied by a partner AI) the real fun will be playing with a friend either locally or online.

The necessity of the two characters comes from their different abilities in both combat and problem solving. Each character is distinct (though generic) with Caddoc the muscle bound barbarian who specializes in melee and E'lara the lithe female with ranged techniques (ed: nice to see the old stereotypes being broken then). The pair rely on each other to solve puzzles and to take down enemies if they hope to survive.

Hunted is also set to have a good amount of treasure (Ed: loot, loot, loot. Ahem, sorry.) to keep you involved beyond the story. Traipsing through the world will see you stumbling on new items, equipment and magic for Caddoc and E'lara to aid their progress. This includes shields that become damaged through combat, requiring new ones to be acquired from fallen enemies to remain fully defended. The possible range of weapons on offer and the ability to alter characters to suit play style could make prove and attractive hook over the less customisable action games.

Even though Hunted: The Demon's Forge takes a significant amount of inspiration from other games, its the blending of these elements that makes for something different enough to be interesting.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge will release on PC, 360 and PS3 later this spring.