One of the more underrepresented genres in gaming has to be the exploration titles. In recent memory the only notable entry into the field has been Demon's Souls, a game that was hopelessly addicting but also intensely malicious. While a bit more true to the older, kick your teeth in, style of game that once dominated the market, and being something of a critical darling, it did little to revive interest in the field.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge is looking to bring more interest to the field and is making a pretty good showing for itself. It differentiates itself by basing the core of the gameplay around a cooperative mechanic that really stands out.

Rather than standing side by side, battling your way through enemies, Hunted expects you to work together from a distance. As one person is a powerful warrior he will be engaging enemies in close melee combat while the squishier archer character hangs back to support them. Your ally, be they an online partner or AI controlled, can support you with attacks, enchant your weapon with magic or just toss potions to help heal you. Even better is that you can swap character control at certain locations enabling you to take the archer if you're no good at handling a tough enemy in melee.

The key thing here seems to be quick, action packed gameplay as you explore the world. Your two characters are partners but not overly reliant upon each other which opens up the ability to move around the area very organically, taking out enemies and clearing your way however you choose. So long as one person isn't taking a beating the game appears to be easily approached in any way that you please.

Expect Hunted to drop in the first quarter of 2011.

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