“A magical game, interactive fiction with a heart, soul, and style.” - Gamebook News

Here's what people are saying about Nocked!

Nominated for DragonCon’s Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi Mobile Game of 2018. (8/31/2018)

2-time Award-Winning Game at the MAGFest Indie Videogame Showcase, 2018.* (1/6/2018) 

Winning Showcase Game at the Wordplay Festival in Toronto. (11/18/2017)

9/10: The Sixth Axis says Nocked! is “an absolute necessity for anyone hankering for something unique… A phenomenal achievement.” (7/30/19)

4.5/5 stars:  Gamebook News calls Nocked! “A magical game, interactive fiction with a heart, soul, and style.” (7/17/2017)

4/5 stars: Pocket Tactics says “None of this would work without some quality writing, and here Nocked! delivers in droves…the writing is so good it does a great job of supporting [your] decisions.” (7/24/2019)

90/100: Zonezter notes that after building a base in the trees, they were “inspired to start and draw a sketch of what I imagined the tree house would look like.” (7/8/17)

8/10: The Culture of Gaming says “Rarely does a game manage to take both an unoriginal tale and an unoriginal design, and make something original with it… [Nocked is] a well-executed resurrection of an old tale and style, people who love this style of game will find this is well worth a try.” (7/18/2019)

Save or Quit says “It’s a challenge to review Nocked! True Tales of Robin Hood without spoiling the impressive story within.” (5/6/2020)

iOS RPG site calls it a "wonderful gamebook-style adventure with deep resources management". (9/19/2017)

The SML Podcast says "the writing is fantastic, the story was incredibly engrossing" and "this is absolutely worth picking up and playing". (7/21/17) 

Rock, Paper, Shotgun calls it a “fast-paced, playful narrative”, and notes that “under Nocked’s wordy carapace lurks a surprisingly elaborate strategy game.” (7/18/19)

Emily Short reviews the game here, and notes the “...huge amount of narrative consequence for your choices. I played a good bit, but I haven’t talked much about the plot because I can’t be sure that your plot experience will be anything like mine." (7/8/17)

Ormie Reviews plays through the first 20 minutes of the game. He recommends it! (8/1/2019)

Darkovika Does Let’s Plays plays through an hour of the game. She loves it! (8/14/2019)

Crate and Crowbar, a bunch of British game designers, talk a bit about Nocked, and hit the nail on the head with its design philosophy. (9/20/2019)

72/100: RPG Fan noted that “the music captured the intensity of confrontations, the ethereal nature of magical places, uplifting heroic triumphs, and crushing defeats — all with aplomb.” P.S. The soundtrack is also for sale! (7/28/2019)

7/10: Geeks Under Grace says “if you want to escape into a world where just about anything could happen, check this one out.” (8/29/2019)

3/5: RPGamer liked it enough to play for over 40 hours (and multiple playthroughs), calling Nocked a “unique, if flawed, take on a well-trodden tale.” (2/20/2020)

6/10: While The Doctors of Gaming were not thrilled with the game, even they could not deny the “good environmental writing, evocative illustration, and subtly integrated musical score.” (7/17/2019)

*1st place: Best Booth; 1st place: Best Presence

Embark on a fantastical journey through Sherwood Forest and beyond.

You are Robin of Locksley. Hounded from your home by the Sheriff of Nottingham, take control of your fate in this extravagant illustrated role-playing game. Rob from the rich, rally the people, build a settlement, and battle the Sheriff of Nottingham for control of Sherwood Forest.

Disclaimer: There's no live-action in the game, but these spoof videos give a sense of the types of choices you can make on Robin's journey.

Gameplay

The peasants of Nottingham bow under the weight of Prince John’s taxes; nobles fall to the Sheriff’s political machinations; deserters from the Crusades pillage the land; and fairies lure the unwary into the depths of mist-shrouded Sherwood Forest, never to be seen again. Step into the chaos of a magical England at the end of the Third Crusade. Maid Marian hides breathless amidst the brambles after the sack of her father’s castle; Little John charges a bodyweight in gold to cross a lonely log; and Will Scarlet holds court in a brokedown tower surrounded by trees as tall as the sky, waiting for a king who will never come. The time is ripe, a spark is lit – from the ashes of your home, from the shadow of anonymity, step into legend. You are Robin Hood. 

Facts

Nocked! is a lushly-illustrated, text-driven role-playing game playable for minutes or hours at a time. Define the deeds and identity of Robin Hood, outlaw of Sherwood Forest; recruit allies, forge alliances, find love; and chart a path between war, negotiation, and dangerous magics. Your choices are remembered and your actions shape the world, but you can’t do it alone.

Story and strategy collide as your reputation spreads and Merry Men join your band: Build and expand a base in the hidden deeps, manage your earnings from raids on tax collectors, and prepare for the coming of the Sheriff of Nottingham. There is no sure and easy path to victory, no one decision that will save your resistance; will you fall beneath the Sheriff’s boot heel, or will you build a movement to last the ages? The choice is yours.

Take Robin on the go with our handy iOS version, or experience a lush and vibrant Sherwood Forest on desktop with art inspired by Lotte Reiniger - an early animator/director/artist - combined with traditional watercolor techniques; and original music drawn from medieval sources (coming soon).

About Us

Andrew G. Schneider (Writer and Game Designer) Andrew always wanted to be a wizard when he grew up; now he makes magic with words. When not writing, he hunts the wild dust bunny and makes a mean pot of French onion soup. He lives in Washington, D.C., believes in unicorns, and is married to a wonderful woman who believes in him.

His work is available from iTunes, Amazon, and wherever e-books are sold:

Amanda Spaid (Artist) Amanda is a fine artist and freelance Illustrator in the DC Metro area. Her subjects and mediums are wide, ranging from traditional oil, acrylic and colored pencil portraits of people and animals, to digital paintings with Sci-fi/Fantasy themes. She's a Maryland native, has a degree in Fine Arts from the School of Art and Design at Montgomery College in Silver Spring and a Bachelor's in Illustration from Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio. Check out her other work here.

Ivan Oberholster (Music and Sound Design) Both a composer and sound engineer, Ivan has recorded and mixed more than 700 hours of foley for various TV shows and movies; he was also the head Supervising Music Editor for 80 M-net Africa films. He has qualifications in music theory, classical guitar, bass guitar, and composing classical music. He is based in Los Angeles.

Stephanie Martinez (Graphic Designer) Stephanie Martinez is a freelance graphic designer, with a Bachelor's from Drexel University. She's also a homemaker and proud mother of two infuriating children. Nocked is her first game.

Unmapped Path (Disbound game engine) Nocked is a collaboration with Unmapped Path, a Baltimore-based digital studio founded by Joel Haddock and Chris Klimas. Unmapped Path creates interactive narrative experiences on desktop and mobile devices with a focus on the use of the Twine platform.