Middle -earth: Shadow of Mordor
Monolith
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a strange beast. Gameplay-wise, it takes its inspiration from a number of sources. Its combat system, for instance, is lifted straight out of Rocksteady’s Arkham series, complete with combo meter, takedowns and counters, whilst its open world, stealth and traversal are clear nods to Assassin’s Creed. Film-wise, however, it’s definitely taking its cues from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, at least on the surface. Because whilst there is enough in the game to tie it to its silver screen counterpart, it’s really just fan service – and it’s all the better for it.
It’s telling that the phrase Lord of the Rings is completely absent in the title – unlike pretty much any previous game set in Middle-earth. That’s because Shadow of Mordor isn’t concerned with the happenings of Frodo or Gandalf, or indeed any of the main characters of the trilogy, though it does help itself freely to the films art style. Sauron, glimpsed mainly in flashbacks, is decked out in the same armour as his on-screen counterpart, and the various races – uruks, dwarves and elves, primarily – are clearly lifted straight from the movies, right down to the metal headbands those pesky elves are so fond of wearing.
In setting itself apart from the films, however, Shadow of Mordor is allowed to truly stretch its legs. Taking place in-between Tolkien’s two most famous works, it finds itself in rather fertile ground. The player assumes control of Talion, a human ranger who becomes bound to the spirit of an elf at the start of the game. This allows him to perform various superhuman feats, such as leaping off tall buildings without injury, firing a magical bow and, most importantly, branding orcs. The latter ability lets Talion gain important intel from certain baddies, and opens up the Nemesis system – a chess-like process that allows the player to turn uruks against each other within a hierarchy structure.
‘Branding’ enemy uruks to do your bidding is an important strategy, and a lot of fun.
It’s possible, for instance, to take a lowly uruk, brand him into become Talion’s slave, then advance him up the ranks until he becomes a warchief – or simply turn a warchief’s bodyguards against him for an easy kill. The possibilities are fairly varied and messing around with different tactics is a lot of fun. Not to mention that any uruks who manage to gain the upper hand and kill Talion become promoted, leading to amusing reunions on the battlefield, often with cries of, “Haven’t I killed you already, ranger?” There’s truly nothing more humiliating than being killed several times by the same uruk, then watching him rise up the ranks and taunt you mercilessly when he spots you on the open plains.
In fact, Shadow of Mordor is easily one of the best Lord of the Rings games out there, and it’s almost certainly due to the developer, Monolith, being allowed to craft their own game in the film’s world, rather than slavishly following what’s already been seen. As the game’s story progresses (undoubtedly the game’s biggest weakness), ties to the film become more clear, but again in a way that provides a fresh slant on what’s come before. Talion mingles with characters not previously dwelt upon, yet who remain important to the Lord of the Rings lore. To say more would be to give away what meager plot developments Shadow of Mordor has, but suffice it to say the future of this franchise certainly has potential to go in a rather interesting direction.
In fact, given the game’s branding – simply, Middle-earth – there’s no reason why Monolith couldn’t fit future games in completely different parts of the world. This title concerns itself with Mordor, but later entries could just as well be set in Rohan or Gondor, for instance. So long as the developers keep the setting pre-Lord of the Rings, the basic gameplay would easily translate to other places. It’s perhaps obvious that any game attempting to take place within Jackson’s tangled and dense narrative would find itself restricted in some way, but by placing itself outside of the main films and cherry-picking from the best that gaming has to offer, Shadow of Mordor is truly allowed to shine.