Weaving new stories into an existing world is always a tricky one, not least when it’s a beloved and well known setting like JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Yet, Shadow of Mordor garnered a lot of praise and fans when it released back in 2014, weaving a new tale with the new character of Talion, a Ranger who finds himself bonded to the wraith of Celebrimbor, with the two of them seeking revenge on those who have done them wrong.
However, what really stood out in Shadow of Mordor was the Nemesis system, which allowed the enemies that you face to grow and evolve as you play. Every encounter you have with them – if you don’t simply kill them – shapes who they are, potentially even allowing a lowly grunt to rise through the ranks to become a War Chief. That character, however, could be one of your choosing, as you manipulate and battle the named nemesis before you.
With Shadow of War, an oddly bland and nondescript title, Monolith are taking that foundation and expanding it in every direction. If the Nemesis system remains at the game’s core, they’re wrapping it up in layer after layer of new ideas and ways for the game to create and tell these custom stories and relationships. The Nemesis system felt like one that would be used as a source of inspiration for other open world games, much like Arkham Asylum’s defining combat, but if that is to happen, then Monolith are cantering off into the distance while other developers are still trying to saddle their horse.
This game is simply a much larger one, for a start, with the world map featuring many more regions to venture through, including some of the lands to the west of Mordor, potentially allowing Shadow of War to tell a story that links into how the kingdoms of man are gradually corrupted. Dotted across the landscape, however, are numerous fortresses, and as you seek to build an army of your own, trying to wrest control of the lands from Sauron and his forces, but each fortress takes on elements of the Nemesis system, adapting to the generated Orc characters that are placed in charge of them.
There’s now a higher tier of enemy character, the Overlords, who report directly to the Nazgul, and these are the ultimate targets in any fortress assault. However, much as in the first game, you have to built up to your confrontation with these enemies, in this case, fighting your way through the fortress defences and defeating two Orc War Chiefs in the process. Not only that, but the new Olog-hai trolls will prove to be a much tougher enemy than the Uruk-hai, and Ur-Hakin the Dragon is one such beast.
Attacking the fortress of Seregost in the hands-off demonstration, Talion first had to fight his way past Thrall the Necromancer that could disable some of the powers of the ring in combat, before then facing down a fire wielding loon of an Orc who dances around the top of the ramparts taunting you. Both of these War Chiefs affect the enemies that you face, with necromancers able to raise the dead to fight and Tugog the Flame of War making it so that the defences feature burning oil, a storm of flaming arrows and more that can set the entire field alight. It’s up to Talion to really find a way to break through and help his army advance.
That’s not to say that he doesn’t get any help in this. He can recruit his own Orcs to fight alongside him, and they can often come in very handy at crucial moments in the fight. There’s new relationships that can be fostered here of camaraderie, almost, instead of simple killing and manipulation. Certainly, you bend the Orcs to your will using magics, but when Deadeye takes a shot from his sniping position up on high, or when Ragdug Iron Mount rides in to fight alongside you in the climactic battle, there’s a nice kind of bond that can grow here. You can even recruit spies who might help to sabotage the defences.
However, nothing is ever quite so straightforward. Cinematic moments help to tell the story and reinforce some of your actions, so Thrall’s speech explains how he once fought alongside you, but has been turned by Sauron to oppose you once more, the more dynamic moments in a fight are punctuated by fitting camera angles and set pieces. It’s all impressively woven together, piecing together characters and different dialogue in a way that’s really not far off the scripted moments you see in other games.
A nice cinematic also greets the moment where you hand over the fortress to one of your War Chiefs, perhaps as a reward for their heroism in battle. These fortresses – and there will be dozens of them dotted across the map – then act as a base of operations from which you can explore and further build your army. Depending on who you put in charge, they’ll shift and adapt to that character’s style, as well.
There’s added possibilities with the Orcs you might encounter, with tribal differences. Ragdug Iron Mount, for example, belongs to the Feral Tribe, and putting him in charge will boost the number of beastly mounts you can find in the wild, while putting the Marauder Tribe in charge will increase your income via looting and pillaging, with the Mystic Tribe able to raise the dead and weave spells.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War might have a particularly uninspiring title, but what it actually offers is anything but. There’s just so many new layers being added to what Monolith built in Shadow of Mordor, and it’s genuinely impressive how that can all react and flow around your actions and decisions. Set for release in August this year, this is definitely one to keep an eye on.
