Player3Podcast

Take the Lord of the Rings lore, mix it with Assassin's Creed's stealth and movement mechanic, alongside Batman Arkham Asylum's combat system, and throw in a dash of next-gen enemy logic innovation and what do you get, the over-delivering title from Monolith studios, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.

 

Shadow of Mordor chronicles the story of Talion, a ranger from the last city of Gondor, who is banished from death and sent to Mordor. Partnered with a wraith whose identity is kept under wraps at the beginning of the game, you must fight through orc and uruk enemies as you search for information to find the one who placed this curse on you, Lord Sauron.

 

This title is a classic example of how no-hype can sometimes be the best hype of all. Not much was said about this game, and had it not been for an IGN playthrough with the developers, my own interest would not have been peaked by this game (I'm not very well versed in LotR lore). However, almost every step this game takes lands on solid footing and is incredibly well done, which results in a final product with far more positives than negatives.

 

Positives.

1. The Story

As noted before, you play as Talion who has the ability to channel the abilities of the wraith who is accompanying him through Mordor. There is a well-spring of characters, story arcs, mystery, and emotion in the story that SoM tells. Within the first 5 minutes you find yourself captivated by the tale that is being told as you are thrown directly into the middle of it.

 

I don't want to give too much of the story away, but just let it be known that it is fantastic.

 

2. The Nemesis System

The award for most "next-gen" feature of Shadow of Mordor goes to the brand new Nemesis System, a system that allows particular enemies you fight (captains and warchiefs) to remember their interactions with you throughout the game.

 

Let's say you are fighting an Uruk who you decided to maim with a caragor. He sees his imminent defeat forthcoming and decides to retreat from the fight. Rather than hunting him down, you let him cower in fear as you look for your next opponent. Several days later you stumble across that same Uruk later on. He bandaged and clearly scarred from your previous attack and his fear and retreat has since turned to deep burning hatred for you. Not only is he angry, but he is also stronger and looking for revenge.

 

Now let's say you get into a fight with a captain who succeeds in defeating you in battle. Not only are you left with the shame of defeat left weighing heavily on your head, but you are now the proud new owner of an even more powerful enemy. The captain gained power, and possibly even a higher rank in Sauron's army by defeating you, and you will have to deal with him before it is all said and done.

 

This is the nemesis system. Your enemies are constantly evolving, and constantly growing less and less fond of you (not that they were very fond of you to begin with).  Not only does it add a challenge to the fights as they get stronger and more and more resistant to certain types of attacks, but it adds weight to your deaths. You have to evaluate your power before selecting to go after a target because defeat will only make them stronger. If also adds to the investment you have in the game. Spend several fights being killed by Gromund Taskmaster, and you will begin to grow what seems dangerously close to hatred for the gentleman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Dominating your Enemies

There is nothing more satisfying than getting to the end of your fight with a captain you've been hunting and gaining the ability to dominate him. As your wraith powers develop throughout the game, you will find new ways to conquer and exploit your defeated enemies to serve your best interests.

 

As you enter the minds of the defeated, you can give them instructions to spy (gain intel), terrorize (decrease morale), or assassinate (weaken the health) those in power above them. This adds yet another layer of strategy to the fight. Spend too much time spamming the attack button, and you may end up killing that captain that would have been so valuable to dominate. Now you are back to square one as a new uruk takes his place and you are left to hunt him down.

 

4. The Combat System

At first, Shadow of Mordor seems like a classic button mashing combat system with some quick time events for blocks mixed in, and in the beginning that is true. Spamming the x button while keeping an eye out for "y" to pop up is successful for the first hour.

 

However, as you continue to run into captains and those captains bring their own strengths along with their own platoon of soldiers, it is very easy to get overwhelmed in the midst of the fight. As the game progresses, the player has to be much more conscious about the combos he tries and the times in which he attacks. Add that on top of the fact that killing a captain is oftentimes less beneficial than dominating him, and you have a system that requires the player to be fully aware of what he is doing in combat at all times. 

 

Negatives

1. The Setting

While the game does a wonderful job of immersing you in the story, the setting isn't exactly memorable. It is very clear that the game was built with the intention of being on both consoles. Some of the texture are wonky and there is really no change of pace from the bleak brown and grey world of Mordor. While I see the intention of making this evil place so dark, navigating it for hours on end can become a bit tedious. 

 

2. Movement

The combat system is incredibly fun, but movement can be clunky at times. The game attempts to create a free running system much like Assassin's creed, but fails in some aspects. For instance, there are surfaces at first glance that seem climbable, but upon trying them you will discover that they are exactly what they look like, giant objects that force you to go around. There are also areas that could be a bit more intuitive. A button prompt is required to drop to hang or pull up on the ledge. Using the movement of the thumb stick to determine these motions would have been a better design choice in my opinion. 

 

Conclusion

Though the game is not perfect, what game is, it is the strongest offering in the Lord of the Rings universe that we have gotten on consoles thus far. If you like Assassin's Creed, pick it up. If you like Batman Arkham Asylum, pick it up. If you like mindlessly cutting of orcs heads, definitely pick it up! 

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What does little hype, an incredible story, innovative game mechanics, and the chance to cut off countless orcs' heads get you?