Everyone who even remotely follows gaming knows that everyone is just raving about Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, with the game itself gaining excellent reviews across the board. So, you can be damn sure that I wanted to try it for myself to see what the hype was all about. Fortunately, it was all warranted.
Shadow of Mordor tells the story of Talion, a ranger who had his life turned upside down when his wife and son were brutally killed in front of him. More interestingly, he was killed himself, but didn’t remain dead. For you see, fate or someone had much bigger plans for him, and he was infused with the wraith. A powerful wraith that was once a renowned weapon-smith; Celebrimbor. Together they form a force so strong, that the entire land of Mordor will tremble before them.
The story overall is really interesting and mixed with excellent voice work and an extraordinary soundtrack. For the voice work, you’ve got people like Troy Baker and Nolan North lending their talented voices. Then, on the other hand you’ve got the award winning composer Garry Schyman masterfully scoring the game. It’s an expensive investment, but one that has proven fruitful to the games quality. You can see the amount of talent behind it, and that makes the game stand out.
One thing I love is, whenever you continue the game, you get voice excerpts detailing Talion’s back-story. The main piece of theme music “Gravewalker” playing in the background makes it even more amazing. Another exciting thing to note about Garry’s music as always is that it is very indicative of what is happening on the screen, which makes it all the more powerful. I really don’t think it is wrong in calling Garry the John Williams of videogames,
To be honest, I’ve never watched a single Lord of the Rings movie (but will definitely do so now), so luckily for me the game does not make you rely on any prior literature knowledge for you to get what’s going on. Yes, there are several references and you’ll get to meet a few characters, but it’s nothing that will hinder your enjoyment if you’ve never read or seen Lord of the Rings.
It isn’t a surprise to say that the game is heavily inspired by the likes of Assassin’s Creed and the Batman Arkham series as most people had made that connection after that little Twitter fiasco. However, it isn’t a bad thing at all as they have properly polished those features and even built up on it rather well. The way your character climbs and jumps over items is very similar to Assassin’s Creed, while the way you fight is reminiscent of the Arkham games. You have even got a combo meter, which after a certain point allows you to unleash your special moves.
The main reason the combat is so satisfying is because the animation is very responsive to player input. It is exactly like Arkham combat, every push of a button gives you a solid feedback. Not like Assassin’s Creed, which I found usually just plays animation after every button press… Making it monotonous, but here you’ve got a solid combat system where you can even grab, run/tackle and throw your enemies.
You only have 3 weapons in this game, your sword, dagger and a bow. Even though you are limited to these weapons, you can upgrade those using runes which are dropped off by the captains. However, you have got a limited set of slots available, and you must utilise them cleverly to suit your play-style. Each rune grants you different attributes. It can be anything from getting health from a takedown to scaring off your enemies more. So, it is up to you which runes you actually use. The bow however, is a special weapon and a by product of the wraith’s possession. When you aim your bow you shift into Celebrimbor and the time slows down around you, the world blackens and your enemies are highlighted in bright white. It is very satisfying. You have even got side missions based off on your bow abilities.
Speaking of side missions, the game allows you for an open-world which is littered with enemies and some wildlife. You do have access to a map which in the beginning is a bit limited. It follows the synchronization mechanic found in the Assassin’s Creed games where you have to climb a tower and activate it in order to see the place around you more clearly and almost acts as a safe haven. I love how they have personalised it for their game, as rather than synchronise, you forge. In regards to the open-world, what is interesting is how the enemy engages in dialogue while they are about. It is something like the Arkham games, but a bit better in my opinion. It really feels like the world (even though a little small) is teeming with life.
Same thing with the wildlife, which even though limited, provides for a variety of opportunities. You can even use it to your advantage to scare off some captains, who are terrified of these creatures. These creatures however, are not that easy to fight and you have to be careful around them as they are much stronger and can detect you even if you are hidden. The best of the wildlife are Caragor, tiger like creatures who you can even ride into battle or just use as means of transport! Another exceptional aspect of this game is the freedom available to you. Basically, it has got a stealth option that actually works. Then, if you have unlocked the brutal kill perk, you can kill one of the enemies brutally from behind causing the others to flee from terror. It is absolutely satisfying.
There are a lot of attributes and enhancements that you can upgrade for your character through your options menu. The two forms of currency for those are the points or the XP. The points are used for the attributes, while XP is used for Talion/wraith abilities. Some however, can only be unlocked by completing specific story-based missions. Overall, your usual fare. However, to earn points, you need to engage in any of the side missions, giving you a good incentive to take them on! I think this different currency system hasn’t been done in a game yet, but here it works. It cleverly solves the problem of people who ignore the side quests, as now they will have an incentive!
The Nemesis System is basically a power hierarchy. It lists out captains and if they answer to a Warchief or not. Warchief’s are at the top of the chain, and their personal bodyguards or captains are below them. Each enemy is unique with their own looks, names, weaknesses and strengths. More importantly though, they actually feel like living things who react and see you like you’d expect. For example, when you were fighting with one of the captains, but you run away, the next time you go to him he will mock you, calling you a coward for running away the last time. If you have died because of them, they will make snarky remarks as to how you returned for more.
The way the Nemesis System functions however, is a bit more complicated. Every enemy has their own power level; this power level can be affected by a variety of things. Whether it is vanquishing you, getting defeated or anything else, their power level remains dynamic. Let’s say that you’ve just been killed by one of the enemy captains, the captains power level will then raise. This will make him stronger the next time you face him or even promote him. So, there will be some captains you’ll be going at for a few times.
This is where the strengths and weaknesses come to help. However, before you do that you need to find Intel. There are two types of Intel, one that reveals the captain, while the other reveals their weaknesses or strengths. Finding out who the captain is, is rather easy as you can just interrogate pretty much any enemy. However, strengths and weaknesses can only be revealed by specific enemies or any captain. These specific enemies will show up as a green diamond on your map and it is advised that you do not kill them, but instead interrogate them. Think of it something like Riddler’s henchmen from the Arkham games, who reveal secrets on the map once you interrogate them .
Once you have gotten that information, you can plan your attack by marking them, which will reveal their location on the map. Then, it is up to you how you proceed. Be warned though, as the games artificial intelligence is pretty impressive. If you die quite a few times by the same enemy, he will personally start hunting you down. So, you can expect them to ambush you alone or when you’re fighting other captains. Health can be procured by harvesting herbs that are growing all around Mordor, if you die you are given a last chance to counter the deadly hit that can kill you. If you unlock “Last Chance Finisher” you get the ability to deal a finisher in a last chance struggle!
Furthermore, there are events that also change the balance of power. Events like ambush, Feast or Duel. Ambush events start when a captain goes for another s head, and for it prepares a little ambush. Now, it is up to you whether you stop the ambush or let them kill their target. Be warned though, as the word “Ambush” implies that there will be a lot of enemies. Feasts are basically events held by the captain to showcase his power among his men. Feasts are opportune times for poisoning your enemies causing them to go into chaos, making it easier for you to approach your target.
The Duels lastly, are a bit more personal. It is basically two captains fighting each other in a power struggle. Now it is up to you who you want to win, or would you rather kill two birds with one stone? You have to carefully think about things like these as it will be much better promoting a lower ranking enemy then one that is already high. You can ignore these as well, and they will play out the next time you die or after quite a while.
When a captain dies, their respective slot goes empty, leaving the chance for someone else to climb up the ranks. The empty position will always get filled. However, for Warchief’s it is a bit different as to how you approach them. The best way in my opinion to do that, is firstly finish off their personal bodyguards then challenge them to a duel as it will make the fight a little easier.
This was all done in the game’s Photo Mode!
The Nemesis System is very iconic, not to mention revolutionary and trust me I do not use the word revolutionary without the real need to. It’s revolutionary not because it is something new, but also that it will hopefully inspire more games to use a system such as this. I would love to see this in an open-world cop game where the underworld forms the hierarchy, or how about an open-world first person shooter like Far Cry where there are actual warlords. The possibilities are endless and I hope they make good use of it.
Lastly, one of the coolest features that they have added recently is the Photo Mode. Anyone who has played games like The Last of Us: Remastered or Infamous: Second Son, then you will recognise this awesome mode, as it allows you the possibility of capturing and editing some amazing screenshots! Overall, this is a game that you absolutely cannot miss as with the heart-warming storyline, exciting voice work, memorable music and addictive Nemesis System, it will captivate your attention for quite a good while. Also, do get the game’s soundtrack too, because it is absolutely memorable. Whether you’re a fan of the movies or Tolkien’s novels or if you just like a stealthy open-world action/adventure, then Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor could very well be the game for you.