Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Review

In an era where most video games based off popular licenses end up being huge disappointments, Monolith Productions’ Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor proves that there are still some quality experiences to be had with licensed titles. However, Shadow of Mordor does suffer from an identity crisis as it relies heavily on mechanics that have been introduced in other games, but it manages to implement them so well with its own unique gameplay hooks that it successfully stands on its own. The constant comparison tends to get a little annoying as you start to notice the very similar aspects to other games, but there is no denying the fact that Shadow of Mordor is a stupendous achievement that honors the Tolkien Legendarium.

Set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies, Shadow of Mordor tells the story of a ranger of Gondor named Talion that was banished from death after he and his family were viciously murdered by the Black Hand of Sauron. However, since Talion was cursed and cannot die in peace, he is revived with wraith-like abilities by the Elven smith master Celebrimbor, who was also vanquished by Sauron’s army, and must wander off in Mordor together to seek revenge. It is a very interesting tale that is believable and incredibly well-produced thanks to the superb writing and voice acting from all the characters. Troy Baker, the voice of Talion, does it once again, delivering a performance that makes you understand the main character’s motivations in avenging his family. The intriguing tale adds a sense of immersion to the game that will entice you in proceeding along the story to see what lies next, even if the story missions aren’t directly related to Talion’s quest for vengeance. Although I must warn you, if you don’t have a strong knowledge of The Lord of Rings lore, you’ll have a hard time understanding the entire narrative as it relies heavily on its established jargon, even if you read all of the lore entries that are located in the game’s Appendices. The weird thing about this is that Shadow of Mordor made me want to know more about the world of Middle-earth beyond the story told in the game. I haven’t watched a Lord of the Rings movie in a long time, but because Shadow of Mordor was so authentic and believable, it made me want to re-watch those movies. And that is a sign that the game is doing something right.

As stated earlier in the review, Shadow of Mordor borrows a lot from other established video game franchises, mainly; from the Batman: Arkham and Assassin’s Creed games. The combat is practically identical to Batman’s where it is all based on the momentum of your button presses to attack, dodge and counter the enemies. Though it essentially works and is really addicting because of its great core mechanic, Shadow of Mordor has its own little combat nuances that add some variety in the way you can eliminate the many orcs you’ll encounter. For instance, you can use Celebrimbor’s bow in wraith form to attack your foes from a distance, or even dash through them with a powerful sword slash to eliminate them. Another unique thing with the combat in Shadow of Mordor is that there is a second chance mechanic that allows you get back up and fight once your health bar is depleted.  It’s a fast quick-time-event, but it can be a real game-changer if you get swarmed by a pack of orcs.

Although the game’s combat is extremely fun to take on, it is inherently flawed because of the way it was designed. Because Mordor is an open area crawling with various patrols of enemies, you can get overwhelmed very easily by random packs of orcs that happen to be near you. The combat then becomes a chore as it becomes extremely frustrating because there is too much going on on-screen that you don’t even stand a chance against your foes.  Plus, the camera will not work with you sometimes making it very hard to see what is going on. This is particularly annoying when you are taking on harder enemies or invading strongholds. Fortunately, with the many weapon and ability upgrades Talion can gain, it can make the task a lot easier.

In another similar fashion, the stealth mechanics are also highly inspired by The Dark Knight’s moves as you’ll constantly be sneaking up behind orcs to eliminate them without being noticed. However, the whole game could be compared to an Assassin’s Creed game since you are playing in an open world environment where you can climb on walls, engage in sword-based combat, and complete various quests throughout the world. Heck, Talion’s Wraith World ability is exactly like the Eagle Vision from Ubisoft’s game where it highlights everything of interest around you. Though it creates a strong feeling of déjà vu that can be very tiresome ultimately, you can’t complain when all the elements that are borrowed are implemented in a near-perfect manner.

The biggest thing going for Shadow of Mordor is with its unique enemy system called the Nemesis System that is unlike anything I have ever seen in a video game before. Each and every single orc in Sauron’s army has its own name, traits, strengths and weaknesses, and personality that change the outcome of the game once they kill you. That’s right, every single time you die, the orcs that kill you gain more power and can work their way up the army to become Captains or Warchiefs. This can also create power struggles and lead to orcs fighting each other for ultimate supremacy. It is all beautifully conceived with personalized dialogue lines that change depending on the outcome of the situation. Plus, if you wish to learn more about those leaders, you can interrogate any orc you encounter to gain additional intel on them, which will allow you to plan your attack ahead of time. Be careful though, if you are reckless and die constantly, those orcs will become significantly more powerful and will crush you in a matter of seconds. This makes the game feel like a next generation experience and takes enemy AI in video games to a whole other level. Unfortunately, one of the mechanics that adds a big layer of depth into the Nemesis System is only introduced during the second half of the game. Branding, which is the ability that allows you to take control of orcs, makes for some very interesting scenarios with the Nemesis System that make the last moments of Shadow of Mordor truly memorable. Introducing Branding that late is a big missed opportunity as it would’ve only interested more players in taking advantage of the system that is very hard to understand at first.

If you don’t want to proceed along with Shadow of Mordor’s 20 story missions, you can always explore the deceived lands beyond the Black Gate and take on multiple side activities consisting of challenges and artifact hunting, or simply admire the gorgeous view Mordor has to offer. The game runs at 720p/30 frames per second on Xbox One, and 1080p/60 frames per second on PlayStation 4, which is where I played it. Either way, it is a technical masterpiece as I encountered no performance problem during my entire playthrough of the game and is just filled with highly detailed textures, lighting effects and environments. As for the side missions, although they are not quite varied, there is still a ton of them that provide a decent distraction from the main plot. Rest assure, even if the map looks small, there is a ton of content within Shadow of Mordor that will definitely keep you occupied for hours on end. In the 13 hours I spent in the world of Middle-earth, I have only completed 38% of the game, so this gives you an idea of the amount of things to do within the game.

VERDICT

Despite my initial expectations, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is the result of care and attention to detail on behalf of the development team at Monolith Productions. With its high production values that truly capture the essence and soul of The Lord of Rings franchise, it stands out as one of the best games of the year and one of the best titles based off J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels. Sure, it borrows a lot from other games, which can be very annoying, but the execution is there and it makes for an engaging experience. It perfectly mixes its own game mechanics with the ones that it borrows and the result is an outstanding Third-Person Action-Adventure game.