Orcs are constantly trying to move up their ranks in Sauron’s army by murdering each other and trying to kill Talion to prove their worth. You’ll discover that their society is organized into a merciless, “survival of the fittest” hierarchy, with powerful Warchiefs leading over their own respective Captains, who have their own grunts, too. There’s another story going on beside the scripted one that’s unique to your playthrough, and that’s thanks to the Nemesis System, which takes some of the nameless Orcs that you usually fight and turns them into randomly generated personalities with distinct traits. However, the story’s concluding hour is a major letdown it seems lazy and rushed compared to everything before it, and is topped off with unnecessary sequel bait to boot. While this narrative delivery is unexpected, the existing and original characters that you’ll meet will definitely entertain you along the way. Gollum is heavily explored for four or so story missions and drops off the narrative for a handful of tasks involving an Orc named Ratbag, and so on. It’s worth noting that the plot itself is fairly straightforward and slowly driven by story missions segmented into character arcs.

But even if you aren’t an avid Lord of the Rings fan, the story manages to stand on its own well enough for anyone to follow. Most people also think of Mordor as a lifeless wasteland, but the story manages to draw you in with its diverse inhabitants and locations, some of which you won’t be expecting. While he isn’t explored much by Tolkien, he’s a well rounded character with a gripping backstory that makes him one of the most pivotal figures in shaping Middle-earth’s fate. For example, the Wraith is the legendary Celebrimbor, an Elf who created the Rings of Power. Regardless, the premise is an enthralling one that kept us latched to the story’s mysteriousness, imaginative usage of Tolkien’s ideas and world, and deep connection with major and obscure elements of Middle-earth’s broad history. Hardcore Tolkien fans will notice the creative liberties taken here, such as with a Wraith being able to bind himself to a “dead” man and how loose points between the main books’ stories are boldly addressed with original and established characters (like Gollum and Sauron) that play with the lore. It’s probably both, but we believe that Monolith Productions’ latest stands as one of the first commendable successes for the franchise in the video game realm, finding a balance in combining and improving upon elements drawn from obvious inspirations, while making a name for itself with innovative design that sets a benchmark for future games to meet. Much of this problem could be attributed to the Tolkien Estate, which has been difficult with game developers about the IP since the beginning, or you could say that game developers have just never done justice to the captivating beauty, depth, and lore of J.R.R.’s epic fantasy universe. Of course, we’re referring to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and the many Lord of the Rings titles before it. It’s natural to be sceptical about licensed video games, and everyone has the right to feel this way about them, especially when a blockbuster-sized one comes around with a burden of expectations and hype to live up to, despite having a broad ancestry of mediocre releases.

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