If the release of Beren And Luthien isn’t enough for die-hard Tolkien fans out there, there’s also a whole new adventure to take on in Middle Earth: Shadow Of War. Following on from the success and critical acclaim of Shadow Of Mordor, which picked up a number of game of the year awards, it’s a direct sequel that sees us returning to the story of Ranger, Talion, as he heads deeper into the darkest depths of Mordor.
You can check out the cinematic story reveal trailer below to get a look at what the game is all about and there are a number of gameplay video walkthroughs at the bottom of the page with plenty of gameplay to watch. It looks like an impressive game, but with such a strong release for the first game, its got its work cut out for it. However, with the added fire power of the Xbox ONE S and PlayStation Pro it’s well placed to deliver an epic new adventure in ultra high definition.
Release date
Middle Earth: Shadow Of War had a UK release date on the 10th October 2017, coinciding with the US launch of the game. It’s available on the Xbox ONE, Xbox ONE S, PS4, PlayStation 4 Pro and PC, so it’s getting a pretty broad coverage.
Shadow Of Mordor went on to be released for Mac OS X and while there’s no word as of yet for the sequel, it could be an option for WB Games if it’s as successful as its predecessor. We’re hoping that it’ll also get a Nintendo Switch release too at some point. Third party games like this would be incredible to play wherever, whenever, so it’s going to be interesting to see which developers come on board with the concept.
Story
The plot for the game sees us returning to the two-souls-in-one lead characters of Ranger Talion, who was killed by Sauron prior to the start of the first game, and the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor. The two spirits merged to seek revenge on Mordor and now they’ve returned in a bid to finish the job.
Somehow, they’ve managed to make their way to the molten fires of Mount Doom, where they’ve forged a new ring of power. As with all the rings, the wearer becomes corrupted by it and from the look of the story trailer below it looks like the connection between their spirits is disturbed by the ring. However, they will continue their quest in the heart of Mordor’s darkness, waging war on Sauron’s growing forces and trying to turn it against the Dark Lord of Middle Earth.
Middle Earth: Shadow Of War story trailer:
Gameplay
There aren’t that many definitive to go on in terms of the Middle Earth: Shadow Of War gameplay with just the story trailer released by WB Games to-date. However, a gameplay trailer for the game has been confirmed for the 8th March 2017, so we’ll get to see exactly what to expect from the game come the release date.
As with Shadow Of Mordor, the sequel will obviously be another sprawling and dark open world adventure with third-person dynamics and the hell mouth monsters of Mordor to face. The pre-order details for the game have also confirmed that the Nemesis System will be back, giving us a new slice of its unique setup where each new fight with the enemy is unique and results in consequences for the rest of the war on Mount Doom.
We also know that the action will be set behind enemy lines, so you’ll be wading deep in the swathes of terror that Mordor has to offer. Before you even get to Sauron, you’ll have to take on his Uruk commanders, as well as the sky fall nightmare that is his Ringwraiths, so there’s going to be a pretty big challenge ahead of Talion and Celebrimbor.
Age rating
Both the ESRB rating for the US and the PEGI age rating for the UK and Europe are still pending.
First impressions
If Middle Earth: Shadow Of War can take the genius of the original game and expand on it with even more dark fantasy action adventure, great story telling and ferocious enemies then it should be a contender for game of the year. However, it isn’t easy following up the success of a predecessor, so it’ll have the weight of expectation to deal with. There’s a lot riding on the gameplay trailer when it’s out on the 8th March and while the story trailer below hints at a lot of potential, it’s hard to take too much from it. You can keep tabs on updates on the game with the Warner Bros. Games official Twitter page.
Gameplay and walkthrough videos
See the rest of our Middle Earth: Shadow Of War walkthrough for more on getting through the game, or visit our YouTube playlist to see our latest videos for the game.
