Image: Monolith Productions – Charging about on the back of a Caragor is a thrilling way to get from A to B. While the characters themselves are fine, it’s their lackluster side stories and, more importantly, dull missions that let them down. Talion meets a number of side characters on his journey – from Hirgon, another Ranger in need of aid, to Lithariel, a warrior elf who wishes to help Celebrimbor, and many in between – but none add much to the story. After such a great opening, the rest of the story is rather simplistic and forgettable. Unfortunately, this is also where the game’s story starts to stumble. This prevents either from dying, even if Talion suffers mortal injuries, and is something that plays perfectly into the game’s Nemesis system – something we’ll come back to later.įrom there, Talion and Celebrimbor must work together to find out what is happening in the land of Mordor, and to destroy Sauron’s three captains before they can wreak any more destruction. Instead of dying along with his family, Talion is bonded with Celebrimbor’s wraith. Fans of The Rings of Power will recognize this name as the elf Elrond is assisting in the show, and fans of the books will recognize him as the elf who forged the original rings themselves. These killings weren’t just there to establish the villains but were sacrifices intended to bring forth the ghost (or wraith, as he is called in-game) of Celebrimbor. Luckily for the player, things do not end there, otherwise, this would be a very short game indeed. This opening does a good job of setting the tone and establishing an emotional hook with the player, as well as stoking the desire for revenge. The attack ends poorly, with Talion’s men, his family, and even Talion himself falling to their blades. However, it is not long before this garrison is attacked by Sauron’s three captains: the Hammer of Sauron, the Tower of Sauron, and, most heinous of them all, the Black Hand of Sauron (played by the equally talented and ubiquitous Nolan North). (This being set before the books or films, the Black Gate is garrisoned by the men of Gondor after Sauron’s defeat at the end of the Second Age). At the start of the game, Talion is tasked with defending the Black Gate of Mordor. Shadow of Mordor’s story follows the life of a Ranger named Talion (voiced by the ever-talented and ubiquitous Troy Baker). Before Sauron’s Demise, The Black Hand Was First Image: Monolith Productions – Ranger Talion and wraith Celebrimbor must work together to stop Sauron’s dark forces. Leaning into the more action-heavy side of Middle-Earth’s world, it really is the perfect game for fans old and new. The developers even consulted Peter Jackson’s film crew and the Weta Workshop in order to nail the look of Middle-Earth as we know it.Īs with The Rings of Power, Shadow of Mordor leans into and plays with what fans know and love about the Lord of the Rings, while also providing an interesting new spin on things. While not considered to be properly canon, due to it taking certain liberties with established characters and events, Monolith did a fantastic job of digitally recreating Peter Jackson’s cinematic vision, as well as sticking remarkably closely to Tolkien’s original source material and the rules of his world. Shadow of Mordor tells an entirely original story set before the events of the books or films. Released back in 2014, it still holds up remarkably well today. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is an open-world action adventure from Monolith Productions. With Amazon’s The Rings of Power taking us back to the marvels and delights of Middle-Earth, perhaps it’s time to look back at one of the only Lord of the Rings games that weren’t a direct tie-in with the movie trilogy or a real-time strategy game.
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