Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Standard Edition •

PC •

GOG.COM •

Key •

GLOBAL

The Shadow of War is a direct continuation of the Middle-earth game: Shadow of Mordor. Developed by the American studio Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, is one of the best fantasy action games with RPG elements.

The title continues the threads started in the previous section. The player's task is to create an orcish army, which will help him during the fight with his opponents. As you can guess, the game, just like the previous part, represents the hard, multi-month work of the creators, which results are full details of the characters and opponents, as well as refined elements of the environment, complemented by a rich set of animations and a realistic lighting system. To this should also be added several other changes and improvements in the mechanics of the game. 

This applies especially to the unique Nemesis system, which introduces very advanced artificial intelligence, which allows for more natural reactions of the character to the player's decisions, for example, after killing too many enemy leaders, the less important ones will start to be afraid, and this makes it easier to drag them to their side page. It is also worth mentioning the climatic, specially composed music that accompanies the player while roaming the volcanic wastes and new powers added to the hero's skills, thanks to which the direct fight with the opponents is even more impressive.

Storyline

Players take control of the main characters' duet again. The first of them is Talion, one of the Guardians of the Black Gate. The other is Celebrimbor - a specter that is the astral form of the elf who many centuries ago had forged the Rings of Power. As a ghost, in Talion's body, he makes a cooperation with him. The protagonists decide to create another ring, which is to provide them with enough power to gather the army and ultimately destroy Sauron. Of course, to achieve their goal, the main heroes have to face many other, more or less friendly characters. During the game, the player will also have the opportunity to meet the heroes known from Tolkien's books and their screening, which include, among others, the Balrog, the Witch-king of Angmar, and also the ruler of the dark - Sauron.

Gameplay

In the SoW game, players enter a vast, open world. As you can easily guess, their main goal is exploration. As in the previous section, the main character still has various skills useful in the fight and during the tour of the extraordinary land, but at the same time the combat mechanics, as well as the entire gameplay, have been diversified with several novelties. A good example is even more emphasis on RPG elements - in the game, there is more equipment, such as weapons and armors - and the possibility of mounting new mounts, such as dragons. 

The innovative Nemesis system has also been expanded, thanks to which the opponents acquire individual characteristics. It means in short, that depending on the actions, the player creates new, unique enemies or comrades. In addition to fighting against opponents, it is also important to come up with a strategy that will allow you to take control of the enemy's fortress. Of course, remember that the acquired object can always be recaptured. It's also worth knowing that in the game, is available the multiplayer mode, where players can bounce each other's fortresses.

Reception

The Middle-earth: Shadow of War, just like its previous part, has been recognized as a very good game. The reviewers rated it very positively, indicating at the same time the enormous amount of pluses it has, and it is not just about graphics or soundtrack. Players primarily paid attention to the amazing atmosphere that the game creates and a very captivating story, full of interesting characters and sudden, dramatic twists. Many of the approvals have also gained a very well developed combat system and character development system.

Additionally, some players were very positive about such elements of the game as a large number of weapons and armor, that can be upgraded, well-developed nemesis system, interesting side motives, many tasks, the presence of two mini-maps, level of difficulty and the possibility to create a large army, with which you can defend as well as attack the fortress.