Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

It’s risky yet bold for a game like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to depart from the known and loved Lord of the Rings lore and instead try to build its own. Undoubtedly, the move alone will upset some purists that don’t enjoy their baby getting touched. Still, beyond an admittedly inexcusable slump in story, the gameplay of the thing is stellar, mostly thanks to one particular system that holds up all others. Killing orcs has never quite been this engaging.

Our adventure starts when a ranger, Talion, gets slain by Sauron’s chiefs. This transports the character to a realm where an old spirit awaits. Together, the two beat death and come back to Mordor to enact vengeance upon this bleak world overrun by orcs.

A world map is divided in a few sections, condensed enough to appear small, but large enough to have several expanses and decaying structures spread about. Locations vary from truly depressing quarries to more verdant fields, perhaps having a glistening brook run through it. Character models are equally detailed, but not exactly to the highest degree either. More so, it’s the accompanying array of effects in the game that color a scene well. Blinding light immerses screens with warm glows, rain adds a slick shine to textures and blurring hides those harder model edges for a smoother appearance.

Music, however, is the driving point of the game’s presentation. Each battle gets accompanied by a bombastic, orchestrated track, periodically accompanied by a rousing choir. It’s especially hair-rising when the highest ranks of orcs get announced by name in this way. That spells out trouble afoot.

Getting to fight such a boss may take some time though. Shadow of Mordor’s crowning achievement is a hierarchy system that lists how orcs chiefs are standing in the Dark Lord’s army. There are three tiers plus an additional backline of warchiefs, the very best of the flock. Furthermore, this ladder design points towards relationships between certain parties. Some orcs may be confidants to the higher ups, while others will frequently try to rush their way to a better spot, creating conflicts all over the realm.

At first, the main goal is just to find some orcs and start clubbing heads. To do this, Shadow of Mordor uses a simplistic combat mechanism, driven by one button. There are, however, plenty of options to expand on it, luckily. As such, Talion can momentarily stun opponents or drive them to the ground to perform a coup de grace. Blows lock on to a target in the vicinity to easily string combos together, much like in the Batman Arkham series. Enough consecutive hits unlock a special move, such as an instant, gory execution or a ground stomp.

Alternatively, the ranger can switch to a spirit bow with limited ammo. Time briefly stops to facilitate aiming, while the screen moves to the shadow realm, where special factors about people can be detected, such as enemies carrying info or bosses hiding among the mobs. Arrows are also used to manipulate the environment from afar, further diversifying combat. Nests of nasty flies can distract orcs, while slabs of meat can attract nearby wild beasts that come in to wreck warbands, like in Far Cry 3. Takedowns can be performed in stealth mode or an assassination can be prompted from above, when scaling the walls of rundown castles effortlessly, much like Assassin’s Creed.

There are a lot of ways to mess with orcs in Shadow of Mordor and given its facilitating factor, combat doesn’t get its obstacles from a direct challenge rating. Instead, hardships are met by biting off more than reasonably possible. Strongholds hold dozens of enemies and suddenly getting surrounded can quickly lead to getting smacked by a barrage of arrows and swords. Additionally, death comes quick and easy, certainly when specific orcs hold poisoning or damage-boosting traits. Even just running around unaware can suddenly put Talion in a nest of Caragors, giant rabid dogs with a penchant to eat everything in sight.

Things get increasingly more interesting once abilities through a character enhancement system come into play and orc roles become more complex. Missions may include raising an army, then making sure a riot goes according to plan, so the right chief can climb the army’s ladder. Other times, it’s just a matter of vengeance, when an enemy managed to escape or otherwise crush Talion. Their sneering words, they sting like poison. It’s such a rush to lay those bragging bastards to rest, though even when slain, some bosses may not be fully dead and can come back even angrier than before.

Sneaking and climbing through Mordor also reveals orc chatter, reflecting on recent events. Some may talk about a chief getting to down the ranger, while others can be more skeptical and start scheming. This vocal reinforcement on many fronts of the game gives orcs in Shadow of Mordor a much more personal touch. That’s what keeps gameplay entertaining. Each time a chief falls, it feels like a noteworthy battle, because its story is being echoed throughout the land. This hierarchy system is so tightly strung together that each encounter opens up a new chapter in the ongoing book of the game, keeping players going on, just to hear what happens next, over and over.

It’s that extraordinary connection to enemies in Shadow of Mordor that make its story element so bittersweet. Campaign missions are by some length the least engaging way to play the game. Dialogue is inconsistent in tone, side characters offer nothing more than a plot device and the entire narrative is extremely barren. This is a game created in the universe of the Lord of the Rings. It takes liberties with the lore and that’s fine, but the part where it fails to craft something worthwhile or even just sizable, with the vast source material it has, is unforgivable all the way to the sorely disappointing ending encounters. It always seems like there’s some downloadable content (DLC) that will expand on that one mission that ends so abruptly and that’s a distasteful inkling to put in a game. Its only redeeming quality is that story missions provide a quick change of pace concerning objectives that don’t require just killing.

It’s sad to say, but the story of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is dismissible, luckily in favor of the facilitating gameplay that does manage to captivate for hours on end, with less need for drab exposition to boot. In fact, the relationship between orcs is so gripping that anything else that comes with it is gravy at that point. It borrows heavily from other franchises for ideas, but the one notion it fleshed out for itself, it did so with unparalleled care. With ample auxiliary objectives and collectibles abound, there’s also a reason to fully explore the gorgeous yet dispiriting world. This is definitely a game that’s greater than just the sum of its parts. It’s probably being called Orc Killing Simulator 2014 all over the internet by now, but that’s exactly where its glory is established.

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed (@Daavpuke)