Developer - Monolith Productions (PC/PS4/XBO) ; Behaviour Interactive (PS3/360)
Publisher - Warner Bros.
Platforms - PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Rating - ESRB: M; PEGI: 18
Genre - Action, Role Playing
Director - Bob Roberts (Guardians of Middle Earth) and Michael de Plater (Tom Clancy's Endwar)
Composer - Garry Schyman (Bioshock Series)
Writer - Christian Cantamessa (Red Dead Redemption)
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is an Action Role Playing game developed by Monolith Productions. It stars a Ranger of Gordor named Talion. Talion and his familiy are slain upon Sauron's return to Mordor, but Talion finds himself assisted by a Wraith named Celebrimbor. Celebrimbor is the original forger of the Rings of Power, and it is through his curse that Talion finds himself revived from death. This occurrence affords Talion the opportunity to seek revenge for his loved ones and end the curse that's leaving him unable to truly die. Shadow of Mordor utilizes the Nemesis System, an innovative mechanic where enemy units will remember their encounters to you and will become specialized and truly unique adversaries for each and every player. Combined with the Wraith ability to dominate and control enemy units, this sets the stage for personalized gameplay situations on every playthrough.
Talion | Troy Baker: "What is this place? Am I dead? How is this possible? What has happened to me? I had a family once, a wife, and a son, and I've buried them along with anyone I've ever knew."
A descendant of the Northmen in Rhovanion and raised in Minas Tirith, Talion is a loyal Ranger of Gondor, and has spent his entire adult life stationed at the Black Gate alongside his wife Ioreth and son Dirhael. Unbeknownst to Gondor and Talion, a dark force had begun to gain power and strength at an alarming rate in Mordor. Everything changes when the Black Gate is attacked by Sauron's captains, led by Black Hand. At the moment of his death, Talion is possessed by an immensely powerful Wraith, saving his life, but also putting upon him a great burden. Talion learns that he was resurrected and joined with a being known as Celebrimbor, and is presented with a unique opportunity for revenge on those who have wronged him.
Celebrimbor | Alastair Duncan: "I remember my name now. I shaped the history of Middle-Earth. I crafted the Rings of Power. My power gives us a gateway to defeating the Dark Lord."
Celebrimbor was a Ñoldorin prince, last of the House of Fëanor left in Middle-earth, ruler of the Second Age realm of Eregion, and the forger of the Rings of Power. In SA 1500, Sauron befriended him under a fair form disguise named Annatar. Through this ruse, Sauron claimed to be sent down by the Valar as an emissary, and he then took control of the elven smiths instructing them to craft the Rings of Power and the One Ring. Celebrimbor was the one to forge the most powerful of the rings, only weaker to Sauron's own. Sauron attacked Eregion, destroying the land and capturing Celebrimbor, putting him under extreme torment until he disclosed the whereabouts of the lesser rings. But Celebrimbor refused to disclose the locations of the Elvish rings and subsequently perished. This caused Celebrimbor to become a Wraith, and hundreds of years later during the period of the Third Age, he possessed the Ranger Talion, setting the events of their revenge into motion.
Ioreth | Laura Bailey: "We will be together, my love. Soon. Forever."
Ioreth was Talion's wife and the mother of their son, Dirhael. She was an intelligent, practical woman accustomed to living among the Black Gate’s austere conditions. Her focus was the welfare of her family and the rest of the garrison, all of whom she knew as friends. Her son becoming a Ranger was bittersweet to her. While proud to have raised a Ranger of Gondor, she mourned the “days of peace” she and her husband once planned to spend far from the gate once his days of duty were done. At the start of the game, she and Dirhael are killed in front of Talion, setting him off on his quest for vengeance.
Gollum | Liam O'Brien: "We swears to serve The Bright Master. He will remember, precious. We will make him."
Constant exposure to the Ring has twisted Sméagol, ruining his body and warping his mind. He developed two separate personalities, one representing what's left of Sméagol and the other representing the influence of the Ring. The townsfolk of his former life nicknamed him "Gollum" for and eventually banished him. Over the many years, Gollum eventually made his way to the edge of Mordor, where he met the monstrous spider Shelob and became her spy. During the events of the game, Talion and Celebrimbor seek him out in order to shed light on the history of the mysterious Wraith. When they locate him, Gollum swears to serve Celebrimbor, though Talion does not trust the creature. Gollum seems to have a personal motive to aiding the Wraith regain his memories.
Sauron | ??? : "Only you could accomplish such art, Celebrimbor."
Sauron, also known as the Dark Lord of Mordor, is a main antagonist in the game. He was Morgoth's most powerful lieutenant and the mastermind behind many of his schemes, and the forger of the One Ring. His return to Mordor takes the Gondorians stationed at the Black Gate by surprise, and he and his Black Captains work at ridding Mordor of all Men while building their strength in the Third Age. While Sauron lives, he is feared throughout all of Middle-earth, even to the farthest reaches of the world. His history with Celebrimbor and the mutual desire for revenge from Celebrimbor and Talion is the main driving force for the journey that the pair undertake together.
Black Hand | Nolan North: "Where was your bravery when we bled your wife, and gutted your son?"
The Black Hand is a mysterious figure, and not much is currently known about him. He is the leader of the Black Captians, comprised of himself, The Tower, and The Hammer. At the onset of Shadow of Mordor, he personally kills Talion's wife and his son, but fails to kill Talion due to the unforeseen influence of Celebrimbor. The Black Hand represents Sauron's deceit.
Runes are items in Shadow of Mordor that add powerful buffs to Celebrimbor's bow, sword, and dagger (Azkâr / Urfael /Acharn). Runes are generally obtained by vanquishing enemies . Exploiting the weaknesses of an enemy will influence the type of runes they drop, and combining different runes will increase the power of Talion's weapons in different ways. For instance, if the player kills an enemy captain using a stealth takedown, the player may receive a stealth related rune. Several runes can be applied to each weapon, suited to the player's playstyle.
Epic Runes are specific, extremely powerful runes that can only be obtained from Uruk Warchiefs or Captains who have been threatened. To obtain these epic runes, Talion must first dominate a bodyguard, who must then be forced to deliver a Death Threat to their Captain or Chief. The alerted Nemesis will surround himself with bodyguard and will meet Talion in battle. Once the captain and his bodyguards are defeated, the captain will drop the epic rune upon death. You can also get runes from pre-ordering and stuff, yay.
Both combat and traversal take advantage of the Talion/Celebrimbor duality. Sword and dagger combat and general climbing/jumping are done as a human, but with the aid of the Wraith, you can fire a bow, distract enemies with spells, teleport instantly to an enemies forces, or dominated their minds. The combat appears to borrow a an Arkham-style system, where timing button presses in response to enemy movements is key to dispatching multiple foes at once. Teleporting is a great way to take down, say, an archer atop a building, where you can then plan your assassination from a vantage point. Traversal seems similar to Assassin Creed style lite-parkour, with teleportation abilities and some light mount usage being available to players to quickly move around the map or battlefield.
The Nemesis system creates randomly named enemies that are generated uniquely with each playthrough of the game. Each nemesis has their own personality and will rise or fall within their social structure as the game progresses. They are affected by Talion's actions and using the Nemesis system is vital to obtaining powerful runes and disrupting Sauron's army.
Characteristics
- Names - Each Nemesis has their own unique name.
- Visuals - They are generated randomly by multiple body types and parts, hairstyles, behaviors, voices, animations, ect.
- Power- While each Nemesis will have specific strengths and weaknesses, the general strength of an enemy will be summed by a simple "Power" rating.
- Rank - The longer the Nemesis stays in the Nemesis system, the more events he succeeds. This is indicated by the prefix of his rank.
- Relationships - Many Uruk may have unique relations to the other Nemeses. Such as Captains serving as bodyguards for the Warchiefs. There will also be rivalries between the two leaders or tribes which Talion might have to exploit using his newfound domination abilities.
- Fighting Styles - Enemies will have a fighting style based on their unique abilities or buffs. Nemesis tend to surround themselves with uruks of the same type as themselves, or example a berserker captain will have a small group of berserkers with him.
- Traits - This is the specific list of strengths and weaknesses for a Nemesis, and will determine which rune you may get upon his defeat.
- Location - Location of a nemesis and his tribe is important. For instance, a dominated enemy may join Talion's side if he is fighting in the same area.
- Promotion - Grunts may become Captains or Warchiefs if they remain in the system for a significant duration.
- Duel/Power Struggle/Ambush- If two rival nemesis are encouraged to face off in various ways, the victor of the battle will gain Power. Talion can influence the outcome by dominating a force or joining the battle himself.
- Betrayal - A Warchief's bodyguard Captain may betray his Warchief and attempt to outright kill him. Talion can interfere and aid or kill the Warchief, where the betrayer will gain a Power and become a Warchief himself. Or a surviving Warchief will become stronger and gains Power. Talion can use his domination ability to place a controlled Captain into the role of Warchief in this way.
- Recruit - An enemy attempts to gain new followers, if successful they gain a new power level.
- Execution - A particular Uruk might decide to execute another and his followers. Talion can either support the executioner or the targets, the survivor gaining power due to surviving the ordeal.
- Survived - If a Nemesis survives an encounter with Talion, they can gain a power level.
- Killed Talion - If the player is dealt a killing blow by a particular enemy, this will increases the enemy's power level, and may also be promoted.
- Feast - The Uruk are in the midst of celebration which Talion may choose to disrupt or ignore. If the feast is uninterrupted, the partaking enemies will gain a power level.
- Beast Hunt - Uruks will routinely hunt beasts as a form of sport or competition. Talion can either killing the beasts to let the enemies gains the power level, or kill the Uruk.
Uruk Hierarchy
- Warchief -The highest rank of enemy in the Nemesis System, and each has 2-4 Captains that make up their bodyguard. Chiefs must be drawn out by completing a mission that will attract hisattention. The can be slain in various ways to reward the player with Epic Runes, or may be dominated, after which all Uruk under his command become ready to fight for Talion and other enemies that are not under his control.
- Captains - Captains are more powerful than the regular Uruk and have access to traits that gives specific weaknesses to exploit along with individual strengths. These Uruk are often in the service of a warchief which they will join with him when he appears. Captains can also reward Epic Runes if defeated under particular circumstances, or they may be exploited to draw out Warchiefs.
- Grunt - The most common foe that Talion meets can also be a part of the Nemesis System. A promoted Grunt can become a captain which may be useful for Talion if his is trying to draw out a Warchief or acquire runes.
- Dying - Talion's death to enemy Grunts will promote them up the Nemesis system and increase their power.
- Gathering intel - Enemies that Talion has not yet encountered will be shown as silhouettes and no information will be known about them. Talion must Dominate other nemeses or explore the various areas to gather info on these unknown Nemeses and learn their specific traits.
- Interference - It is up to the player to decide how he wants to prevent or allow the various Nemeses to succeed or fail their various missions listed above. Ignored Nemesis will generally increase in Power while disrupted events will usually prevent any enemies from promoting.
- Initiation - Talion can get a Captain to become a bodyguard of a Warchief by making the Captain do an initiation rite to prove his worthiness. Talion can interfere with the Initiation to ensure the Captain is dominated before acquiring this position, which is useful for drawing out the Chiefs.
- Death Threat - A dominated enemy can be forced to give another specific Captain or Warchief a Death Threat. This is one way to draw out the Chief and allow him to be defeated by Talion in order to acquire runes.
- Mission Creation - After Dominating an eenmy, Talion can order him to initiate the various Mission types and then focus on increasing his dominated Nemesis' Power.
Q: Is this game 1080p/60FPS on my console?
A: It had been reported to run at 1080p on PS4. The developers have also stated a desire to hit 60fps. Less information is known about the Xbox One version. I will update this when DF or others have more information.
Q: Is this canon?
A: Not really. This game takes place between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Talion himself was "inspired by a number of characters within Middle-earth, such as Boromir’s desire to use the One Ring and also by Sam, a normal man caught up in extraordinary events". Celebrimbor was not known to have survived his torture and torment at the hands of Sauron, though he manages to continue to exist in the form of a Wraith in Shadow of Mordor. Otherwise the backstory of Sauron and Celebrimbor is completely canon.
Q: Do I need to know anything about LotR lore to fully enjoy this?
A: Expectedly, there are a lot of callbacks to specific lore for fans, but the developers have stated that they wanted "to ensure that the story makes sense on it's own for players who have never read the books or seen the movies."
Q: How long would be a typical playthrough?
A: The developers have stated that they expect a playthrough to be roughly 30 hours.
(copied from Neogaf)
).
That intro...
When I've really wanted to break combat, it's been doable.