Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor Sequel Invades This August
War is coming to Mordor. As accidentally reported over the weekend by Target, this August, Monolith Sofware and WB Games will release Middle-earth: Shadow of War, a sequel to 2014's open-world Lord of the Rings spin-off, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.
In the new game, the undead ranger Talion and his spectral companion, Celebrimbor, team up to forge a brand new Ring of Power in order to take down the Dark Lord Sauron and conquer Mordor. That's easier said than done, of course, especially given that the forces of Mordor are prepping for an all-out war. In order to sate his thirst for vengeance, Talion will have to conquer a brand new orc army, the Ringwraiths, and even Sauron himself (given that the Dark Lord is alive and well when The Fellowship of the Ring begins, you can probably guess how well Talion's quest goes).
A brief story trailer lays out exactly what Talion and Celebrimbor are up against, while WB Games promises that a video featuring Shadow of War's in-game shenanigans will premiere on March 8.
In a press release, WB Games confirmed that Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System will return for Shadow of War, albeit with some major changers. As in the first game, Shadow of War players will forge unique, personal relationships with Sauron's forces, and will be able to directly influence the balance of power in Mordor's army. However, in Shadow of War, players will also be able to strike up with relationships with friendly characters, while "the robust personalization from the first game is now applied to the entire world," meaning that that every playthrough results in a "personal world unique to every gameplay experience."
The original Shadow of Mordor received rave reviews from critics, who praised the Nemesis system, the Arkham Asylum-style combat, and the game's use of the Lord of the Rings license (even if the story itself is enough to drive die-hard Tolkienites crazy with its liberal adaptation of Lord of the Rings' complicated lore). The game's threadbare plot wasn't nearly as well received, but it hardly matters—wreaking havoc on Mordor's armies leads to plenty of good, unscripted stories on its own, and many fans will be more than happy to dive back into Talion's well-worn boots on August 22, 2017.