The recently-released "Middle-Earth: Shadow of War" seeks not only to complete the story began in 2014's "Shadow of Mordor," but to add improvements to the original game's unique features.
The Nemesis System, which was introduced in the first game, has been enhanced in the new game. With the tagline "Nothing will be forgotten," the game made sure that every action that players make against orc bosses will have consequences that will haunt them in the future.
The same can be applied with the players' allies in the game. When players protect their orc allies, they become loyal to them or even form a bond of friendship. However, if they are abandoned, they may return with feelings of betrayal and bitterness.
When it comes to the open-world experience, "Shadow of War" contains much more content that can keep players busy even without engaging in the main campaign. The game uses these quests to flesh out the rich lore from which its narrative is drawn.
The open-world experience in the new game is further improved by the main character's abilities that allow him to perform quick dashes and sprints, as well as higher jumps that help with scaling walls and buildings. This makes travelling across the vast landscape of the game easier and less tedious.
"Shadow of War" also adds more role-playing game (RPG) elements like an equipment system that allows players to equip various weapons and armor. These items affect the character's stats and may dictate the player's fighting style.
One of the main additions in the new game is the castle siege feature, where players can choose troops to bring into battle. They can also move to different locations of the siege, depending on where the player thinks help is needed.
The narrative, which is naturally a strong point for the "Middle-Earth" series because of its affiliation to J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork, also gets improvement in "Shadow of War." What is interesting is that the team behind it actually took liberties from the "Lord of the Rings" canon to suit the story they want to tell in the game.
"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War" was released on Oct. 10 and is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
