Shadow of Mordor is the first in a new series developed by Monolith, set in the world of The Lord of the Rings. Released in 2014 and the clue is in the game's title; it's just that, my game of the year in 2014.
You play as Talion, a Gondorian warrior. He is killed alongside his wife and son by Sauron. He is revived and linked to an Elven smith who forged the one ring. Bound together, the only way Talion stays alive, the two seek revenge against Sauron and work to bring the forces of Mordor down.
While playing SoM, I felt it was heavily inspired by a number of quality games, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Batman Arkham series where they use a similar combat system. All these stellar franchise built into one, plus it's own and best feature; the nemesis system. I don't think there's a better brand new feature than this.
The nemesis system and how it works. It tracks orcs and presents them in a table. Captains dominate the screen, the higher up and stronger orcs are warchiefs and are at the top of the table. Each orc has its own unique name and personality, they also have their own strengths and weaknesses. That can be anything from being immune to certain attacks or even running in terror at the sight of a beast that walks through Mordor. What makes this system so good, is that any orc can be implemented. If you're fighting a bunch of grunts and one manages to get that last hit and kill you, he gets prompted to a captain and gets his own name, strengths and weaknesses. Orcs will always replace the dead ones and means that it can go on forever if you enjoy playing the game. Myself, I found the system addicting and loved it.
As Talion has already died and is now bound to the Eleven Smith, Celebrimbor, he is banished from death and cannot be permanently killed. This means you can die, but you'll always come back to life. An orc killing you is how they get promoted to captains and replace dead ones. If an orc kills you, you will be given a side mission to get your revenge. There are a number of side missions that let you attack other captains, there are even mission that involve multiple captains trying to kill each other. Orcs aren't not so friendly to each other and will often attack each other to increase their chance of becoming a warchief. Every time an orc survives or escapes a side mission, their level increases and they become tougher to beat.
The story is definitely interesting and it's great to be back in the world of Middle Earth, but the missions I found boring when they weren't relevant to orcs and the nemesis system. When I was with the side characters and freeing slaves, I felt deflated and just wanted to stop playing, I wanted to try and kill captains and the orc side missions, there way more fun. The story involves a lot of captain and warchief missions though, so don't worry. Torvin the dwarf has the worst missions, his are all about hunting the wildlife, but he's definitely one of the most interesting side characters. The best side character is Ratbag, a small and weak looking orc, he helps you and in return you help him build his way to the top of the orc clan. The story is far too short and they also throw in Gollum to remind you you're playing in the world of Lord of the Rings.
There's also mission to upgrade your sword, dagger and bow. You unlock runes for each which give off bonus against orcs. There are also liberation missions to free captured slaves. It's open world, there's a lot of empty zones, but there are also plenty of enemy camps filled with orcs, a great way to get around is by taming the wildlife. There are Caragors, which are similar to Sabertooth Tigers and Graug's, which are like giant Cave Trolls, both can be tamed and ridden for faster travelling. There are also Ghul's, they are like small, wild orcs and attack ferociously. There are also collectables and hunting/flower challenges.
So, the combat is similar to the Batman Arkham series. you can use your bow and sword, the dagger is for your stealth. Stealth is pretty easy, you can crouch walk very close to enemies and be fine. You can do attack from ledges and from above to ground targets too. You can also hide in bushes and attract enemies to bring them to you or lure them away. The stealth works well. You can build up combos and counter attacks, ground takedowns, stealth takedowns. When your combo flashes red, you can do an execution which instantly kills an enemy, besides a captain unless it's a weakness of theirs. There's lots of upgrades too, your red combo can do a number of things if you've chosen the right upgrades. You also have wraith vision, which acts as detective mode and you're also able to recruit orcs and have them on your side fighting for you by branding them. The game of the year edition also includes the DLC's which I've reviewed recently.
This was my game of the year in 2014, it's an amazing first game in what is now a franchise and if you don't appreciate the nemesis system, you really have tried it out enough. It can easily keep you playing the game long after you finish the campaign, you really do grow attached to orcs, even the ones that try and kill you.
8.8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment