One of the greatest Lord of the Rings titles ever made is getting the sequel it deserves.
Rumors began circulating late last night that Warner Bros. and Monolith Productions were gearing up to announce a sequel to the cult classic Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. It turns out those rumors were true.
This morning, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has confirmed via press release that Monolith are in the late stages of developing Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, the sequel to the 2014 open-world game set in the Lord of the Rings universe. Shadow of War is expected to release on August 22, for Xbox One, Project Scorpio, Windows 10, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 4 Pro.
Shadow of War will pick up roughly where the original title left off as players will assume the role of ranger/wraith Talion after he creates a ring of power designed to challenge Sauron. Unfortunately, the creation of this ring and other events that have been brewing lead to the start of a new war in Middle-Earth. Does Middle-Earth ever get to experience peace time?
Best of all, it has been confirmed that the Nemesis System that defined the first title will be returning in Shadow of War. For those who didn't get to play Shadow of Mordor, the Nemesis System allows for players to interact with the hierarchy of Sauron's army. For instance, a lowly orc who kills you may find himself rising fast up the ranks of Sauron's most trusted allies while also earning a spot on your kill list. However, players are also able to essentially possess low-tier villains and help them move up the ladder as a kind of double agent.
It's a brilliant piece of gameplay design that is only going to improve with Shadow of War's new Nemesis Fortress. The addition of this Fortress dynamic will allow players to conquer enemy strongholds as well as establish their own strongholds and armies. Unfortunately, that's all we know about this exciting new feature at this time.
Michael de Plater, creative vice president of Monolith, says that "As lifelong fans of Middle-earth, we are so grateful to have the privilege to bring to life the most incredible fantasy world ever created in a new way, for a new generation. With Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, we can’t wait to see the amazing stories players are going to create and share.” It's clear from the developer statements made thus far that Shadow of War is looking to expand on the features of Shadow of Mordor in a way that allows players to shape the game's world as they see fit and make it their own.
We eagerly anticipate seeing if they are able to accomplish the substantial task of improving on the original title.
