Shadow of Mordor is tough. It's part Assassin's Creed and... well, it's mostly Assassin's Creed in Mordor. Lots of parkour, building climbing, stealth kills (like an Assassin) but, while the mechanics are distinctly Ezio's, the game is much more than a reskinning. Let's get the easy stuff out of the way. The graphics are fantastic, stunning even. The ability trees and weapon enhancements (runes) feel, initially, to be superficial and tacked on, but come into their own just a few hours into the game when you realize you really need them and you don't know which will do you best. Sadly, you can't change weapons beyond the three you start with (Sword, Dagger and Bow). You can't go find Sting and put it in your inventory. In fact, there isn't an inventory. Health is replenished by finding plants and herbs on the ground and you have nothing to carry around. This is where choosing a rune that makes your sword replenish 24% health when doing a Flurry Kill is so important. But do you want that rune or 20% more damage when attacking from behind? The open world is quite large, and there's a ton of stuff to find in it that don't apply to the main story. Dagger, bow, sword, herblore, hunting and other challenges fill that world with even more artifacts, runes and memories to find out there for the completionist or to let you blow off some steam from the battles. The story is adequate for keeping the game moving forward, but it does feel a bit shallow. Nothing to complain about, it's the challenge that keeps me going.
The challenge is the battles. This game is probably the first I've seen where the open world is also dynamic and shaped by the characters and bosses in it. I won't go as far as to say that each boss/Captain/Warchief is unique, but the system of Uruk tribal warfare is deep and very interactive. As you start finding these bosses and battling them, you can see the hierarchy change. Each Captain can be a bodyguard for a Warchief, so killing one will change the party of the Warchief when you go to kill him as a different Captain will taken the place of the slain one. Each boss has different strengths and weaknesses that change how you fight them. Stealth kills may be an option for one of the bodyguards, but not the Captains he has, so you might have to change your strategy. And you probably will, because these bosses are not easy kills. In fact, they're very very tough. Perhaps you have their weaknesses lined up and you're ready to go. As soon as you start the fight, he shouts for reinforcements and then one of those goes and lights a signal torch and suddenly there are 30 Orcs surrounding you, each you have to dodge, stun, kill, throw, interrogate, drain... whatever. It gets to be a very impressive fight. Orcs will shoot others if you line it up right, sometimes helping you. Other archers (Hunters) will shoot poison arrows so you don't get a visual indicator of when you might need to dodge or parry. Getting a hit streak offers you opportunities to use special moves and abilities. Knocking down one Orc doesn't mean you can quickly slice their head off, either, because the time to execute them leaves you open to attack and if you parry that attack, your execution is interrupted and the Orc survives. The bosses get weaker as you hit them in the right way, but then start to flee if you get them too weak without killing them. As their army surrounds you and you try to give chase you'll get bogged down in the horde and it'll be quite difficult to stop them. Grabbing them to kill them isn't easy either, as that takes a while and leaves you open, again, for attack.
I have to interrupt that and mention the mechanics of fighting. It's frustrating. Not only is it quite difficult, but being unable to slice the head off (or otherwise stab) a downed enemy in one push of Square is enraging. It makes the fight more difficult, but it doesn't make sense. Likewise, so do some of the attack animations not make sense. Unfortunately, some animations and attacks take longer than others to finish. While this adds great variation to what could be a dull fight, you also don't really get to choose how most of your attacks will land. Some will be quick swipes and you can get back to another attacking enemy to counter, some attacks will be long blows and you'll be unable to counter the attacking enemy, which will then knock you backwards and another archer will get you while you're recovering and so on and so on until you are dead.
Dying and respawning. It's fun and enraging (in a good way). It's explained away in the opening sequences as to why you are allowed to respawn in the game, which is quite nice and adds to the realism (as much as there can be) of the game. Dying by any hand (not beasts) can change the hierarchy of the bosses in the game. The Orc that kills you earns respect and power based on your death and can propel through the ranks riding your scabbard's tails. Likewise, you killing an Orc in that hierarchy will leave a void where new Orcs can rise or current ones be promoted even higher. Those Orcs will also take on roles as bodyguards for Warchiefs. Each one has different strengths, fears and weaknesses available to exploit, discovered through an Intel system. As battles between you and Orcs can change the hierarchy and the battlefield, so do battles between different Captains. It's incredible to see the battlefield changing constantly and it having a meaningful impact on how you plan your next encounter. Add to that, you can sometimes attend events, attacks, ambushes and executions between Uruk leaders that you can influence and change the battlefield as well.
Simply put, it is brilliant. It's a truly unique game and it will have replayability for a long time.
UPDATE: Well, just as I wrote this review, I thought I had neared the end of the game. It turns out that there was a second zone, a dwarf and some more story to go! I will have to go back on my previous statements about the story, it's actually quite interesting once it gets going. And it doesn't really get going until you get near the end of the game. Unfortunately I sort of blasted through the end of the story, and it was a lot easier than the battles before it. I can see now that if you don't get lost in the Orc games at the beginning of the game, you might be able to plow through the main story in 6 hours, putting it squarely in line with Advanced Warfare's duration. A bit disappointing, but I don't think most people are likely to want to play through it like that.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 6.7 x 5.36 x 0.67 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.09 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 0.6 x 5.3 x 6.7 inches |
| Item Weight | 3.04 Ounces |
| Brand Name | WB Games |
| Country of Origin | Andorra |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Warner Home Video - Games |
| Part Number | 883929319695 |
| Model Year | 2014 |
| Size | 1 Pack |
