14 DAY TRIAL // Monolith and Warner Bros. launched Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor last week, and after receiving a huge amount of praise, including from my own review, it's time to see just what went right for the game and how it managed to add just enough innovation to make forgotten the borrowed mechanics from the likes of Assassin's Creed or Batman Arkham.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is, so far, one of my favorite games of the year, as while I didn't have much hope in the title before its release, I'm now a true believer and eagerly await all the new adventures coming to the Lord of the Rings-inspired game.
I wasn't that hopeful of the game, at first
I admit that, while the initial gameplay presentation piqued my curiosity, the fact that it looked like an Assassin's Creed game, only set in the realm of Middle-earth, saw my enthusiasm dwindle. I immediately thought that it was just a quick attempt at squeezing some money from the hardcore Lord of the Rings fans, just in time for the release of the latest Hobbit movie that's going to take place in the following months.
What's more, when more videos about the game's combat appeared, it became clear that Monolith was not only modeling the movement, the stealth, or the parkour mechanics after Assassin's Creed, it was also lending the combat system from the Batman Arkham games, as players had to keep alternating between attacks and parries, in order to defeat the large groups of foes.
Nemesis seemed like a gimmick
Meanwhile, Monolith and Warner Bros. were heavily hyping up the Nemesis system, which promised deep interaction between players and the various Uruk captains and warchiefs that populate Mordor. I, for one, was pretty reticent about the value of such a system, as were many that believed that it was just a mechanic that sounded pretty but wouldn't bring that much in the end.
Now, after playing the game for the recent review and seeing all the mechanics in action, Shadow of Mordor redeemed itself and worked its way into my heart.
Yes, the movement and the stealth options are just like in Assassin's Creed, and yes, the combat feels like you're Middle-earth's Batman, but these borrowed mechanics pale in comparison to the innovation of the Nemesis system.
The whole mechanic manages to transform the open-world experience into one that feels immersive and transforms the nameless Uruks you face off into great characters with personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.
Nemesis delivers amazing stories
The feeling of getting killed in the early stages of the game by a lowly Uruk, seeing him promoted to a captain, and then becoming a Warchief because he killed you again is unforgettable. Exacting your revenge by exploiting his fear of Caragors and riding into his posse on top of such a beast, before slicing his throat, is worth more than defeating even Sauron's lieutenants in the story campaign.
For all these experiences, Shadow of Mordor deserves praise and respect, as it could've gone the easy route and just implement the copied mechanics, but instead decided to bring some innovation and a lot more content to make the game stand out.