A hype-machine mishap? Or a revolution in gaming?
The Lord of the Rings is not an easy intellectual property to take on. First you have to contend with the fact that Tolkien, the master that he was, created such a tightly woven and immense body of lore that simply trying to find a gap in the narrative of Middle-earth is an immense task in and of itself. While small details may remain obscure, by and large the collected works of Tolkien represent a breathtaking display of an imagination that has created a world rich with a history seemingly as complete as anything that real life has to offer. What has naturally followed is a mass of adherents utterly opposed to anything that would attempt to rewrite or alter the canon of Arda, let alone introduce a completely new chapter to the saga. This is the task that Monolith have chosen however, and while the developer, best known for Alien versus Predator 2, No One Lives Forever and F.E.A.R., might have been somewhat absent over the past decade, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is looking to place Monolith firmly in the spotlight once again.
Set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Shadow of Mordor will tell the story of Talion, a Ranger of Gondor who is killed during the retaking of the Black Gate by Sauron’s forces and revived by a mysterious wraith-like entity in order to exact vengeance for the death of his loved ones. While canonically placing the game on very shaky footing to begin with, both in terms of its setting and the resurrection, the game will offer the chance to explore an aspect of Middle-earth seldom covered, namely the orcs and the land of Mordor, in particular a Mordor that has yet to be totally corrupted by Sauron’s influence. As design director Michael de Plater put it, “While it’s not the blasted hellspace we’ll see later, it’s still the most dangeous, intense and active place within Middle-Earth.” It will also be a land inhabited by creatures other than servants of the Dark Lord, and thus expect to see tribesmen and Men of Gondor in the last days before they were pushed from the land.
Shadow of Mordor will unfold in the guise of a third person action adventure, one that seems to draw more than a little inspiration from the most successful franchises in the genre. Even from just the briefest glimpses of the gameplay videos that Monolith has released it is clear that the Assassin’s Creed series has played a major influence in the development of the game, with Talion bearing a very obviously familiar agility. Players will be able to clamber up walls, buildings and towers with graceful ease, or hide in foliage in order to sneak up on unsuspecting orcs. There will even the ability to assassinate foes from the air, let alone the more mundane stuff like backstabbing and silent kills. Once combat has started though another spectre looms large over the game, its shadow cast in a very canny resemblance to the Batman: Arkham Asylum/City titles. Players should find themselves with the ability to attack, dodge and counter in a manner that would do the Caped Crusader proud… if he used swords and had a fancy for grisly decapitations that is. Enemies will have icons flash to indicate their intent to attack, and in response Talion appears to have an impressive array of moves, both natural and supernatural, to ensure that he doesn’t wind up a lifeless corpse yet again. Even should you die however it appears that this will only be a temporary setback, and resurrection will be an experience you will get to know painfully well.
What Shadow of Mordor is looking to bring to the table though has set tongues wagging in anticipation, and will be the mechanic that could either make or break it. The game will introduce what Monolith are calling the Nemesis System, a feature that, simply put, aims to ensure that each playthrough of the game is unique in how the very story unfolds. The game’s A.I. will adapt and respond to the actions of the player, meaning that each encounter will inform not only the next but also the whole structure of the orc tribes that Talion is aiming to destroy. For instance, an orc captain that the player had wounded but not killed in a previous encounter may return later, replete with the scars of the past battle and a burning desire for revenge against Talion. Likewise, a character may have risen to prominence due to your completely optional removal of a rival warlord, thus making him a tougher foe when you do eventually face him. Monolith have even promised that events can occur completely independent of your actions, such as a duel between chiefs, and that each time you play the game entirely unique enemies will arise, each with their own particular characteristics, personalities and more. It’s also here that Talion’s wraith abilities will rise to the fore, as players will have the option to do far more than merely kill their opponents. For instance an orc can be dominated, allowing you to plunder its mind for clues as to its relationships with other orcs, and from there can be either turned into a minion of the player or let loose to spread terror amongst its fellows. Each option will have different outcomes, and thus each encounter will be different. It’s a system that holds truly staggering potential, and if pulled off properly will set Shadow of Mordor apart from anything that has come before it.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a game then that is filled with contradictions. On one hand it draws heavily from past sources, both in gaming, films and books. Its inspirations are clear, and Monolith has done little to disguise them, eagerly appropriating what has made these various franchises so massively successful in their own right. On the other however, this is a game that may drastically alter how we perceive gameplay and story in the future, especially how they interact with one another. While certain other titles with procedurally generated content have failed to live up to expectations, Shadow of Mordor appears to be staking its entire worth on how well these two elements combine, rather than using it as a gimmick to rope in the optimistic. If the Nemesis System does not live up to its promise Shadow of Mordor will be a quickly forgotten and abandoned title, yet another in a long line that pledged far more than it could deliver. If however it does manage to fulfil its potential this will be a game that could be remembered as the creator of an entirely new method of storytelling, one which places the narrative in the hands of the player and gives him the means to create his own personal story.