At the very cusp of 2015,1 resolved that this would be the year that I would strive to be more elf like - elvish, if you will, Not exactly the most ordinary of New Year resolutions, I know. But there's just something about elves that really gets me. They seem to possess every desirable characteristic that I lack- silky straight hair straight out of a conditioner commercial, immeasurable amounts of both grace and strength, and infinite wisdom gained over an entire immortal lifetime. Slightly unrealistic expectations to place on myself, sure. There's just something undeniably bad ass about being able to masterfully wield a bow whilst managing to keep a head full of braids perfectly intact.
In the latest DLC instalment in the understandably praised Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, we see the elf Bright Lord Celebrimbor traverse the ashen wastelands of Mordor with the one ring itself The aim of his mission?To utilise the Ring of Power to take down Sauron and rescue his family from the scaly bastard's metal talons. Did Middle Earth just get its own version of Liam Neeson? Hell yeah it did.
Unlike prior DLCs which focused mostly on new maps and combatants. The Bright Lord is a prequel to the events of the main game. Set thousands of years prior in a now familiar and desolate part of Middle Earth, Celebrimbor has made it his duty to assemble a mighty Uruk and challenge Sauron’s claim to Mordor. However, the Ring of Power threatens to overcome our hero and corrupt his noble soul at any moment. Tolkien lore nerds rejoice!
Apart from being a narrative blast from the past, what fresh features does The Bright Lord bring to the table? Celebrimbor's command of the Ring of Power allows him the power of invisibility and a time-suspending advantage during combat. These new abilities can sometimes prove to be slightly tricky to access and navigate during a typically frenzied fight-especially when faced with many of the rough new opponents on offer. There's a whole new slew of vile, cocky Uruk war chiefs to tear through, and they are rough- they're like hybrid Gremlins on steroids, with armour that makes them look like undead Hannibal Lectors.
Uruk scuffles offer challenging satisfying combat straight from the word go. Staying true to the game's original offerings, fights offer far more than just a blur of keyboard-mashing. Victory can only be granted from well thought out strategy.
However, the swarms of enemies when fighting within Uruk strongholds can seem clunky and overwhelming in a not-so-satisfying way, replacing graceful melee combat with panicked back flips in an effort to retreat from the messy jumble of sharp spears and cockney accents.
Although there is an almost exclusive focus on heavy battle, there are also plenty of opportunities to get your elf stealth on and take down some enemies on the sly. This is helped by new branding abilities, allowing Celebrimbor to muster his Uruk minions with some sneaky mind control. No need to threaten your way into the hearts of lowly, double-crossing soldiers- after all, that's hardly the graceful elf way, is it?
This instalment truly shows Shadow of Mordor's signature nemesis system at its best as Celebrimbor takes control of regions, orchestras ambushes and takeovers and attempts to corrupt the ranks of the Uruk army from within. I really feel that this feature has not only set a new standard for the way enemies are encountered within RPGs, but will challenge the way future games are designed.
It truly feels like we're being given a different perspective on his character. Not yet humbled by years of self-enforced wraith existence, the wise and carefully spoken Celebrimbor of early Mordor is a far more aggressive and egotistical warrior, finding himself more tempted by the path of victorious war lord in the spiteful face of Sauron. Yet his story still lacks somehow. Maybe it's because the original game's storyline already filled us in on Celebrimbor's fate.
Whilst not a wildly new experience in terms of storyline or setting, The Bright Lord offers a chance to really explore the possibilities of the nemesis system and step up the difficulty level in terms of hard out combat. Sure, playing around with new abilities is a pretty cool way to waste time. But taking down that seemingly unbeatable Uruk war chief with a face like a smashed eel who's kicked your ass in the last five battles? Now that's satisfying.