Review: Does Shadow of Mordor have the Best Gameplay?

Recently, I started playing Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. This is the predecessor to Shadow of War. It is the one that doesn't have microtransactions in the game. This game is set in the Tolkien universe but may not necessarily be canon due to possibly contradicting events and, obviously, no input from Tolkien. It features the return of many familiar characters (of which I will not mention to avoid spoilers). Let’s break it down into the PAG; Plot, Aesthetic and Gameplay.

Plot

I would say that plot is one of the weakest things about the game. It is a very simple plot that is more of an excuse to do the cool stuff that you can do in game. It holds very little substance. The ‘twist’ is predictable from a mile away. All around, it is just an average story. Nothing too special.

All the motivations for each character’s actions are mostly one-dimensional. Everything that happens is mainly because of vengeance or because … plot. Like I said earlier, I wouldn’t describe Shadow of Mordor as thought-provoking.

Aesthetic

I recently got myself a gaming rig with a GTX 1060 6GB graphics card. Boy, the graphics look really good in this game. Although it is four-years, it is one of the most beautiful looking games I’ve played. Then again, that really isn’t saying much. I haven’t played many games due to previously running Windows on a Potato.

One of the mechanics of the game, Executions, are really beautiful to look at. It is a gory mess but not too gory. It is bloody enough to be cool but not gross. I think the use of black blood instead of red really helps reduce the gore factor. Similar to how all the ‘robots’ bleed ‘oil’ in the Samurai Jack series (Another thing I highly recommend but for vastly different reasons). The motions in each swing of the blade, the energy blasts from Wraith powers, flips and kicks; they all look amazingly fluid! It reminds me a lot of the Arkham series in terms of combat aesthetic.

The Uruks are also really neat in terms of appearances. Those with ranks have more ‘unique’ designs. They may not look insanely unique but the clear difference between ranked Uruks and the normal grunts are a nice detail to have. These tiny details also show insight into each Uruk’s personality which is pretty neat. I will explain more in the gameplay section as how the game plays is where it takes the cake!

Gameplay

In Shadow of Mordor, you play a ranger named Talion who massacres through Uruk armies to achieve his vengeance. He is aided by a spirit that tags along on his adventures, giving him extra powers. This is the Gravewalker, a man who has returned from the dead a bigger badass than before.

The controls in this game are simple but clunky. I used an Xbox360 controller to play it. This is because I prefer the ergonomics of a controller for a button-masher. Much like the Arkham series, combat is pretty much a rhythm game. Button-mashing works but well-timed hits and counters would lead to critical strikes that allow for faster executions. However, the targeting can sometimes be off. This means that you can accidentally behead your allies instead of the enemies. This is fine because it is thematically sound. A theme I can’t really discuss until you finish the game!

The execution mechanic is a means to ‘finish off’ the Uruk. Using executions would reduce the number of enemies available since, well, one of them died. There are many different types of executions that can be done mid-combat or in stealth. The outcome is mostly the same… until it isn’t.

Death is not the end of your character. Likewise, it isn’t necessarily the end for ranked Uruks. If you do not decapitate them, they might come back for round two! This time, bearing new scars for each previous encounter. During my playthrough, there was an Uruk who just won’t die. He was fittingly called The Legend. My executions never involved beheading for him. So, he kept on coming back! As the game progressed with my inability to kill him. His body and face became increasingly scarred and covered up with metal prosthetics. It was really cool to see my nemesis grow this way.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about the nemesis system. These are Uruks that are influenced by Talion’s actions throughout the game.

Each nemesis can have a unique name, visual, level, rank, relationships, fighting styles, strengths, weaknesses, and a common hangout spot. As you can see by that long list, there was a lot of care in designing this mechanic. As I mentioned earlier, my nemesis would also gradually change based on how many failed attempts I had at killing him. At that point, I swore that he was only fighting me so that he could end his life quicker and must think that I am a psychopath for not completely finishing him off.

You can influence the Nemesis system by completing side missions that could help your nemesis reach higher ranks. These missions come in the form of feasts, acts of bravery, or battles with other nemeses.

Talion can interact with the Nemesis system by dying. Sounds counterproductive but dying is a signal to the game that things should be moving around in the system. When Talion dies, before the respawn (which is canon in this game), the Uruk responsible for killing you gets a promotion in rank and power level. Then, all the other Uruks would go through their individual routes killing their way to the top, creating new vacancies below. You can intentionally die to a particular Uruk by seeking him out only to get killed. This is so that you can later have a strong ally to control using the Brand mechanic or so you can kill him for a powerful upgrade to your weapons.

The Brand Mechanic is one of the cooler things in this game. Combat isn’t necessarily just stealth, melee and ranged. You can brand Uruks halfway through the game. This makes them yours. If you are in the vicinity of a branded Uruk, you can activate them to start murdering their non-branded friends. This is at its best when you brand the bodyguards of a Warchief so that when the Warchchief comes out to kill you, he gets backstabbed by four of his closest friends instead. The Brand mechanic is so broken and unfair compared to the normal executions. However, it is so fun, you will eventually prefer branding over executing very quickly. Especially when you can start branding in combat!

Branding isn’t only useful for gaining an army. Branding also increases your ammo for your ranged weapon – a bow. This ammo is also used to help you teleport across rooms to stealthily brand or execute people.

Once you have branded a captain, you can use them to gain intel about other captains. Or if you dominate a ‘Worm’, you can gain detailed information about a captain like strengths and weaknesses.

Alternatively, you can even command your branded Uruk to complete missions against other nemeses, allowing your branded captains to become more powerful and higher ranked.

What happens in YOUR game is not the end of this mechanically amazing game. There are also Vendetta missions that allow for you to kill Uruks that killed other players in their games!

There are effectively two game worlds that you can interact with. The first is the normal one while the other is the Wraith-world. You get to see with the ghost’s eyes. This allows you to spot collectibles and enemies easier.

Conclusion

I have played 32 hours of this game according to Steam. It isn’t much as the main plot is very short (due to how simple and easy it is). However, the game has almost infinite replayability should you enjoy the mechanics of the game.

I have also got myself the DLCs for the game and have tried out the Bright Lord Campaign and the Lord of the Hunt Campaign. The Bright Lord Campaign is effectively a prequel to the story while the Lord of the Hunt is Monster Hunter lite. Don’t play either of the DLCs until you finish the main story for obvious spoilery reasons.

There are also some challenge missions that allow for you to compete with other players online for the top score but that really isn’t my thing.

Regarding the sequel, Shadow of War. I personally wouldn't touch it as I find it enabling for those who want to make paid games that have microtransactions that aren't purely aesthetic. Cough Cough EA Cough Cough. I have heard that it is definitely more polished than this game but it doesn't bring much else to the table. Thus, I'd only buy it if it were free or very cheap.

Overall, I would give this game an easy 9/10. 8 of those points come purely from gameplay. Shadow of Mordor is THE game that brings truth to the phrase “Style over substance.”