After Target leaked a cover image for the planned sequel to Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Warner Bros. was forced to drop the trailer for Shadow of War before their planned March 8th announcement, but that’s okay because the cinematic trailer has everyone (me) excited.
Players will wield a new Ring of Power and confront the deadliest of enemies, including Sauron and his Nazgul, in a monumental battle for Middle-earth. With an original story featuring our two heroes from the first game, Middle-earth: Shadow of War will have you going deep behind enemy lines to forge an army in the hopes of turning all of Mordor against the Dark Lord himself.
Developed by Monolith Productions, the open-world action-adventure game is brought to life once more through an expanded version of the award-winning Nemesis System. The robust personalization from the first game is now applied to the entire world where environments and characters are all shaped by player actions and decisions, creating a personal world unique to every gameplay experience.
While there isn’t any gameplay in the trailer, there is a lot of story to unpack: a new one ring, Talion possibly dealing with being separated from the wraith, Celebrimbor, and Sauron has returned to Mordor. With news of an improved Nemesis system, hopefully that means the game won’t grow to be ridiculously easy in the latter half like its predecessor. I’m hoping that the image of the Nazgûl riding a fellbeast means that much like the caragors in the original, the sequel will allow players to tame and ride fellbeasts. Can you imagine flying over Mordor, shrieking like one of Sauron’s Nine Riders?
Of course, the release date of August 22nd is the most important bit of news from this announcement. Fans won’t have to wait years after this news to get their hands on the game.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is slated to release as an Xbox Play Anywhere title for the Xbox One and Windows 10. As an added bonus, those who buy Shadow of War will also have access to the game on the Microsoft Scorpio when it releases during the holiday season.
