Basic Data
- Developed by Monolith Productions
- Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Directed by Michael de Plater
- Engines used are LitchTech Jupiter EX, Nemesis System and PathEngine
- Platforms are Microsoft Windows, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 & Xbox One
- Initially released on September 30, 2014
- Genre is Action-adventure, hack and slash
- Mode is Single-player
LAND OF MORDOR
It all begins in the land of Mordor covered with the curtains of darkness, shadowy alleys, pain, slavery and oppression. Talion, a Ranger and Captain of the Black Gate (protagonist), and his family were slaughtered by the Black Hand of Sauron (antagonist). In the body of Talion, a powerful Wraith is stuck due to a curse which can only be broken by defeating the Black Hand of Sauron and the powerful army of Warchiefs, Orcs and Uruks ruling Mordor. The world is extremely diverse and totally natural with endless activities to do. The wildlife experience is completely different from any other open-world game - from creepy insects to terrifying mighty Caragors, they have managed to pack action & fear in a single bag. Unlike most of the open-world games, you don't have to drink a potion or some medicine to replenish your health, there are unique plants allover the Mordor which you've to cut in order to patch yourself up.
There are Forge Towers that can only be seen by Wraith which helps you in traveling faster, from one Forge Tower to another. The weather adds extra spice in the action; the horrifying lightning with the drops of rain in a middle of a battle is what boosts the player's confidence! Wherever you go, you see giant mountains in your surroundings with awe-inspiring greenery. If the player is tired from killing unmerciful creatures then clouds at night are a great way to skip the stress - they are lonely and free of horror. The land is corrupted and polluted with witchcraft and black magic, and the shadows which adds a great chill of horror. Mordor is filled with slaves working for Orcs & Uruks, getting slaughtered and continuously oppressed - they don't believe in the word “hope” anymore. There are strongholds in different areas of the Mordor controlled by the Warchiefs and only the one with guts can even think of trespassing.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is undoubtedly phenomenal and the best I've ever experienced so far in an open-world game. With special Abilities of yours and Runes on your weapons, you can strategically defeat your opponent in the blink of an eye. It has great stealth as well where your Dagger is used frequently for silently executing your enemy. You've a circular mini-map on the bottom left corner of your screen which shows your health bar, your remaining Elf-shots (arrows) and the map. The gameplay mechanics enable us to deal with multiple enemies at a time - you can grab normal Orcs & Uruks and dominate them so they can be used against their own army. Sometimes your opponent is overpowered which increases the fun of combat but it's all about the tactics and techniques you use for elimination.
You can even ride a Caragor (a deadly animal) because horse-riding is too mainstream. Is your Caragor hungry? No problem! Just bite the hell out of your enemy to replenish your animal's health. The main advantage of riding a Caragor is that it's fast and can climb mountains. And when you're walking peacefully in the night, a swarm of weird and irritating Ghuls are at your service - they're easy to kill but high in quantity. Explosions are a great way to kill a group of filthy Orcs & Uruks - all you have to do is to fire an arrow on the campfire and boom! It's done. If you're assassinating a Warchief and he's too overpowered, then your best bet is to use the stealth finisher and that'll do the job. Gameplay is totally unique in its own way, the combat is not repetitive at all which makes it fun and the constant fear of defeat keeps it balanced and fair game.
GRAPHICS
Needless to say, the graphics of this masterpiece are astounding and very realistic. The blood that pours out of the enemy's head, the direct sunlight which actually makes your eyes blink as if it's real life, the placement of mountains, greenery and caves --- these are just few elements out of hundred. I have never seen better graphics of an action-adventure, hack and slash game before and that is why this phenomenal piece is critically-acclaimed. However, if you are planning to run this game on ultra settings then I believe you need at least 6 gigs of VRAM (Video RAM) for textures which is quite a lot. For a stable FPS of a decent rig, you can set all the settings to ultra except the textures until and unless your GPU actually supports it.
You can even see the sharp edges of weapons and the veins of Talion - each and every element of the game has been focused on. When you see from the eyes of Wraith then the world is entirely different for you, but you're able to detect your main targets and collectibles more efficiently. If you're a beginner in adjusting the graphics settings then they've provided a description of each and every setting for you to digest it. There's also a benchmark option available in the main menu to test your FPS. The graphics look so beautiful on 4K resolution that you can distinguish between particles. I played this game on Sapphire Dual-X R9 280X 3GB on ultra settings except textures because I was getting FPS drops at crowded areas.
Hierarchy System
Hierarchy is possibly the best and one of the uniquest feature in this game. The army of Sauron is continuously struggling to get promotions and achieve higher ranks as they're power hungry. They schedule riots, power struggles and hold duels in jealousy and to show that they really mean business. If you are attempting to assassinate a solider of the army but unluckily you get killed, your killer will be promoted and increased in power. This is the beauty of this hierarchy system that it's constantly changing and getting killed is actually a big loss.
You can use this great tool against the army by corrupting the minds of Orcs, Uruks & Warchiefs. Bounding a solider is better than assassinating him because you're also increasing in power. If you're having trouble in assassinating a Captain or a Warchief then you can gather Intel from other soldiers to learn the traits, strengthens and weaknesses of that Captain or Warchief to make the assassination easier. You can build your own army and then command them to create tension between the army soldiers. The army soliders who are on your side are marked as Blue.
Pros
- Great hierarchy system
- Amazing gameplay
- Stunning graphics
- Unique story
Cons
- Unable to swim
- No multiplayer mode
- Few boring campaign missions
Ratings (Positive)
Gameplay: 9/10
Story: 8/10
Sound: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Lasting Appeal: 8/10
Overall Score: 9.2/10
REVIEWED BY INNCEPTIONIST
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) but yeah, stay tuned buds.
