Lord of the Rings: War in the North could be seen as a spiritual successor to the Lord of the Rings strategy games released on the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and original XBOX several years ago. The gameplay of Snowblind Studios’ new side story in the Lord of the Rings universe takes more than a few cues from these other titles in the series – and that’s not a bad thing.
At its core, Lord of the Rings: War in the North can be described as a solid third-person action RPG with a heavy emphasis on cooperative gameplay. Players can select from three different heroes: a Dwarven warrior, an Elven mage, and a human archer. Each character plays quite differently but can be developed to player specifications using skill points that are earned by defeating enemies and leveling up. The story takes place during the events of the original trilogy but in a different section of Middle Earth: Fornost Erain, (also known as Norbury) in the far North.
The art style of the characters, enemies, and environments are indeed reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, but many of the locations and creatures in the game were not shown in the movies and were therefore designed from Tolkien’s descriptions in the original novels. The level of violence and gore in the game is also greater than any previous Lord of the Rings title – substantial enough to earn the franchise’s first ESRB “M” rating. The gore isn’t overdone, but manages to inject an aura of seriousness and foreboding into the game’s dark tale.
The entire story plays out in co-op, with the CPU taking control of any of the three heroes not controlled by a human player. In single-player mode, all three characters share experience points and the player can determine which character to use at the start of each level. Experience points are awarded for killing enemies, and after acquiring enough experience points, the character levels up and earns several points that can be used to enhance player stats and skills – like many other RPGs.
In a somewhat unique twist for console titles, however, the game does have a heavy emphasis on loot collecting. GamesAreEvil has been told that all loot and character progression transfers seamlessly between online and offline play. In other words, a character that was leveled up offline can be taken online with the same equipment and levels, and vice versa. Additionally, any loot acquired in an online game can be retained for offline use.
The PAX demo had the three heroes (each controlled by a real flesh-and-blood player) defending a fortress from an onslaught of trolls, Viking-like human warriors, and other assorted nasties. The controls of the game will be familiar to anyone experienced in the genre, and took a very small amount of time to adjust. Although block and dodge functions are provided, getting out of certain situations – such as being completely surrounded – appeared to be more difficult than it needed to be. Being surrounded in this game is a BAD thing. When ranged, melee, and magic attacks weren’t enough to stop the onslaught, two large crossbow turrets were provided to thin the hoards. The demo ended with the players having to stop two slow moving (but incredibly powerful) trolls from breaking down the door to the defended fortress. We won, but it wasn’t an easy fight.
Though some would say the franchise has worn itself out, Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a competent action RPG that should please fans of the genre and fans of the franchise. Lord of the Rings: War in the North launches later this fall on PC and high-definition consoles.
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