Its tuesday dear gaming maniacs, and that means it's back too GameScope with its second issue! For our column, today I'm going to analyze a game that already from the name can only awaken a sort of awe: The Lord of the Rings: The Northern War, which saw the light in October 2011 for last generation PCs and consoles! Following a trail left by the announcement of the new title on the most famous fantasy saga in history, "Middle-earth: Shadow of War" , it is right to take a step back and analyze a title belonging to it, but which has not really received the success it deserved.
THE HISTORY NEVER TOLD
We all undoubtedly know the history of The Lord of the Rings, and the plot of this game that many have called a spin off, integrates perfectly with the facts narrated in both the paper and film trilogy: our story begins in Bree, where before the arrival of Frodo and his companions, a ranger named Eradan, an elf named Andriel and a dwarf named Farin, they take up the request for help from Aragorn, the future King of men. He sends the three valiant companions to the North to check out facts and strange circumstances that have led to the deaths of many humans. Thus begins a journey in which our heroes will meet fantastic creatures, fearsome enemies and precious allies. In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North we will pass through many of the most famous places in the world of middle earth, such as Rivendell, home of King Elrond, Mirkwood and many others. I will not reveal the ending of a story that is expertly told and intricate, but I can tell you this: the facts and events that the three companions go to face, explain many things that we have seen and that were not explained to us either in the book or in the film trilogy: see the presence of the Giant Eagles who often help Gandalf. The trio will also face one of Sauron's most powerful servants, the sorcerer Agandaur.
A GAMEPLAY BETWEEN THE CLASSIC AND THE MODERN
The Lord of the Rings: The Northern War looks like a classic Action / RPG: three characters to choose from, each with its own unique characteristics! Each character has three skill trees, then we can choose how to play our darling however we like:
- The Drifter Eradan: of the three it is perhaps the most versatile, it can be a long distance fury, strong in almost elven archery skills (he can even nock 4 arrows in his bow), otherwise can be used as a valiant assassin that "disappears" from the battlefield, becoming invisible and hitting the enemy hard from behind! Last but not least it can turn into a real death machine in the middle of the battlefield, hitting hard area of his two swords or if you prefer a two-handed broadsword, slower but very effective
- The Sorceress Andriel: like all self-respecting wizards, this girl is a true marvel on and off the battlefield! In battle, he will be able to defend the group, creating force fields that heal friends and damage enemies, create upgrades for your weapons and those of the group, bring back our downed comrades and bombard the field with thunder and fireballs! Out of combat, he will be able to create powerful potions thanks to his ability as a herbalist.
- The Nano Farin: our bearded companion, may turn out to be a wall, the pivot on which everyone can rely! With his two-handed Ax, Farin will be able to take out hordes of enemies alone using its fury in combat, becoming a miniature armor that can take infinite damage. Finally we can empower the party with its mighty battle cries, making it the perfect warrior!
Another quality not to be underestimated of the title is the ability to play the entire story of the game with friends, both locally with the split screen and online !!! At the beginning of each mission, we could choose which character to control until the completion of the same, while the others who are not managed by a player, will be in the hands of a well-kept virtual intelligence: this will be able to understand in which direction to take the characters, based on our choices. We may be gifting rare or modified items to characters we don't use and the computer will be able to make the most of them. The Lord of the Rings: The Northern War will allow us to manage all aspects related to the character: we could choose the weapons, armor, pants, boots, gloves and helmets and there will also be epic objects that when combined will give extra skills to our hero.
A GRAPHIC NOT TO UNDERESTIMATE!
At the level of maps the game has a lot of areas, all at instances and explorable far and wide: don't be surprised if you find yourself wandering around for 40 minutes without seeing an end! The missions then take on an ever new nuance in that each of the three characters has specific abilities that change the secrets found in the mission: the ranger will be able to discover shortcuts or hidden chests, the dwarf will be able to identify structural failures in the walls and reveal rooms with treasures and golden veins, and the elf will be able to find flowers and plants for the creation of potions. From the graphic point of view The Lord of the Rings: The Northern War was a feast for the eyes (seen with those of the time): the armor and weapons of the characters have very high level textures, even the shadows and the backdrops are well cared for: some slight imperfection falls on the goblins enemies, sometimes poorly characterized, but the larger opponents such as the Urukai and the Trolls have a very fine workmanship. All the more so when we make a critical kill or a combo kill with one of the partners, a slow-motion quick time event will trigger that will allow us to savor the moment of the enemy's death in detail. As it is clear, the title is not free from some bugs, but I assure you very negligible given the goodness of the title!
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a full game, strong of a story and a cutting-edge technical department of its kind, enjoyable in single but spectacular with a friend by your side. The whole adventure will take you over 15 hours, bringing it to completion without counting the various extras. A title that must undoubtedly be played and replayed, and that I strongly recommend you to recover as soon as power!
We look forward to seeing you next Tuesday with a new issue of GameScope, and with a new jewel to dust off!
