We have rounded up a number of reviews for Monolith’s Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and almost all of them received the title’s gameplay and interpreration of Tolkien’s fantasy setting extremely warmly.
Eurogamer, 8/10.
One of the most enduring themes of Tolkien’s universe has been the corrupting influence of power, but this has almost always been explored through the eyes of individuals that refuse to abuse that power. In death, Talion is free to do what those characters were never able to, and you experience first-hand what an intoxicating high that can be. At the start of the game you’re not much more than a lowly Ranger, sneaking through camps and silently slitting Orcish throats in the night. By the end of the game you’re boldly strolling through those same camps, as terrified uruks whisper tales of the Ranger-turned-Gravewalker over fortifying gulps of grog. There’s plenty to see and do in Mordor when you’re dead; all that’s left, in the words of a wise old wandering wizard, is to decide what to do with the time that is given to you.
GameSpot, 8/10.
All of these tasks are dotted across the game’s two expansive maps, which invite you to chase one waypoint after another, murdering captains, infiltrating Uruk feasts, and collecting artifacts that unveil truths about the wraith’s past misdeeds. This structure (of course) recalls Assassin’s Creed, but it is now imperative that the Assassin’s Creed series learn from Shadow of Mordor. Easy comparisons aside, this is a great game in its own right, narratively disjointed but mechanically sound, made up of excellent parts pieced together in excellent ways. I already knew what future lay in store for Middle-earth as I played Shadow of Mordor; I’m hoping that my own future might one day bring another Lord of the Rings adventure as stirring as this one.
GamesRadar, 4.5/5.
Shadow of Mordor isn’t just the greatest Lord of the Rings game to date–it’s also one of the most entertaining open-world adventures around. By the time you’ve concluded Talion’s journey, you’ll feel like you’ve experienced your own personal odyssey through Middle-earth, locked in a struggle against adversaries that only you truly know. The thrill of undermining the Uruks’ hierarchy doesn’t last forever, but the memories of the villains it generates will stay with you for a long time.
Polygon, 9.5/10.
The gameplay foundation of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is very strong, which makes it all the more incredible that it’s also the least exciting thing about the game. Most video games choose to either tell you a story or give you a world in which you can create your own stories; very rarely are these two paths mixed, and even more rarely with any success.
Shadow of Mordor is that ultimate rarity. It tells a fun little story that would be enough to hold up most games on their own. But it also provides all of the tools to ensure that the most interesting tales to come out of the game will be the ones that were not scripted.
Kotaku, YES.
I think that’s the sort of youthful exuberance The Lord of the Rings universe needs rights now. As the Hobbit movies wind slowly to a close, Shadow of Mordor boldly asserts itself as a new beginning.
Joystiq, 5/5.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a well-paced sandbox game with a revolutionary new game mechanic in the Nemesis System, which I imagine we’ll see iterated on in the years to come. The Nemesis System creates the opportunity for two players to have wildly different experiences fighting the Uruk-hai, while Talion collects trinkets and upgrades. Your nemesis (an Uruk who will find a way to kill you time and time again) will be completely different from your friend’s, and you’ll have plenty of unique experiences to share about different tactics you used to take out a certain warchief. Or, how you were chasing a captain who retreated in battle and ran right into the jaws of a wild caragor, robbing you of sweet victory.
What would have otherwise been a competent sandbox game with solid combat mechanics and an interesting twist on a known fantasy world is elevated by the Nemesis System. Shadow of Mordor is the strategic person’s action game.
The Escapist, 4.5/5.
As an open world game set in Middle-earth, Shadow of Mordor delivers unique emergent gameplay, finely-tuned combat mechanics and a story which avoids typical fantasy fare. While the main storyline can be finished relatively quickly, there is a lot of content in Mordor for you to pursue however you like.
IGN, 9.3/10.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor stands out from other open-world action games by putting a great new layer on top of the trail that Batman blazed. I was surprised at how well it integrates its excellent combat with rewarding feedback and progression not just for me, but also for my enemies. I’ve had many more memorable and unpredictable battles with its randomized Warchiefs and captains than I did in the scripted campaign missions, and I expect those to keep on coming.
The Verge, scoreless.
By letting me tell my own story in its world, Shadow of Mordor got me interested in Tolkien’s universe in a way no other piece of media has. At first I was just having fun sneaking up on orcs and stabbing them in the neck, but 15 hours in I was seeking out every corner of Mordor so that I could learn more about it (while still having fun stabbing orcs).
GameInformer, 8.25/10.
The final hour of Monolith’s Middle-earth adventure falls flat, as the story falteringly tries to pull together a number of disparate threads, and the mostly triumphant nemesis system fails to stick the landing. Even with these and other features that rubbed me the wrong way, I can’t help but cheer for Monolith’s ambition. Shadow of Mordor is an unabashedly challenging and complex experience, sometimes at the expense of accessibility. I’m thrilled that we’ve got a new franchise in the fertile ground of Tolkien’s fiction. Add in a borderline revolutionary approach to mission design, and this is a firm foundation for a stellar new series.
Hardcore Gamer, 4.5/5.
Although it comes in the wake of dozens before it, Shadow of Mordor is the definitive Middle-earth experience. It smartly avoids trying to adapt already existing plot points, instead crafting its own unique story and overall experience. Combat is fluid, production values are sky high and the game is quite simply a blast to experience. Clocking in at around fifteen hours when focusing purely on the campaign, it’s a bit too short for an open-world game, and it cribs some of its best ideas from other popular franchises (although some will likely in turn swipe its impressive Nemesis System), but that doesn’t hold it back from being an enveloping adventure. More than just a great Lord of the Rings game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor marks a new era for the franchise that can be enjoyed by fans and the uninitiated alike.
MMORPG.com, 8.2/10.
If you’re a fan of open world RPGs, love the idea of killing and enslaving orcs, and aren’t too worried about tweaking Tolkien to serve the purpose of fun, you owe it to yourself to buy and play Shadow of Mordor. Talion’s quest right up there as one of this year’s best and Monolith should be very proud of their work.
EGMNow, 8.5/10.
In a sense, then, Shadow of Mordor comes at a crucial time for Middle-earth in the public consciousness, and it looks primed to carry the torch of Tolkien for the foreseeable future. Monolith seems more than capable of doing for Sauron and company what Rocksteady did for the Dark Knight: finally delivering a gaming franchise worthy of the iconic fiction. We’ve seen competent games based on Tolkien’s works here and there, but this may well become the first series that has the chance to finally live up to the source material. Considering the important place Tolkien holds in fantasy and storytelling, that’s a welcome sight for games and one long overdue.
GameFront, 90/100.
Shadow of Mordor may not hew exactly to Tolkien’s lore, but it’s certainly close enough for the vast majority of folks. More importantly, it’s a fun game that lets you experience The Lord of the Rings regardless of how much knowledge you have of the world coming in. Great combat and an amazing setting round out one of the best Lord of the Rings titles in years.
GameTrailers, 8.7/10.
If you’re fond of Tolkien, you should enjoy this side story without being too offended by the updates to popular lore. If you’ve enjoyed Assassin’s Creed, you may appreciate the visceral change of pace the game brings to the genre of open-world stealth. The world feels alive and treacherous, the combat gives you lots of gruesome options, and the enemy army is always evolving. It might not offer the challenge you crave, but if you enjoy killing orcs, there are two maps filled with the savage monsters and they’re all looking for a fight.
Shacknews, 9/10.
Shadow of Mordor is influenced by other games, but not defined by them. Instead it takes pieces from some of the best games of the last few years, augments them with RPG mechanics and the new Nemesis system, and integrates them all so well together that it’s sometimes hard to tell where one system begins and another ends. It’s a remarkable achievement, and should justifiably establish Monolith as the torch-bearer for the Lord of the Rings series.
GamesBeat, 80/100.
At its core, Shadow of Mordor is a fresh, exciting game. I love what it does to make every enemy feel special. Open-world games like Assassin’s Creed and Grand Theft Auto haven’t really done much to expand on the possibility for emergence in the genre. They look like a pair of Casio digital wristwatches compared to the complex moving parts of Shadow of Mordor’s intricate cuckoo clock.
But like any complex system, it’s easier to notice the effects of one misplaced component. The resurrecting bosses undo some of Shadow of Mordor’s magic, and the story and characters don’t do a ton to help.
I don’t want to turn everyone off of it. I think Shadow of Mordor deserves a huge audience. I like it bordering on loving it. Had Monolith tightened up a few things, I’d probably love it bordering on considering it one of the best games of the year.
The only outlier so far seems to be Destructoid, with a lukewarm 6/10 review.
Ultimately, like many ambitious projects, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor doesn’t deliver on everything it sets out to do. Although Monolith’s heart is in the right place and the studio honors the lore, it doesn’t really add anything that’s worth seeing outside of some solid open world gameplay. It isn’t a bad game, it just feels far too repetitive for its own good.
