While fans have already enjoyed lots gameplay in previous trailers in previous trailers for the game, this latest trailer is all about the game’s story. In the follow up to 2014’s Shadow of Mordor, Talion and Celebrimbor will be using the power of the New Ring to build an army and face-off against what Warner Bros. calls the “deadliest enemies,” Sauron and Nazgul, and fight in a “monumental battle for Middle-earth.” Talion bellows to his gathered allies “you fight for The Bright Lord!” which is one encouraging rallying cry but given that Talion and company also face off against some new “devilry” with enemies glowing a terrifying shade of green and having flaming wings on their backs, the battle in Middle-earth: Shadow of War will not be an easy one to win.
Warner Bros. also describes Shadow of War’s story as “completely original” and says that the game will benefit from the new and improved Nemesis System. The feature that so many people loved in the first game is back and looks better than ever. Among other things, this system impacts how enemies and allies interact and respond to Talion. This should make this new army and these new enemies a whole lot more interesting to work alongside and defeat, respectively.
Additionally, Warner Bros. promises that the game will take place in a “richer, more personal and expansive world.” Middle-earth: Shadow of War’s open world has already been shown off in previous trailers, but plenty of fans will be looking forward to tackling this new narrative as they explore and discover new locations.
Unfortunately, eager fans will have to wait a little longer than expected until they get to play Shadow of War for themselves. The upcoming game was recently delayed from August to fall as developer Monolith Productions explained that it had to make the choice in order to deliver the “highest quality experience” possible. That delay is certainly disappointing for those who had expected to play the game this summer, but as the saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait,” and if this new trailer is anything to go by, that extended wait could well be worth it.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War launches on October 10 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
