Plot: What’s it about?
The Lord of the Rings hasn’t spawned a great video game legacy, but does War in the North mark a turn in the right direction? While you will cross paths with familiar characters like Aragorn, War in the North tasks you to be part of a new Fellowship, with a new story all to itself. The game follows three characters, a dwarf warrior, an elf ranger, and a human mage, whichever the host plays as taking the central role in conversations. The dwarf is there to tank and deal out melee damage, the elf provides long range attacks, and the mage has powerful magic that can both damage enemies and heal allies. So it should be obvious that War in the North is designed as a co-op experience. This allows the three players to work together and make the most of their skills, combining efforts to overcome the hordes of enemies.
The combat is a lot of fun, though the enemies are sturdier than in most games of this kind. So even weak ones will take some effort to slay, made quicker if teamwork burns them down. While all have ranged and melee abilities, each role is best used when you stick with their intended skills and attacks. Have a mage throw down a healing orb over the dwarf, who attracts all the enemies, while the elf pours arrows into the foes, this is the kind of cooperation that makes War in the North’s battles fun. Even if you’re alone though, you will have two AI partners and while not at the same level as a human, they do well enough. As you progress you can find new armor and weapons, upgrade your equipment with runes, and level up to unlock powerful abilities and upgrades for your character, so there is a lot to do here. Your weapons and armor also have limited durability, which means a return to quest hubs is sometimes needed to get your stuff back into pristine condition.
The level up system allows you to enhance your character and fine tune their abilities. So you can focus on different aspects of their combat prowess, as well as increase their health, mana, or other basic attributes. As a fan of RPG elements, I was pleased to see this kind of system included, as it adds a new dimension to the experience. The abilities you can unlock and fine tune aren’t that deep, but they’re great upgrades that impact game play, so they’re more than welcome. War in the North has some issues, such as repetition and some minor bugs, but the positives far outweigh the negatives here. For those who have wanted a Middle Earth adventure, War in the North provides a terrific action/RPG experience. So if you’re a LotR fan or just love fantasy RPGs, War in the North is well recommended.
Video: How does it look?
This the best looking LotR game I have played, with well detailed visuals and character designs. The game’s world has the signature elements you’d expect from a game set in Middle Earth, but also some fresh touches that fit right in. The various locales look quite good, with a lot of attention to detail and faithful LotR flourishes. I noticed no slowdown or frame rate issues either, even in heated battles with multiple players.
Audio: How does it sound?
The sound design doesn’t stand out as much as the visuals, but it performs quite well. The music is suitable for the license and never annoys, while the various battle sound effects are effective as well. When you club someone with a mace you want a nice thud, so I am glad the sound effects are rock solid here. The weakest audio element is the voice work, as the cast does little to make you take interest and most come off as flat and disinterested. This is a shame given the license, but good voice work in games is hard to find.
Supplements: What are the extras?
N/A
