Middle-Earth: Shadow Bundle Switch 2 Review – Still Addictive

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War are definitely unique open-world titles in the genre. They’re ones in which your enemies remember you and can even profit off poor choices on your part after all, courtesy of the Nemesis System, which remains among the most ingenious innovations of the modern era gaming-wise.

But saying that the Nemesis System is the only thing great about them would be doing both titles a disservice. There’s also that heady blend of the established lore in Lord of the Rings versus intelligent additions that make the experience feel rooted in its inspirations, but bold enough to tell its own story. It’s a franchise that conquers Mordor both literally and figuratively, and you’re at the center of it all.

"Talion’s fate becomes the perfect entry point for Celebrimbor, the legendary elven blacksmith who forged the One Ring for Sauron and paid a heavy price for it."

If that doesn’t keep you rooted in its world when it makes its Switch 2 debut this week, there’s more to it than its best features. But does that new version manage to hold up well enough to make this one as good on the go as it’s been at keeping us glued to our seats in the past?

Let’s begin with Talion, and how he’s often the best vehicle for the Shadow franchise to blend the old and the new. He’s more than just a gruff-voiced protagonist capable of incredible feats with the blade, being a Gondorian ranger and all. He’s also a good man, devoted to his family and in possession of a code of honor that grants him a strong moral compass.

That’s all well and good when life is going well, but things don’t stay that way for very long in the game, and we’re not going to spoil it if this is your first time with it. Talion’s fate becomes the perfect entry point for Celebrimbor, the legendary elven blacksmith who forged the One Ring for Sauron and paid a heavy price for it. It’s a name that immediately strikes awe in the heart of a fan, and it’s an excellent choice to present his alliance with Talion as an uneasy one.

That’s because Talion himself becomes the focal point for the overarching struggle between light and darkness that roots the franchise’s narrative, while allowing that conflict to spill into the gameplay in interesting ways. Player agency is at the center of it all, letting you choose your course of action in an open-world design that’s very liberating once you get some momentum in it.

There’s the matter of the New Ring, and the ability to mind-control Orcs, which is where the dichotomy between the noble Ranger and the Elf whose ruthless quest for revenge sees him justify any means to reach the ends he desires. It’s in how you decide which side to act on in any given moment that lends the game its flavor, and the Nemesis System its potency.

"Talion’s tale is one in which he has no choice but to be an anti-hero, and it’s a narrative that deserves a closer examination"

But no matter what you decide to do with your powers, you know that Talion’s tale is one in which he has no choice but to be an anti-hero, and it’s a narrative that deserves a closer examination.

It’s a good idea to look at how Monolith placed the narrative within the larger framework of Tolkein’s well-established universe, as it’s a choice that immediately lends potency to the story it was trying to tell.

Placing the narrative roughly around the time the One Ring remained with Bilbo, safely tucked away in his pocket while he enjoyed the domestic bliss of The Shire, was a great choice. It was a great way to root Sauron as a threat, while managing to make the first game make good use of his agents in Mordor.

It also helped present a story that fit credibly within the larger mythos of the franchise, and we’re personally fans of how it manages to give us a unique perspective on the Eye of Sauron that’s ever alert for the presence of the One Ring at the end of it. It pulls at your heartstrings long after you’re done with it, but its effectiveness is rivalled only by its execution.

It could have been too easy to throw in a bunch of familiar faces from the books and films, find ways for Talion to meet them, and call it a day. But the Shadow franchise wisely brings in fresh new characters who embody the ideals and personalities of the ones we know and love, while leaving them free to tell their own stories through Talion’s eyes.

It’s also great that the supporting cast is quite limited in both titles, with new and old faces woven into the narrative and gameplay quite well to be a cohesive experience in which engaging with those characters brings tangible gameplay rewards while further deepening the narrative ethos that the game establishes.

"Having Orcs respond to betrayals or a failure to protect them makes every recruit a potential source of questlines that end in a confrontation."

Of course, that supporting cast of characters is supplemented quite well by what’s going to be the feature that stands out the most to you: the Orcs you get to, er, “befriend” along your journey.

Building an army whose effectiveness is hinged on the obedience of a bunch as rowdy as the Orcs might sound like a folly to any member of the Fellowship, but Talion doesn’t really have the cream of the crop to work with in Mordor. Ratbag’s good for some comic relief, but man, is that Orc incompetent.

Of course, other Orcs soon become available to you, each coming with their own strengths, weaknesses, and, of course, unique personalities and a whole lot of ambition as they try to climb the ranks and lead their comrades. The fact that each one of them is a potential recruit to Talion’s cause then creates the scope for interesting games of cat and mouse, all of which are woven into the very fabric of the worlds Talion explores.

It’s an ambitious idea that spreads its effects across sprawling maps and two whole games, building up to what we can only describe as large-scale battles that are the result of Talion working systematically to dismantle enemy formations and to cause chaos at the right moments to ensure that he plays as dirty as the ones he’s fighting.

His Gondorian honor may disapprove of such methods, but the cunning that his training as a Ranger has imparted in him knows that there is no other way. But it’s when his control over an Orc breaks that lends the entire franchise its unpredictability. Having Orcs respond to betrayals or a failure to protect them makes every recruit a potential source of questlines that end in a confrontation.

That you have different ways to respond to such efforts only increases the number of variables you’re left to play with, and you could even pit Orcs against each other to empower a potential recruit while getting rid of a pesky opponent in one fell swoop. The possibilities are endless, and it’s all in your hands. It’s probably the closest you can get to feeling what the power of a Ring can be, and it’s something you can’t put down once you begin with it.

"Talion’s quite the warrior with his sword, while Celebrimbor brings the unerring precision of an Elf to his mystical bow."

Of course, a Ring doesn’t just let you command armies. It can also give you the power you need to obliterate them.

Talion’s quite the warrior with his sword, while Celebrimbor brings the unerring precision of an Elf to his mystical bow. That’s a potent combination in any fight, but pair them together and put a Ring on their finger, and you soon have a being that even the mightiest Ologs can find hard to slay.

The combat system evolves across two games into one that weaves in the best RPG elements of such titles into a combat system that brings an insane amount of depth to a take on Rocksteady’s fluid combat system in the Arkhamverse that feels familiar but entirely new.

Talion’s animations work well to convey his newfound speed and agility while also showcasing his prowess with the blade. The powers he unlocks over the course of two games only serve to supplement his already strong foundations as a Ranger, and a rather good one at that.

However, what makes the Shadow franchise addictive is how each fight can soon go from being a random encounter with a group of Orcs into a full-fledged fight for survival with multiple Orcs with a grudge showing up to get a piece of you. Getting from one place to another comes with a tangible risk, making Talion feel like a hunter who’s also hunted.

It immediately makes Mordor a place where you don’t entirely sheathe your sword, and must be ready to parry a sudden attack at a moment’s notice. Well, that’s exactly what you’d expect from a land that’s so rooted in Sauron’s villainy, and we’d have it no other way.

"It’s an experience that comes together so well across two games, building on its scope and size in a way that makes you feel so darn powerful it really feels like you’re trying to take off a Ring of Power."

It’s a testament to the franchise’s quality that there really is nothing like it on offer today, and with the Nemesis System out of circulation for a while, there could be nothing like it for a while.

It’s an experience that comes together so well across two games, building on its scope and size in a way that makes you feel so darn powerful it really feels like you’re trying to take off a Ring of Power. And that’s not something any game can reliably duplicate without an innovation that’s as visionary as the Nemesis System.

That there’s a solid experience that doesn’t rely on that innovation as its pillar, with every other part of it working well to feed the kind of experience it’s aiming for, is icing on a very tasty cake. It’s also as satisfying as elven bread for those of you who’ve dived deep into Lord of the Rings and its associated lore.

Of course, how that experience translates to the Switch 2 is a factor, and we can say that both Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War run well on the Switch 2, delivering smooth performance whether you’re playing docked or in handheld mode. Frame rate drops are minimal across both games, keeping the action fluid and making the transition from the TV to the portable screen a comfortable one.

The Bright Lord stands tall as a modern protagonist who can rival even the finest warriors we’ve met over the years, and is probably going to occupy a corner of our minds forever thanks to how memorable he makes his time in Mordor.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch 2.