Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Doesn’t Rehash Lord of the Rings

Monolith Productions’ Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is many things – an action adventure game, a stealth game and even a strategy game in some aspects. But one thing it’s not is Lord of the Rings…or at least not in the way that justifies slapping the name in the game’s title.

According to lead designer Bob Roberts in conversation with Eurogamer, “One of the things, our goals from the beginning was not to make a movie game – not to just rehash the same events over again. So just trying to make the best game we can, and make it clear that this is its own thing, it’s its own story, it’s its own experience. We’re not just rehashing a movie.

“So giving it a name that’s clearly its own thing, I think helps kind of separate it. If this is your entry point into Lord of the Rings – if you’ve never seen the movies or never read the books – this will make sense; you’ll be able to start here. And then, hopefully, all the other stories you see beyond that once you dig into the rest of the world will be enriched by that.”

Fan reception will decide where Monolith goes with the franchise. “Beyond what we’re doing for this game, we’ve got to stay focused – eye on the ball right now on this one,” said Roberts.

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