The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Preview

Cheat Code Central has put up a two-page preview on the Snowblind-developed action RPG The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, putting a particular emphasis on what sets it apart from other games set in Tolkien’s fantastic world.

War in the North takes a slightly different approach to interpreting Tolkien’s beloved masterpiece. This game intends to emphasize the grim, gritty aspect of war instead of focusing on the lighthearted and adventurous. In fact, this game is so violent that it’s anticipating an M rating a first for a Lord of the Rings game. 

Another way this title tries to separate itself from the typical Lord of the Rings experience is by setting the action in the lesser-explored regions of Middle-Earth. Players will spend their time miles away from Frodo and his merry band of traveling hobbits. Don’t expect to be throwing any Rings of Power into any Mount Doom fires in War of the North.

Instead, players become involved in their own fellowship, tasked with cleaning up the mess in the Northern regions of Middle-Earth. This party of three includes a dwarf, an elf, and a human. These characters are not in the books at all, unless you count this one quote from the wizard Gandalf: “With his far-reaching, rich hand, Sauron might have done great evil in the North. Yet all that has been averted because a handful of heroes stood in his path.” With such a vague description, Snowblind has a lot of wiggle room to work with. The story of these three characters can be wild and unexpected without treading on any of Tolkien’s carefully-crafted lore.