The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Previews

A couple of sites got the opportunity to play the Lord of the Rings: War in the North in demo form at the recent PAX East, and report back on the upcoming fantasy hack ‘n slash. Co-Optimus.

There was also a type of combo system. As I continuously hit an enemy without getting hit, eventually a little gray cloud over their head resolved into a little yellow Y button. When I hit Y, I entered a (heroic mode) where I believe I did more damage for a short period of time. I found this type of system was a good balance between rewarding players for playing smart (e.g. rolling around to avoid blows), yet not punishing them too harshly whenever they get smacked. Heroic mode was far from god mode, and it didn’t last a very long time at all. It seemed like something to be sought-for, but not necessary to get by.

PC Gamer.

Party play is about more than simply reprising your roles for short, medium and long-range combat. When a player enters his critical state, another player can muscle in on the fight and benefit from the combat bonuses he’s generating. In fact, this is downright necessary for some of the bosses, a couple of which we encounter here. One of these is a colossal troll, of the kind seen in Peter Jackson’s epics. He’s slow and ponderous, but strikes in a huge, sweeping arc which requires some nifty dodging. We slipped into a pleasing routine whereby the dwarf would dart in to get his attention and I’d batter at his big troll-botty with sword-swipes. We soon had him staggering as we riffed off each other’s chain-bred crit-states. When you’re not playing co-op, the AI controls your two fellowship members. It’ll be interesting to see how intelligently they support your actions.

A simple RPG mechanic rounds the experience into something more progressive. Mobs beget XP, XP begets levels, levels beget skill points, and the skill tree grows at your behest. I levelled once in our hands-on session, unlocking Erudyn’s dual-wield ability. I’d been collecting all sorts of weapon-drops as I hacked my way through the orc hordes, and after a root through the backpack, found I had a meaty pair of orc swords. Equipping these altered the feedback loop of combat considerably, from meaty, twohanded swipes to rapid flurries of blows.