Status:
Complete and Play Tested
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Middle-earth: Shadow of War (PS4) Review
Released in 2017 and developed by Monolith Productions, Shadow of War is the direct sequel to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Building on the strengths of its predecessorparticularly the acclaimed Nemesis Systemthis entry expands the scale, deepens gameplay mechanics, and throws players into a more sprawling and ambitious rendition of Tolkiens dark fantasy world. But with its ambition also came some controversies, especially around progression systems at launch.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Shadow of War is a third-person open-world action RPG that heavily borrows from and builds upon Assassins Creed and Batman Arkham formulas:
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Combat is fast, fluid, and brutal, with excellent counter mechanics and satisfying executions.
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Stealth plays a big role, with plenty of options to silently infiltrate fortresses or take out enemies one by one.
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Traversal is smooth, with parkour-like climbing and later-game upgrades like drakes to fly across the map.
The standout mechanic is still the Nemesis System, where orc enemies remember interactions, evolve after battles, and engage in dynamic rivalries. You can recruit, manipulate, or execute them, giving battles and territory control a deeply personal edge.
🧙 Story & World
The game follows Talion and Celebrimbor as they continue their war against Sauron, crafting a new Ring of Power to amass their own army. While not entirely canon to Tolkien lore, the narrative weaves through familiar Middle-earth landmarks and introduces major characters like Shelob, Witch-King, and Nazgûl.
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The story is more cinematic and ambitious than the first, though it sometimes meanders or gets overshadowed by side content.
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Dialogue and voice acting are strong, with Troy Baker reprising his role as Talion.
🏰 Fortresses & Conquest
One of the major new features is fortress assaults and defense:
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You build your army by dominating and recruiting orc captains.
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Fortresses are conquered by assigning your own lieutenants to breach walls, sabotage defenses, and hold territory.
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Defending your own strongholds adds a layer of strategy and planning.
This system turns the game into a tactical war simulator layered on top of the action-RPG core.
📆 Modes & Features
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Full story campaign
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Nemesis System with endless enemy variation
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Fortress conquest/defense mode
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Open-world exploration across various Mordor regions
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Post-game Shadow Wars (initially grindy, but later rebalanced in patches)
At launch, microtransactions and loot boxes affected the endgame, but those were removed in a major updatedramatically improving pacing and progression.
📺 Graphics & Presentation (PS4)
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Highly detailed character models, armor, and environmentsespecially impressive on PS4 Pro.
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Dynamic lighting and weather systems add a lot of atmosphere.
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Some texture pop-in and minor frame dips occur during hectic sequences, but overall performance is solid.
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The design of enemy orcs is diverse and often grotesquely creative, adding to immersion.
🎧 Sound & Music
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Epic orchestral score suits the tone of battle and exploration perfectly.
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Sound effects are meatyswords slice, bodies crunch, and fire roars with satisfying impact.
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The voice actingespecially among the orc captainsis a highlight, with memorable and often hilarious banter.
🟢 Final Verdict: 8.5/10
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is an ambitious and content-rich action RPG that successfully evolves the ideas of its predecessor. With intense combat, deep systems, and a brilliantly upgraded Nemesis mechanic, it offers dozens of hours of thrilling Middle-earth chaos. While it launched with some frustrating monetization, the game has since been rebalancedmaking the PS4 version a great pick for fans of fantasy, action, and strategy.
Pros:
Deep and dynamic Nemesis System
Fluid and satisfying combat
Vast open-world with lots to do
Fortress sieges add scale and strategy
High replay value
Cons:
Some story beats feel disjointed
Repetitive side missions over time
Minor performance hiccups on base PS4
Shadow Wars endgame can feel padded
Recommendation:
If you're a fan of Lord of the Rings, Assassins Creed, or just love tactically slaying your way through dynamic enemies, Middle-earth: Shadow of War on PS4 is a must-play. It combines tight gameplay, excellent world-building, and a unique enemy system that keeps things feeling personal and intense.
