Having been written almost 70 years ago, The Lord of the Rings is a monumentally influential series that's been a staple of the fantasy genre from the moment it was first released. And as is the case with every popular franchise, there are bound to be a few video game adaptations. That's a bit of an understatement when it comes to The Lord of the Rings, as over the last 40 years or so, there have been countless video game outings, but only one is as underrated as The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.
Released in 2011, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North came out at an awkward time in the franchise's history. With Peter Jackson's trilogy wrapping up in the mid-2000s, the mainstream hype surrounding Lord of the Rings had all but died out toward the early 2010s, and War in the North was left to try to navigate a very competitive market. Unfortunately, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North was both a critical and commercial failure, and while it deserves some criticism, there's a lot to love about the game.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Is Underrated
According to the reviews of the time, there's nothing too remarkable about The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, but fans of the franchise might think a little differently. Set during the War of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: War in the North puts players in the muddied boots of Eradan, Andriel, and Farin, a ranger, dwarf and elf respectively. Working for Aragorn, these three aid the heroes of Middle-Earth in unseen missions, weaving in and out of the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The biggest point of criticism of War in the North was its gameplay. The general gameplay loop of War in the North sees the player choose from the three playable protagonists, each with their own set of unique weapons and abilities, with the ranger focusing on stealth, the dwarf on melee, and the elf on magic. From here, they progress through a level, killing orcs and speaking with local townsfolk. At the time, reviews criticized the game's linear approach and its repetitive combat, with some even citing that the game's character classes felt a little too similar to one another.
However, the vast majority of critics, despite giving the game a poor score, did state that the gameplay was perfectly serviceable, just a little unpolished. It also didn't help that Lord of the Rings: War in the North released just a week before Skyrim, and on the same day as Uncharted 3, sealing its fate before it was even had a chance.
The Lord of Rings: War in the North is certainly not an amazing game, but it is a decent Lord of the Rings experience, and one that fans will definitely enjoy. The game's atmosphere, visuals, and sound design were all rightfully praised by critics, perfectly capturing the grim and grittiness of its movie counterparts. And while the gameplay may not have been fleshed-out enough, the concept of a team-based, class-based cooperative Lord of the Rings game has some real potential. On top of all of that, War in the North was actually the first game to be based on both the Lord of the Rings novels and the Peter Jackson movies, with Warner briefly acquiring the rights to both, allowing it to explore more Middle-Earth lore than ever before. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North may not be a masterpiece, but it is an ambitious, unique game with a lot of good ideas.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
