Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a standout action-adventure title set in the rich lore of Tolkien’s universe. Developed by Monolith Productions, the game blends satisfying combat reminiscent of the Batman: Arkham series with stealth and exploration mechanics. But its true innovation—and what elevated it above other open-world titles—is the revolutionary Nemesis System. The Nemesis System dynamically generates unique orc enemies who remember past encounters, grow stronger if they defeat you, and rise through the ranks of Sauron’s army. Each orc has distinct personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, making every encounter feel personal. The system fosters emergent storytelling, creating rivalries that feel unscripted and emotionally engaging. No two playthroughs are ever the same. While the narrative and world design are solid, it’s the Nemesis System that makes Shadow of Mordor a landmark game. It not only enhanced replayability but also introduced a concept that deserved to influence the industry far more than it has

a masterpiece game, but a terrible patent, especially since it was never even used after SoW

As a Lord of the Rings lover, I highly recommend this game, the lore and story is average but the game play is epic.

---{ Graphics }--- 🔲 Awful 🔲 Bad 🔲 Will do 🔲 Decent (Nothing special) ✅ Stunning 🔲 Visual Masterpiece ---{ Gameplay }--- 🔲 Bad 🔲 Okay 🔲 Nothing special 🔲 Good ✅ Very good 🔲 Try not to get addicted ---{ Audio }--- 🔲 Bad 🔲 Not too bad 🔲 Decent ✅ Good 🔲 Beautiful 🔲 Masterpiece ---{ PC Requirements }--- 🔲 Potato ✅ Decent ✅ Fast 🔲 High-end PC 🔲 Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{ Difficulty }--- 🔲 Just press a bunch of buttons 🔲 Easy ✅ Significant brain usage ✅ Easy to learn / Hard to master 🔲 Difficult 🔲 Dark Souls ---{ Grind }--- 🔲 Nothing ✅ Only if you care about 100% ✅ Average grind level 🔲 Too much grind 🔲 Insanity ---{ Story }--- 🔲 None/Not important in this game 🔲 Bad 🔲 Average ✅ Great 🔲 Well written 🔲 One of the best I've had the pleasure of playing ---{ Price }--- 🔲 Free 🔲 Cheap ✅ Under priced ✅ Acceptable price 🔲 Overpriced 🔲 Complete waste of money ---{ Bugs }--- 🔲 Never heard of ✅ Minor bugs 🔲 Can get annoying 🔲 Bugpocalypse: Proceed with caution ---{ Length }--- 🔲 Very Short (0 - 4 hours) 🔲 Short (4 - 10 hours) 🔲 Average (10-30 hours) ✅ Long (30-50 hours) 🔲 Extremely long (50-100+ hours) ✅ For 100%: 50-80 hours 🔲 No ending ---{ ? / 10 }--- 🔲 1 🔲 2 🔲 3 🔲 4 🔲 5 🔲 6 🔲 7 🔲 8 ✅ 9 🔲 10

This game is basically what would happen if Assassin's Creed and Batman: Arkham had a baby in Mordor... Such an addicting game from start to finish, so good in it's execution, the combat, the stealth, the setting, the wraith mechanics...and that NEMESIS system all fused together to make this game an instant classic. They knocked it out of the park with gameplay, you can really be a monster on a battlefield in the endgame with all skills unlocked. It’s the best Tolkien-based murder simulator you never knew you needed Definitely go buy and support this game and it's sequel because WB Games obviously don't care since they shut down the studio and it's developers 😕

Got this on a discount. Always a good time with this game, they have 2 whole maps where you can do stuff. I prefer the 1st map honestly, though the 2nd have more variety. Combat is smooth, skills are useful, branding orcs are cool. Preferably would have like it expanded but thats what the second game is for so no complaints. My first ever completed game on steam, its worth it!

I am personally not a huge fan of the LOTR/The Hobbit series BUT I will say as a casual fan this game was pretty fun. I enjoyed the open world part of it and missions were overall pretty fun. I feel if you are into the medieval type settings you may also enjoy this game.

Review Shadow of mordor middle earth. for me it's an great game .you can learn so much things like sacrifices , patients etc . one best thing in this game. it has an unique nemsis system. everytime you get lose to uruks , you opponents they gets stronger. and also upgradibity is best in this game.

This game was okay. The nemesis system, of where this game got its fame, is really cool to see in action as you play, but that's it. The game play is fun for a while, but starts to feel repetitive and at some parts I really wanted to put the game down and play something else. The story was somewhat interesting, but I wasn't happy with the "ending". To me it felt like the writers forgot a couple pages of the story. The game shows, for me at least, that the normal price is £15.99 for the GOTY edition, for which I would not pay for this title. It's currently on sale for me at £3.19 which I would would recommend at that price. Overall the nemesis system is what made this game interesting(and popular), but everything else is pretty mediocre.

While its true the game play is cyclic (killing orcs over and over again), the game adds new mechanics and abilities in an attempt to keep the experience fresh. Enjoyable atmosphere and superb voice acting for orcs which fans of the movies should appreciate. The most compelling feature of this game is the Nemesis system, which keeps tracks of orcs who have a vendetta against you and what not. Although simple its a well put together game which can provide 30 or so hours of enjoyment.

A great game, whose sequel improves on the game with the nemesis system. This is the only game I know of where losing actually adds to the gameplay. The one downside to the game in my opinion, playing it on controller, is that my hands soon ache from mashing the buttons. Having a +60 hit streak is nice and all that, but it really starts to get uncomfortable.

🎮 Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Short Review Shadow of Mordor surprised me more than I expected. Set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, it follows Talion, a ranger who’s resurrected with wraith powers and driven by revenge. At first glance, it feels like a familiar open-world action game, but what makes it stand out is the Nemesis System. Instead of faceless enemies, orc captains remember you, evolve after battles, and even taunt you if they’ve beaten you before. It adds a layer of unpredictability and emotional weight that I didn’t expect. Losing a fight actually matters, because that orc might come back stronger—and weirder. Combat is fast, responsive, and satisfying, clearly borrowing from the Arkham series (in a good way). Stealth and movement are smooth, even if the map design can feel a bit repetitive at times. The story didn’t blow me away—it’s pretty standard revenge-fantasy stuff—but the setting and atmosphere do a lot of heavy lifting. From a design perspective, this game does something rare: it lets systems tell stories. That, more than anything, is what stuck with me. Score: 8.5/10 It’s not perfect, but it’s memorable. And for fans of Tolkien—or just good systems design—it’s absolutely worth playing.

This game is really good I don't know why it is only very positive it should be overwhelmingly positive. The combat is so much fun and so is the stealth, and man the Nemesis system is so good. Help this game reach overwhelmingly positive.

I really recommend this game, especially to fans of Lord of the Rings. While the story is non-canon and not connected to the events of the movies, it’s still a really fun game. I managed to finish everything in it. I'm not a huge LOTR fan, but I’ve watched all the movies and I still loved the game. Even if you're not into the franchise, if you enjoyed the Batman Arkham series or Assassin’s Creed, you’ll probably enjoy this too. The gameplay is fun, the Nemesis system is amazing, and the graphics still hold up. The game feels very immersive. Highly recommended!

Good game, I though it will be only nice because it is old. Stupid me. this game is a GEM. Play it.

I enjoy the gameplay immensely. However, the story disregards alot of the source materials and feels more like fan fiction than anything else.

The game play is fun, different from other game, I play it 11 years after it was released and still hold its ground. Confused about the game objective but still manage to understand by playing it more.

Very fun to play, the combat execution in this game is absolutely mind blowing. Highly recommended!

Ridiculously fun, this is Batman Arkham-style combat absolutely perfected, supported by fun, satisfying skills & abilities and world design that is fun to explore and traverse. The Nemesis System is just brilliant. The Orcs ooze individual personality and are a joy to both interact with and kill. Did I mention it's fun?

This game stupidly engaging both gameplay and story-wise,and the power struggle in Sauron's army is hilarious,also being a tolkien fan this shit is an absolute bliss to play. I love it

pretty good, gets repetitive after a while but eh its fine.

Really fun and cool. Its a shame that the nemesis system is copyrighted, cause it is so cool in this game, wished it could be in other games too. If you like lord of the rings, you should definitely play this.

While this may not be canon to the Lord of the Rings story, it does a pretty good job at staying within the realm. The nemesis system in this game is absolutely amazing, and it's a shame we will never see it again because the patent is tied up.

If you like a challenging action game set in Middle Earth, this is the game for you. The nemesis system makes combat feel much more challenging, thrilling, difficult, and personal. I highly recommend this game, but don't expect it to be completely faithful to the Middle Earth source material.

One of the best stand alone Lord of the Rings stories, with some of the funnest martial and archery gameplay to boot. This game is most certainly in my top 5 games of all time.

I'll save you the disappointment you might feel and just tell you the final boss is a literal quick time event Everything about this game besides the main story line is really good and I have always adored the nemesis system

The most fun I've had in a very long time. The game-play is good, the characters are nice. Not lore-accurate, but the game is good enough to make up for that

4/5 A satisfying mix of Assassin’s Creed-style parkour, Arkham combat, and a brilliant Nemesis system that makes every encounter feel personal. The story is decent, but it’s the emergent rivalries with orc captains that steal the show. Combat and stealth stay fun throughout, though it can get repetitive by the end. Overall, a great power fantasy set in Middle-earth. Recommended if you like open-world action games with a twist and i runs great on the steam deck

After long time, I decided to check why people praise this game so much - even if I'm not a big fan of action games. ...damn, this is actually 10/10 game! Pros: - Very good balance between stealth (dagger & bow), sword and range combat - Open world perfect in size - not too big, not too small - Giant wolf like creatures as mounts and mounted combat (sword, bow, wolf bite) - all side quests and challenges are fun (especially stealth ones) - very fun game locations (I especially like big Orc bases) - Nemesis systems and its shenanigans (sometime by chance your mission location has 2 or ever 3 orc captains) - great insight into Orc organization and customs - story missions and characters - upgrades and progression systems - when leveled up with wraith skills you feel like LoTR John Wick, Batman or Doomslayer - game respect your time and don't overstay it's welcome - you can finishstoryline and 99% of chalenges/collecting in 20h. Cons: - sometimes, Orc captains appear far too often and in inconvinient way (with their unskippable monologues) - console style climb control movement - sometimes janky and unresponsive or cause you to make moves you didn't wanted. Despite that, this is solid 10/10 game.

One of the best enemy systems ever made, never used again outside of this series. Buy this game instead of watching Amazon's Rings of Retardation.

An exciting adventure, you can walk through Middle Earth and slay orcs, you cannot miss it / Una excitante aventura, puedes recorrer la Tierra Media, no hay pierde!!

Great Game. Really delivers an experience that is dictated BY the player, and not TO the player. You are in control, and the future of Gondor is in your hands.

peace of shit out dated clunky ahh game for 2025 10/10 would recommend play it then play shadow of war for the definitive experience in both games

Fantastic game. The DLC ''the bright lord'' is complete trash but the game itself is amazing i'd even say it warrants a full price buy even all these years after it came out.

Awful ending but the game itself is pretty fun, especially the second half. Took me awhile to realize "oh, I'm playing middle earth batman"

No matter how many times I play this game, it never gets old. Definitely one of the best Lord of the Rings games ever made by far! The characters, story, progression, and overall graphics is fantastic, always a classic to get back into if you are looking for a great game to play! I can't recommend this game enough, the controls take some time to get used to, but once you've mastered it, then you are off on a grand adventure in Mordor!

Super fun! Put off playing it for years, wish I didn't because it had me loving the game from start to finish. Felt really solid and tight, no bloat. Great game, highly recommend if you are into Assassin creed esc games!(or even if ur not)

Shadow of Mordor despite all the launch problems, is a reminder of a time when AAA games was well made and tremendously fun. Absolute gorgeous game in every aspect. If you really love gaming do yoursel a favor an play that game.

Just completed the whole game (main campaign and all DLCs.) Super impressed with this game. I had my reservations at first knowing that it was a non-canonical, alternate timeline Middle Earth story but the source material's integrity is done great justice with the lore and even holds up with much fantastical expansion to it! I was pleasantly surprised! Very simple plot with some interesting twists and super entertaining combat. One of the best LOTR universe video games I've played. I will for sure be checking out the sequel!

Pretty fun game, with an assassin's Creed feel to it. Still looks great and fun combat but ending fight is a bit underwhelming and was pretty easy

idk how i got 79 hours i thought i only played for 1 day total but the game is really good and definitly hope yoy get it bc 20$ is a insanely good price for something like this

Punchy combat(albeit frustrating at times), fast traversal, and a little bit of jank- what's there not to love?

While reviewing Shadow of Mordor, I deem it necessary to distinguish between The Story and The Gameplay. The Story is shit. Skipskipskip. Names drop, Gollum goes gollum, we single-handedly slap Sauron around, yes yes yes. I never expected the story to be good, and my expectations were fulfilled. The Gameplay is surprisingly good. Jump in, kill Uruks. It's simple, it's enjoyable. The game certainly lacks some polish. Object collision, control of character movement, visuals, and so on and so forth. The skill trees are a pathetic excuse of RPG customizability, it should just have been a linear level progression. I'm unsure why this game even has Exp. Conclusion: This game has flaws. You will forget all of them when you're in there, getting munched on by Caragors, crushed to bits by Graug, dying to poison from a spear that hit you from out of sight, or run over by Ghouls. Because this game has it. It has good gameplay. Fuck the story, fuck the lack of polish. Kill Uruk, be a badass. This game may be 10-20 hours in length only, but those are enjoyable hours.

Exploring the open world of Mordor was a treat. There are plenty of side quests and collectibles that keep the gameplay fresh, and I found myself getting lost in the beautiful yet harsh landscapes. It’s a perfect balance of challenge and exploration. Overall, *Shadow of Mordor* is well worth your time if you enjoy action-adventure games that allow for strategic combat and rich storytelling. Whether you’re a fan of Middle-earth or just looking for a fun game, it’s definitely one to check out!

This is a game to sit back a kill the frustration of everyday life by slaying uruks

Incredibly well done game. Its amazing how much freedom you have in this old game in comparison to modern titles.

[h3]MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR[/h3] [hr][/hr] Overall Score = 8 | Grade = B+ -----------------------------{ GRAPHICS }---------------------------- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☑ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ----------------------------{ GAMEPLAY }---------------------------- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's just average gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ No such thing -------------------------------{ AUDIO }-------------------------------- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Average ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf -----------------------------{ AUDIENCE }---------------------------- ☐ Fetus ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ----------------------{ PC REQUIREMENTS }--------------------- ☐ Casio Calculator ☐ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☑ Decent ☑ Fast ☐ You or parents are rich ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---------------------------{ DIFFICULTY }---------------------------- ☐ Just press 'W' ☐ Easy ☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☐ Significant brain usage ☑ Difficulty dependant ☐ Difficult ☐ Dark Souls TS ☐ Make sure you can dodge rain ---------------------{ GRIND / COMPLETION }------------------- ☐ Nothing to grind ☑ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks/achievements ☑ Isn't necessary to progress ☐ Average grind level ☐ Unemployment needed ☐ Significant grind ☐ You'll need a second live for grinding if you are a completionist ------------------------{ STORY / MISSIONS }--------------------- ☐ Monke see's, Monke does ☐ Bad story ☐ Poorly written ☐ Lack of consistency ☐ No story ☐ Hard to find/understand ☐ Some lore here and there ☐ Average ☐ Good ☑ Lovely ☑ Lots of details and lore ☐ It'll change your life ----------------{ GAME TIME / REPLAYABILITY }-------------- ☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee ▪(15 min-30 min) ☐ Short ▪(30 min - 6 hrs) ☐ Below Average ▪(6 hrs - 10 hrs) ☐ Average ▪(10 hrs - 30 hrs) ☑ Above Average ▪(30 hrs - 60 hrs) ☑ Long ▪(60 hrs - 100 hrs) *For full completion ☐ Very Long ▪(100 hrs - 200 hrs) ☐ To infinity and beyond ▪(200hrs+) ☐ What do you mean by "Ending"? ▪(∞hrs) ------------------------------{ PRICE }--------------------------------- ☐ It's free! ☐ Worth the price ☑ Wait for sale ☐ If you have some spare money left ☐ Not worth it ☐ You could also just donate to me instead (DM me) -------------------------------{ BUGS }--------------------------------- ☐ Never seen any ☑ Minor bugs ☐ Can get annoying ☐ Game affecting bugs ☐ Crash, Crash and Crash ☐ EA Game ☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs ☐ Unplayable -------------------------------{ ? / 10 }---------------------------------- ☐ 0 ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐ 6 ☐ 7 ☑ 8 ☐ 9 ☐ 10 ------------------------------{ Grade }---------------------------------- ☐ F ☐ D- ☐ D ☐ D+ ☐ C- ☐ C ☐ C+ ☐ B- ☐ B ☑ B+ ☐ A- ☐ A ☐ A+ ☐ S ☐ S+ ------------------{ ADDITIONAL COMMENT }-------------------- ☑ Recommended ✅ ☐ Not Recommended ❌ ☐ Conflicting Recommendation 🆚 [hr][/hr] Feel free to check out an overview of all [url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSoSNaK7YOqnrKoeAamiA1qq9cemLLHGL7ROMz5Yns73EYYfnfHEZGr7H3rOqNgaqV5T7sU4vwr8duz/pubhtml] Drane's Steam Reviews [/url] on a spreadsheet which is updated regularly. [quote=author] D R A N E [/quote]

Love this game! Played from when it was originally released on ps4, then again on PC, just recently went through and 100% acheivements, Middle earth with batman arkham series sort of combat. Unreal how good this game still is. Such a shame there will be no third in the series.

[h1]I expected something... bigger[/h1] Two relatively small maps. Filled with boring useless collectibles. And with boring map-revealing towers. Combat is basically quick time events. Inventory management is virtually nonexistent. And I seems to hate that nemesis system everyone talking about so much. I mean, I just mind my own business and then suddenly game decides to interrupt me with unskippable cutscene just because I happens to come too close to one of these silly pushover "commanders". Overall game feels pretty basic and I honestly don't know why it is so hyped. Good thing I picked it on -90% sale, oterwise I would be SO mad about wasted money...

bad , i got stuck on the biggame quest and the stupid npc wouldn't move after i tamed the beast , what a terrible game