A new trailer for Middle-earth: Shadow of War is out this week, days before the game makes an appearance at the 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo, featuring people, places and skills not featured in previous Shadow of War promotional media. The video doesn’t tell us much we didn’t already know -- Talion and Celebrimbor still want to defeat Sauron and need a bunch of help to get the job done -- but it does introduce several key players from the Shadow of War campaign.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve learned quite a bit about the mechanics and new features we’ll see in Middle-earth: Shadow of War when the game debuts this fall. But WB Interactive and Monolith Productions are finally giving us a bit more information about the game’s narrative, which continues to follow Talion and Celebrimbor in their quest to dethrone Sauron. A new trailer for the game introduces us to handful of leaders and power players from Middle-earth. Some of the faces will be familiar, like Shelob or the ring-wraiths, but others -- like the mysterious tree lady at 1:13 in the video -- seem to be unique to Shadow of War. Then again, maybe we’re just not as familiar with the Tolkien novels that gave us Middle-earth in the first place.
This week’s Shadow of War trailer also introduces a new type of enemy, one that we don’t fully understand by the end of the clip. At a glance, it appears the Nazgul may be capable of possessing orcs still loyal to Sauron and/or not yet under the Bright Lord’s control. But the glowing eyes also make us wonder whether or not Sauron’s generals can simply brand his followers the same way that Talion and Celebrimbor make servants out of his soldiers. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about that particular aspect of the game when Middle-earth: Shadow of War makes an appearance at E3 2017. But we also wouldn’t be shocked if WB and Monolith elected to keep that information secret until launch day.
For an early look at Middle-earth: Shadow of War, take a few minutes to check out the game’s latest story trailer; a three minute video featuring people and places we’ll meet when the game heads to PC and consoles later this year. Then head down to the comments section and let us know if the latest Shadow of War story trailer depicts the sort of sequel you were hoping for or if you’re beginning to worry about the follow-up to Monolith’s 2014 smash hit.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The game debuts Oct. 10.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes and follow Scott on Twitter for more Middle-earth: Shadow of War coverage in 2017 and as long as Monolith supports Shadow of War after launch.
- Nemesis system does an even better job of letting players witness and tell unique, action-driven stories
- Most of the narrative content is just plain boring
