A listing on Target’s website appears to have revealed the sequel to Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor – the box art calls the game Middle Earth: Shadow of War.
The listing on Target, which has since been removed, is light on details. Polygon reported that an earlier version of the listing showed a release date of Aug. 22. It does show two versions of the game: a standard and “Gold Edition,” as well as box art for both. Warner Brothers has not officially announced a sequel to the well-received action game from 2014. According to Kotaku the game will star Talion and Celebrimbor, the protagonists of the previous game, as they work to forge a new ring to match Sauron in power.
Shadow of Mordor was most known for the Nemesis System. This gameplay mechanic created a command structure of enemies where players could manipulate and destabilize the power structure by eliminating members of the chain. If the player was killed by a generic enemy, they would often get promoted into the power structure. It added a bit of player-driven narrative to even the most seemingly normal combat encounters. The gameplay blended an Assassin’s Creed-style open world with Batman: Arkham‘s inspired combat.
Middle Earth: Shadow of War is the first console game set in the Lord of the Rings universe since 2014. The game has not been officially confirmed by the publisher although there have been rumors and speculation over the last couple of years.
