A Forgotten Lord of the Rings Co-op Game Gets a Surprise Remaster and More to Come

Aspyr has unexpectedly revived and reissued an older Lord of the Rings action role-playing game. This title was notable for its three-player cooperative mode and a parallel narrative focusing on one of Sauron's formidable servants engaging in villainous acts in the northern regions.

The game in question is The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Its new iteration, dubbed the Legacy Edition, is now available on PC (via Steam, Epic Game Store, and GOG), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. A release for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 is scheduled for August 18th. The game is priced at approximately £19.

More intriguingly, Warner Bros. has hinted that this remaster is just the beginning. A press release stated, "Fans can look forward to even more classic releases by Aspyr from the beloved franchise in the future!"

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, originally launched in 2011, was developed by Snowblind Studios. This studio was recognized for its co-development of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, another popular co-op RPG. Snowblind Studios later merged with Monolith in 2012 and contributed to the critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings games Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, indicating a strong development pedigree.

However, upon its initial release, the game received a less than stellar reception. Our contributor, Jeffrey Matulef, awarded it a 4/10 in his review, describing it as a "soulless cash-in" that transformed an exploration of a revered fictional setting into a tedious task.

Despite past criticisms, the Legacy Edition aims to address these issues. It introduces support for 60 FPS, the ability to switch characters on the fly, split-screen functionality (though not on the original Switch, nor with 60 FPS on that platform), improved target-locking, a refined UI/UX, an autosave feature, gyro controls, and numerous bug fixes, suggesting significant polish has been applied.

The core gameplay involves a trio of heroes—a sturdy dwarf, an elven mage, and a Dúnadan ranger—venturing into the northern reaches of Middle-earth. Players battle through waves of enemies, aiming to save the day while also focusing on character progression, acquiring new abilities, and gathering loot, echoing the motivations of the original Fellowship.

Familiar characters like Aragorn make cameo appearances, and the adventure unfolds across iconic locations such as Mirkwood and Rivendell. The game can be viewed as an early precursor to Shadow of Mordor, albeit lacking its signature Nemesis system.

English Translation:

Aspyr has unexpectedly remastered and re-released an old Lord of the Rings action role-playing game, which was notable for featuring three-player co-op and a parallel storyline about one of Sauron's powerful servants causing mischief in the north.

That game is The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, and the Legacy edition, as the new remaster is known, is available today on PC (Steam, Epic Game Store, GOG), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It will be available slightly later on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, from August 18th. The game costs around £19.

Perhaps more intriguingly, Warner Bros. teased that this is only 'the first' The Lord of the Rings game re-release coming from Aspyr. "Fans can look forward to even more classic releases by Aspyr from the beloved franchise in the future!" a press release said.

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, originally released in 2011, was developed by Snowblind Studios, a team famed for co-developing Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, another co-op RPG. Snowblind was merged with Monolith in 2012 and went on to help make the acclaimed Lord of the Rings games Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, so there's pedigree here.

Sadly, we didn't think much of War in the North when it was originally released, with contributor Jeffrey Matulef awarding it a 4/10 in his Lord of the Rings: War in the North Review. He labeled the game a 'soulless cash-in' that 'turns visiting one of Western civilisation's most revered fictional settings into a chore'.

But don't let that put you off! The Legacy edition - this new edition - comes with 60 FPS support, the ability to hot-swap between characters, split-screen (not available on Switch 1, ditto 60 FPS), better target-locking, an improved UI/UX, an autosave feature, gyro control support, and lots of bug fixes. In other words, plenty of polishing has been done.

The game itself has you take a Golden Axe-like trio of fighters into the north of Middle-earth - a tanky dwarf, an elven mage, and a Dúnadan ranger - and fight your way through hordes of enemies in the name of saving the day. And also in the name of levelling up and getting new powers and lots of loot, as was the real goal of the Fellowship.

Aragorn and pals are here in cameo roles, and you'll adventure through well-known locations like Mirkwood and Rivendell. Think of it a bit as a prototype for Shadow of Mordor, albeit without the famed Nemesis system.