Much like the cinematic and literary material that it is based on, Lord of the Rings: War in the North very much comes from a different time. Originally released on the PS3 all the way back in November 2011, publisher EA made the Balrog-sized mistake of releasing War in the North just ten days before Bethesda would unleash its generation-defining RPG sequel, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Ostensibly lost in the shuffle, I think it’s probably reasonable to say that Lord of the Rings: War in the North was overlooked by many, not just because of the impending release of Bethesda’s behemoth genre offering, but also because at the time, War in the North just felt like another hack and slash effort, which though competent, failed to really ignite the imagination of the player base at the time.
Lord Of The Rings: War In The North Legacy Edition PS5 Review
Fast forward some fifteen years to 2026 and Lord of the Rings: War in the North has returned courtesy of remastering outfit Aspyr. Though, in something of a bizarre twist, while the industry has changed (a growing number would argue for the worse), War in the North’s straightforward action RPG, hack and slash gameplay loop feels arguably fresher now than it did all those years ago.
There are no microtransactions. No elongated cutscenes that whiff on forever. There’s local split-screen co-operative play (more of this please). There’s no parry button and it isn’t a frickin’ Soulslike. This is a simple game from a simple time and honestly, jank and all, I’m elated it has returned, along with the enticing promise that Aspyr is intending to breathe life into other older Lord of the Rings games too.
Narratively speaking, Lord of the Rings: War in the North essentially unfolds just before the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring and sees our trio of heroes, a Dunedain Ranger (Eradan), a Dwarf Warrior (Farin) and an Elven Battlemage (Andriel), pressed into action from the town of Bree by none other than Aragorn, who has observed that Sauron and his forces wish to attack the lesser known provinces in the north to strike at the cities of man.
Right away, Lord of the Rings: War in the North feels anchored to its cinematic source material with Bree itself looking approximately similar to its big-screen counterpart with a ragged township mounted on a sloped incline, all the while wicked, torrential rain pours on its hapless inhabitants unceasingly. The Prancing Pony also features prominently in War of the North’s first act and it’s here that, as well as meeting more famous characters from the saga, you get a first taste of how the game intends to play out from a mechanical perspective.
You see, though Lord of the Rings: War in the North is first and foremost an action RPG, it also takes the RPG bit somewhat seriously too, allowing players to walk around hubs such as Bree, speak to characters (with dialogue trees), complete side-quests, investigate points of interest and all that sort of good stuff that we used to get in older games from that era such as Dragon Age: Origins. And I’m all for that sort of RPG-lite stuff in actuality, because it makes the world feel more lived in and allows the developer to properly explore the margins of Tolkien’s fiction in ways that simply making War in the North a dunderheaded dungeon crawler likely would not.
As you push through the northern portion of Middle-Earth, you find yourself tangling with all manner of goblins, orcs and more as you attempt to track down Agandaur, a corrupted Dunedain warrior hellbent on setting Middle-Earth aflame. In practice, Lord of the Rings: War in the North feels much more akin to a third-person, over-the-shoulder take on Diablo than anything else. And again, this is a good thing.
Combat is brisk and straightforward, with light and heavy melee attacks available, while ranged attacks also allow bad dudes to get it at long range too. There’s some nuance here, where as you wear down enemies enough you can perform an execution style attack which usually results in some level of dismemberment, resulting in a boost to XP. And that’s really it from a combat perspective. Sure, you can loot new weapons and gear, but overall the loop feels the same – enter a room, kill all the enemies until none more appear and then move onto the next.
The actual act of combat itself also feels a little off, in that sword strikes need to land with more authority than they do here, the attack animations are pretty basic and it’s all too easy to see an enemy get stuck in the scenery. If you happen to be partial to a bit of jank, Lord of the Rings: War in the North absolutely has your back. Where Lord of the Rings: War in the North really gets its teeth into you though, is in the progression side of things. Not only does each of the three characters have their own multi-faceted skill trees that allow players to specialise in tanking, melee damage, ranged damage and support roles, but the sheer amount of weapons, armour and equipment you can earn, loot and buy from various vendors is rather dizzying and lends Lord of the Rings: War in the North a satisfying feeling of progression which helps to somewhat compensate for the relatively threadbare combat.
Delving into the Diablo comparison a little further, Lord of the Rings: War in the North also has plenty of pots and boxes laying around the place that are begging to be destroyed, often yielding precious loot within, while hidden chests in secret areas offer up bountiful amounts of plunder that succeeds in making you want to sniff out every hidden nook and cranny of northern Middle-Earth.
Then there’s the multiplayer to speak of. Like just about every other game ever, Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a lot better when played with friends, supporting up to three players in online co-op and two locally, with the latter proving to be an especially enjoyable option if you’ve got the requisite snacks, drinks and Tolkien obsessed friends to go along with it. It’s a good time, make no mistake.
Technically speaking, Aspyr haven’t reinvented the wheel here but instead carried out a remastering effort that spruces up the existing assets, character models and game world geometry without making the sort of larger, more wholesale changes that would force Lord of the Rings: War in the North somewhat into full-tilt remake territory. What this means then, is that you get pin-sharp 4K visuals and a fairly solid 60 frames per second framerate to boot which makes Lord of the Rings: War in the North far more easy on the eyes than the extremely rough presentation of the PS3 original.
Though such visual improvements are indeed welcome in making War in the North feel a little less full of sawdust than it would do without them, these visual tweaks also simultaneously serve to age the game too. This is because the uptick in resolution and framerate both highlight the relatively simplistic visual design of War in the North, which is clearly a game of its time from a technical perspective, as the small maps, loading screens between areas and relatively low detail character models all betray its PS3 origins.
Ultimately though, it’s just nice to be back in this world again, taking down legions of Goblins, Orcs and other Tolkien baddies all the while an epic orchestral score swells as you fight through iconic locations in Middle-Earth. Sure, Lord of the Rings: War in the North might not have aged brilliantly, but it still remains a fairly potent catnip for fans of the fiction and action RPGs all the same.
Sure it’s more than a bit janky, the combat is a touch simplistic and the visuals, despite Aspyr’s generous sprinkling of 4K resolution and 60 frames per second goodness upon them, still feel rather dated. Yet despite all of that, Lord of the Rings: War in the North feels oddly refreshing with its straightforward sensibilities and design resulting in an action RPG that remains good, solid fun – especially with friends and represents good value at its budget, sub $20 price point. Overall, it’s just nice to have a decent Lord of the Rings game doing the rounds again, don’t you think?
Lord of the Rings: War in the North is out now on PS4 and PS5.
Review code kindly provided by PR.