Out of nowhere, Aspyr dropped a remaster of beloved Lord of the Rings game, War in the North, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC just yesterday. It’s a reworked version of the 2011 action hit that was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and early impressions are pretty great.
While it’s not a complete remake, the re-release does improve the visuals slightly and preserves that timeless gameplay that original developer Snowblind Studios managed to capture. It follows three characters, a Dwarf, and Elf, and a Human Ranger, on their own quest that’s set alongside the events of Tokein’s iconic trilogy of books.
Each of these three characters are playable with players able to hot-swap between them at the press of a button during combat. With deep RPG progression, you can spec each of these characters out into a playstyle that suits you.
There’s also a huge slate of familiar faces and locations to find in the game, with the likes of Gandalf and Elrond showing up in the story. You’ll travel to places such as Rivendell, the Lonely Mountain and even Mirkwood on your quest.
What’s more, the entire game can be played through in up to three-player co-op with each gamer taking on the role of one of the three heroes.
However, there’s one major modern comfort that Aspyr hasn’t managed to include in the re-release of War in the North, and that’s crossplay. Online co-op is currently only possible on the same platform, with no way for PC, Xbox and PlayStation players to join each other.
It’s a bit of a sore miss for Aspyr, especially as most gamers are used to being able to play with each other regardless of platform these days. Still, that hasn’t stopped the positive reviews from rolling in. The game is currently listed as ‘Very Positive’ on Steam, with one gamer writing: “Peak is back, gaming is saved!
“Also they genuinely made the game a lot better. Like, even if you’ve played the original the QOL upgrades here are easily worth the buy if you’re a War in the North shill like me. BIG recommendation from me.”
Another user review reads: “War in the North is a fantastic Lord of the Rings game and one that deserved to be accessible again. The co-op, the combat, the three playable characters, and the whole idea of experiencing a different side of the War of the Ring still make this one of the most underrated LOTR games out there.”
Will you be playing Lord of the Rings War in the North?