A brand new re-release of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North has been launched out of the blue on modern consoles and PC.
Aspyr has remastered The Lord of the Rings: War in the North to modern platforms, much to the joy of hardcore Middle-Earth fans. The game is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC for $17.99 until August 25th, and then the price will rise to $19.99. The new release features 60fps, bug fixes, and various quality of life changes such as the ability to lock on to enemies, and the option to hot swap to different characters on the fly.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North originally released on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in November 2011, but it wasn’t exactly a smash hit. The game got mixed reviews from critics, with IGN giving it a 7/10, noting that the game doesn’t take enough risks and feels a bit bland. It also didn’t perform super well commercially, as it released around the same time as juggernauts like Modern Warfare 3 and, perhaps most notably, Skyrim.
Time has been kind to the game, though, as some fans remember it fondly, even managing to earn a spot on IGN’s list of best Lord of the Rings games. As for what’s unique about this title, War in the North features online co-op, which allows you to play through the game with a small group of friends. The story also runs parallel to the events of the books and the original Peter Jackson trilogy, even utilizing the likenesses of actors from the films and the general aesthetic from those movies.
It was also the first Lord of the Rings game to be rated M for Mature, opting to embrace a grittier and bloodier tone than the films. This would somewhat pave the way for the much more beloved Shadow of Mordor, which featured a darker story and indulgent violence.
Aspyr also teased in a press release that fans can look forward to more Lord of the Rings re-releases in the future, but didn’t specify which titles. War in the North was originally published by Warner Bros., while many of the beloved games released during the 2000s were published by EA. Whether or not that will cause any rights issues remains to be seen, but it would be awesome to see a remaster of The Return of the King of Lord of the Rings: Conquest.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.