A Bigger, Livelier World
The world of Middle-Earth is one of the most well known fictional universes of all time. Whether it’s the sweeping majesty of Minas Tirith or the fiery hellscape of Mount Doom, it’s got a distinct look all its own that wasn’t really all that prevalent in Shadow of Mordor. Yes, the titular location isn’t exactly gonna have an Apple Store or a food truck, but there’s no denying that the world is so barren. There are stretches of land where you could just run around doing nothing, and that’s not always a good thing for an open world game.
Shadow of War will need to give the player much more to do. Games like The Witcher and Horizon have populated areas for players to just soak in the world at, along with a bevy of things to do outside of those hub towns. There’s some indication of that in the trailer, as we see a kingdom not too long before Sauron does what he does best with his Nazgul. Maybe this’ll be one hub town of many, or it’ll be the only one. Regardless, War will need to vary its locations so it doesn’t feel like a dull world to go through.