Out of the countless new game titles that come out every day, few of them carry a different weight for whatever reason. When it comes to The Lord of the Rings, those reasons are pretty obvious. Even if you are not a fan of the franchise, you’ve heard of it before. What else can be said about Tolkien’s masterpiece? The movies, the books and everything related to this franchise has a huge following all around the world.
The new The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, is NetEase Games’ latest mobile release that comes to add its name to this illustrious franchise.
Fans of the books and the movies will fall in love with the accurate 3D representation of Tolkien’s world. From Minas Tirtih to Barad-dur, everything is there. Of course it goes without saying that all the fan favourite heroes make their appearance too. Gandalf the Grey, Aragorn, Legolas, as well as some other not so famous ones; they are all there.
The hardcore gamers will appreciate and enjoy the strategic aspect of the game for what it is, regardless of names or The Lord of the Rings universe.
The Story
The story begins when the One Ring resurfaces in the deserted castle of Dol Guldur. Its unrivaled magic can bestow its bearer the power to dominate Middle-earth and people from every Faction are lured by its power into a great war over possession of the Ring. Gondor, Rohan, Lothlórien, Erebor, Mordor, Isengard, Angmar and Rhûn, they have all raised their banners.
Players must assemble Middle-earth’s most overwhelming legion and lead their troops into the battle.
As the Lords and Chiefs of the land, they have to step into a vast 3D world and take control of it by developing their settlements, expanding their territory and founding their own Fellowship, all while they command legendary Heroes and villains from The Lord of the Rings universe.
The Gameplay
What really defines The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, other than its stunning visuals and of course the storyline, is the gameplay. The geo-strategic aspect of it is very, very important.
Occupying tiles within the map can provide resources to the players – but that’s not all. There are several types of tiles and each one of them, depending on their type, will give players something different. Some can unlock new types of units that otherwise wouldn’t be available while others (for example tunnels or harbors) will give players access to the other side of the tile once they’re captured.
Lastly we should mention another, very important type of tile called “Control Points”. By capturing these tiles (which are basically cities), the player’s Faction will capture and control the whole region these tiles are a part of.
Seasons
If there’s something that many MMOs suffer from, it’s that after a while they become rather boring, in the sense that big alliances control the whole map and by extension they are taking over the entire server.
One of the main features of The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War is that the game has ‘Seasons’, which is a very interesting way of keeping things fresh.
After a predetermined period of time has passed, all players will be rewarded based on their contribution to their Faction and the map will reset. Of course that doesn’t mean that players will lose everything – on the contrary. They will keep the Commanders they recruited as well as the equipment they received.
What new changes to the gameplay each new Season of The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War will bring? That’s something that we can’t wait to find out!
The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War will be available to download as a free-to-play game with in-app purchases on the App Store and on the Google Play Store.
