While there are certainly plenty of new titles hitting the Switch eShop with some regularity, there have also been plenty of older titles being given new life as well. While there are some where the reasoning behind the updates or conversions is easy to understand, some publishers have made unusual choices as well. Having played a number of titles featuring the characters and lands of Middle Earth, they’ve been a bit of a mixed bag, but not having run into War in the North directly I wasn’t sure where it would land on the spectrum. After some time with it, aside from noting that there’s no mistaking it’s feeling its age a bit, I’d say it’s somewhere firmly near the middle.

Given the tremendous success of the Diablo franchise, and action RPGs that up the ante with some real-time hacking and slashing, the idea behind the game is a simple one to understand. I’ve played a title or two that have dealt more with the known stories and characters from the books, but I suppose in order to branch out and deal with some newer scenarios and people you’ll encounter, it also makes sense to go to folks that are more peripheral. Considering your core party is still composed of a ranger, an axe-wielding dwarf, and an elf who deals more in AOE and support, the template doesn’t go too far off script, but given the opportunity for these three to have their own backgrounds and then interact with some premium cameo characters periodically, the setup at least feels like it could work.

In practice though? At best I’d say it ends up being middling, even by the standards of its peers at the time, let alone now. The combat is workable, but if you’re tackling the game solo it’s also pretty clumsy as your party characters who you aren’t controlling (you’re able to hot swap between them) are more often liabilities than helpful, often getting downed and needing assistance. If you’re able to play it with others online, I have no doubt that would substantially improve the experience though, so depending on what you’re looking for, results may vary. It’s obvious that one of the game’s selling points was being a more bloody and brutal take on the franchise, featuring finishers that I suppose spill some gore but for the most part still feel pretty tame, and are unable to help make combat not feel quite repetitive and predictable throughout. Sure, you’ll be able to choose your specializations, but there’s still just not much in the way of ongoing excitement to lift the experience up without needing to lean heavily on the fact that it’s all playing out in Middle Earth. For Tolkien fans who have friends to play with it could be a real hoot, but otherwise it’s a tougher sell.