New Lord of the Rings release makes me wish for a new Nemesis system game

Aspyr has remastered the Middle-earth: Shadow duology for Nintendo Switch 2, bringing these epic RPGs to a brand new platform after ten years.

The two Middle-earth: Shadow games are among some of the best Lord of the Rings games that you can play now, with special attention given to the breakthrough Nemesis system that was designed for them.

The Nemesis system is a gameplay mechanic present in both games, in which enemy orcs that the player encounters throughout the game have unique personalities, with their own strengths and weaknesses, with combat encounters reacting to this in a dynamic way.

Enemies are randomised using this system, where orcs remember the kinds of actions you take against them. If a grunt kills you on the battlefield, it’ll be promoted to a captain. If that captain is then defeated by being burned alive or by being dismembered, he may return later on covered in bandages or sporting a prosthetic limb.

It’s a fun system that encourages players to lose more fights to see the potential of the mechanic, as orcs get stronger and develop unique personalities as time goes on. And it keeps everything unpredictable, which is excellent for replayability.

The Nemesis system is one of the best gameplay mechanics of all time

In playing through these games again on Nintendo Switch 2, I’ve come to realise just how much of a tragedy it is that we haven’t seen another game use the Nemesis System since Shadow of War.

The reason why? Warner Bros. submitted an application to patent the system in 2016, preventing other companies from being able to take inspiration from it to use in their own games. It was granted in 2021, and will be in effect until 2036.

Despite this, the publisher has done nothing but sit on the patent for a decade now, not utilising it in any of its games released since 2017.

Following the release of Shadow of War, Monolith Productions was put to work on a Wonder Woman game for Warner Bros. which would have allegedly used the Nemesis system. It was cancelled in 2025 and the studio was shuttered.

A huge waste, if you ask me. The Nemesis system is one of best game mechanics of the past decade, and it hasn’t been put to use since. Some games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Watch Dogs Legion introduced similar mechanics, but there hasn’t been anything that has been able to live up to the Shadow games.

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GAMINGbible / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

How do Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War run on Nintendo Switch 2?

As for the Switch 2 ports of the games themselves? Both run pretty competently, though there are some issues with framerate that currently exist especially in Shadow of War. It seems both titles are limited to 30 FPS, making them poorer options compared to the Steam Deck which is capable of running Shadow of Mordor at 60 FPS.

On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed seeing Aspyr taking advantage of the HD Rumble 2 for this release, with combat getting pretty intense thanks to the thick vibrations that kick in during each fight. It also feels like the battery life is pretty generous, draining a lot slower compared to other games of its time such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered.

Altogether, if you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings, this collection is an excellent way to rediscover two excellent games if you’re willing to put up with some compromises. If you have access to a Steam Deck or other capable handheld PC though, that remains the superior way to play this in handheld.