Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a Tolkien game with shades of gray, not good or evil (interview)

In Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s upcoming Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor video game, you will explore a new part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe as a ranger of Gondor going behind enemy lines into Mordor. As you do so, you will discover your Wraith-like powers that give you the ability to move stealth-like among the evil Sauron’s orcs. As the hero Talion, you’ll find that you can control the minds of orcs, from the lowest foot soldiers to the war chiefs. And you can turn them against Sauron, one by one.

If you try to slaughter the captains of the orcs head-on, you’ll find out how tough they can be. You’ll also discover that every orc is unique, with its own personality and physical qualities. And as you kill these characters, you may feel some moral ambiguity. This isn’t just about good and evil, as it is an original story set in Middle-earth and inspired by Tolkien’s writings. While it is true to the canon of Tolkien, it doesn’t copy any of the tales in the books. The story of Talion and his quest for vengeance reveals the gray areas in between black and white, according to Michael de Plater, the design director at WBIE for Shadow of Mordor, in an interview with GamesBeat.