Side by side, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North and Hunted: The Demon's Forge look like they fell out of the same hamper. Both games craft an epic co-op-centric world brimming with plenty of fragile things to sink your weapon of choice into. Medieval and fantasy themes overlay a juggernaut loot system peppering familiar haunts – ancient ruins, murky tombs, dense forests – with breakable jars and glittering chests ostensibly full of immaculately preserved arms and armor.
War in the North has Middle-earth's veterancy. Hunted has ambition. But the co-op crown only fits one.
Setting
The staggering narrative difference between War in the North and Hunted might overwhelm the unprepared: In Hunted, you and your slightly modified human-looking companion join the struggle against an unspeakable evil seeking a powerful artifact. In War in the North, you and your slightly modified human-looking companions join the struggle against an unspeakable evil seeking a powerful artifact.
OK, so the similarities are as visible as a Dwarf's shorn chin. But J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy-verse clearly pulls into the pole position in this case. The books' accounting of Middle-earth's environs and their associated lore allows War in the North to set its stage in locations rich with backstory related to Frodo's grand quest. Concessions aside – Tolkien rarely adopted traditional magic usage in his books, but the playable Elf loremaster Andriel flings magic around like a walking laser show – War in the North's zones contain a mighty legacy powering everything underneath the hood.
Ability combinations
War in the North's three protagonists bring a balanced mix of abilities and talents that rains down some extra pain against Sauron's forces, but Hunted's cross-character combos truly convey a feeling of heroic synergy. Caddoc and E'lara's fighting styles fit together like hammer and brainpan, with the former's crowd-control skills empowering the latter's already impressive archery skills, a feat made even more impressive considering the game's lenient A.I.
Itemization
Loot. Plunder. Junk. It's both the ultimate aspiration of many RPGs and the ultimate timesink. War in the North and Hunted don't skimp on stuffing every niche and crevasse with tantalizing tchotchkes to tweak your ever-increasing stat pools. War in the North knows that an image is just as important to maintain as the number of health poultices in your backpack; as a result, it employs a slick armor-matching system that automatically changes the design of any worn item to the appropriate race you're playing. Unearthed a moldy ranger hood? Hand it over to the stocky Farin and it instantly transforms into a dwarven war helm – because the only distraction an Orc should see is the size of your ax and not the 17 colors of your technicolor doublet.
The winner? You. Both games are worthwhile catalysts for some excellent joint adventures with friends and family. War in the North maturates Tolkien's magnum opus with brutal combat, monologuing Elves, and spoils galore for the taking. Hunted's plethora of abilities make for some spectacular fist-pump moments when pulled off in tandem. And just like any RPG worth its share in severed goblin heads, the choice ultimately falls to individual preference.