MANILA, Philippines — JRR Tolkien’s magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), has undergone several transformations. From being a novel to a blockbuster franchise that included movies and cross platform video games, the world of Middle Earth continues to mutate and implant itself into the minds of those who came across it. Since the first LOTR game in 1982, the series transformed in sync with the available technology. In the game’s latest makeover--- Lord of the Rings: War in the North---LOTR is taken to the pinnacle of role-playing nirvana.

Played as an action-adventure RPG, War in the North offers players with cooperative action. The story takes place in parallel with the novel. As the Fellowship journeys south into the lair of Sauron, a team composed of an elf, a dwarf, and a human takes on the challenge to defend the North against the forces of evil commanded by Sauron’s general. Aside from a simple story, the game offers different scenarios with regards to the events in the novels. One of such situation offersan explanation on the hypothetical question “what would happen if the ring is dropped into Mt. Doom using Great Eagles?”

Be it a spellcaster, a warmongering champion, or a witty ranger, the game lets players to assume the role as one of the trioas they battle it out with the dark forces of Sauron. Players are brought into different territories that were otherwise absent, or mentioned in the series of novels. From snowy-mountains, to forgotten keeps, to the depths of a dwarven stronghold, War in the North keeps remains faithful to the general feel and the atmosphere of the Tolkien novels.

As players slaughter countless goblins and orcs, they then gain experience which would then fill until they level up. Upon progressing, players then get a chance to choose which attribute to upgrade in a skill tree. In this manner, players can then optimize their characters, like making a stealthy ranger, or a melee intensive mage. Overall, this system gives players a greater control over the making and building of their character.

Aside from having the insides tweaked, players can also customize the looks of their character by looking for mirrors around villages and camps. The player then can recreate their character from by changing hairstyles and colors. Don’t expect to have hardcore makeovers such as in Skyrim however.

Graphics-wise, the game splendidly renders characters and places. Orcs and other outlandish creatures are topped with side decorations and are somewhat reminiscent of the movies themselves. Faces may sometimes look awkward but honestly we’ve seen worse. Amazingly, despite the level of detail placed in the characters bodies and surroundings, the game runs pretty well even in the midst of mob fights and clashes.

War in the North takes a new approach to the LOTR series, introducing a well-rounded and balanced cooperative gameplay into a stark battlefield scenario.  It is sure to win fans, old and new.