The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth

Game review

Diving into the epic world of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth, released in 2004, offers a masterful blend of strategy gaming set in a richly crafted universe. This real-time strategy (RTS) game faithfully encapsulates the grandeur and intricacies of Middle-earth, inviting players to take command of the armies of both the Free Peoples and the forces of Sauron in a decisive struggle for the fate of the world.

As the name suggests, it's a game based on Tolkien's famous work, but the game rather sticks to the movie rather than book. The environment and individual maps are designed in great detail, and even the classic skirmish map looks quite realistic and corresponds to the given region of Middle-earth. A beautiful 3D map accompanies the individual campaigns of the player. I spent a lot of time in it, although it is not that important for the gameplay itself. I enjoyed just going through the different areas. When you hover the mouse over a certain location on the map, a few shots from the movie will start in the lower left corner. This is accompanied by a brilliant (also cinematic) soundtrack.

At its core, this is a classic RTS game, where the player builds new buildings and produces units. They are not built one by one, but in groups, and therefore the battles are much more massive than usual. The building itself is cut to the bone, but the combat is excellently executed and the atmosphere is at a very high level. There are heroes and simple RPG elements associated with them. Each of the heroes can be trained up to level 10 and gradually unlock different abilities. I personally liked Gandalf (destructive spells) and Legolas (simply master of the bow) the most.

There is also a campaign for evil in the game, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it much anymore (and I never even finished it), because it was defacto the same thing, just in the role of the villains. The campaign mode is a journey through the pivotal moments of the film trilogy, crafted to let players experience the epic scope of the narrative through the lens of a strategist. Whether defending Helm's Deep or laying siege to Minas Tirith, each mission immerses players in a deep and engaging story, enriched by the lore and grandeur of Tolkien's world.

In terms of graphics, I have nothing to complain about. The beautifully designed animated menu will surprise you right from the start. The characters are similar to their movie counterparts and the environments, as I said, are beautifully done. Great battles such as Helm's Hollow, Minas Tirith and the battle before the Black Gate of Mordor are a chapter in themselves. I consider these missions to be the highlight of the game, it's a shame there weren't more of them.

Rather than typical resource gathering, players focus on controlling key locations on the map to gather resources and build their forces. This strategic layer adds depth to the gameplay, emphasizing tactical positioning and control of the battlefield.