Shadow Of War: 10 Brutally Honest Impressions You Need To Know

8. Maps Are Way More Interesting To Explore Than The First

Shadow of War
WB Games

For as good as Shadow of Mordor was, its handful of maps left quite a bit to be desired. Being little more than barren volcanic lands or decimated fields full of crumbling structures and a few major encampments, there wasn't much diversity in the battlefields you were fighting on in the first game.

Thankfully, Shadow of War marks a major improvement over its predecessor when it comes to the design of its levels. Full of far more visually interesting locations to visit, the world of the sequel feels like it could genuinely be lived in, ripe with its own history and culture that the player is freely able to explore.

The vast range of environments on display in the sequel makes the first game feel like a tech demo in comparison, and fans of Middle-Earth will be more than happy with being able to live in such a brilliantly constructed version of the fantasy world.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.