Screenshot by Bonus Action
Here’s the thing. I have a very complicated relationship with Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. I am a die-hard, read all of the Tolkien books, and listen to “The Silmarillion” for fun, sort of Tolkien fan. Back when the game first released in 2014, I was deep in finals week at college, sick with bronchitis, and all I wanted was to immerse myself in an action-packed video game about a Ranger named Talion who teams up with one of the most influential characters in Middle-Earth history to destroy Sauron’s army from the inside out.
All I had in my college apartment was an old Xbox 360, on which the game crashed immediately at the same point in the same chapter after the same gnarly assassination. After working through the grieving process and healing from my bronchitis, I took the game back to the store. I missed out on the Game of the Year release in 2015, the DLC, and the subsequent sequel, Shadow of War. The Switch 2 release of these games healed my decade-long wounds as I snuck and sliced my way through the Uruk ranks from the comfort of my sofa, bronchitis-free.
Key Details
- Developer: Originally developed by Monolith Productions; developed for Switch 2 by Aspyr
- Publisher: Originally published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; developed for Switch 2 by Aspyr
- Release Date: September 30th, 2026
- Price: $19.99
- Platforms: Switch 2
- Review Code Received: Yes, for Nintendo Switch 2
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Runs Like Butter At Different Temperatures
One of my biggest concerns when developers want to publish an older game to a newer console is, “How well is this going to run?” After the initial start-up screen and cinematics, where I appreciated the nostalgic graphics, I found that getting into the meat of the game was like meeting up with an old friend. The combat system is simple: button-mash to do the quick move, pay attention to the on-screen cues, sneak-attack to not draw attention to yourself, etcetera etcetera. I quickly found my flow, and maneuvering Talion became second nature.
Moving through Mordor is an experience on the Switch 2. The updated processor keeps the environments smooth, with little to no jittering or laggy loading that I experienced. I like to keep my game brightness up, but I didn’t experience muddy colors or lost details. There have been a few hiccups that occur when I get swarmed by Uruks, and the Switch 2 has to process the physical animation that Talion uses to alternate between targets; it’s the difference between a split second of an Uruk model freezing while it waits for Talion to finish a previous move. It’s a negligible freeze, quickly forgotten because I have more Uruks to take care of.
The game doesn’t drain the battery on the Switch 2. I played uninterrupted for a total of five hours in one day, and my Switch 2’s battery only lost about 60% after starting from a full charge. It doesn’t run the hardware super hard, and at one point, I think I left the game on pause because my kid had asked for a more involved snack.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Still Keeps Me On My Toes
One of the biggest draws to this game, from what I recall from 2014, was the Nemesis system. My previous experience with the game was on the Xbox 360, which didn’t include the system of enemies learning every time they beat you in a fight. Yes, the Uruks still increased their ranks, but they didn’t learn about you. On the Switch 2, I have more incentive not to accidentally get overwhelmed by enemies or forget a particular weakness to sneak attacks on an Uruk Captain, because if Talion dies, that Uruk gets stronger and more challenging, or might create incentive for revenge.
Additionally, the land of Mordor is full of side-quests and collectibles that seem overwhelming at times, but that means I can choose to engage with my old friend Ratbag, or follow Gollum around, or simply explore around Mordor and engage in fights of revenge, or take out new targets that I have learned about. It’s addicting to learn about the weakness of an Uruk Captain, tracking him down, and using those weaknesses against him. Eventually, I am drawn to continue the story so I can continue to unlock new areas and new challenges.
A Recall to Simple Times
The game is the same as when it was released in 2014, which means I get to step back in time to an era of gaming that is very near and dear to my heart. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor falls in the same time frame as Batman: Arkham City and Assassin’s Creed. It might feel derivative to compare those games to this one, but I do it as a mark of quality. The release of Shadow of Mordor on Switch 2 is a reminder of these exceptionally crafted games where the narrative is key, and the experience doesn’t have to be loaded down with micro-transactions, bells, and whistles. Turns out, I can simply walk into Mordor from the comfort of my sofa.
This version of the game includes the DLCs that were released in 2014 and 2015, Lord of the Hunt and The Bright Lord. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition launched on the Nintendo Store for the Switch 2 on September 30th, 2026.
Final Score – 8.5/10
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition is just as fantastic on the Switch 2 as its initial release in 2014. The game plays beautifully, with only a few graphical and system hiccups that I attribute to the processing speed of the Switch 2 versus the age of the game itself, though it doesn’t take away from the gameplay experience.
**Bonus Action received a Nintendo Switch 2 code for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition for the purpose of this review**
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