A classic Lord of the Rings action RPG suddenly returns – and more remasters are on the way

Seemingly out of nowhere, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North has made a shock return to modern consoles with a brand new remaster.

Originally released back in 2011, the remaster comes to us courtesy of Aspyr, the veritable remaster kings who have given us re-releases of Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.

Unavailable on digital storefronts since 2019, this is the first time in many years that players have had the chance to dive in, with the remaster also delivering a variety of modern enhancements.

The RPG uniquely tells the story of both the original JRR Tolkien books and the Peter Jackson film adaptations, incorporating elements of both in its story, and essentially plays like a hack and slash dungeon crawler.

Players swap between three playable characters – the Ranger Eradan, Dwarf Farin or Elf Andriel – on a quest that runs alongside that of the Fellowship, with the two stories meeting at certain points.

Of course, for some of us, any chance to play a Lord of the Rings game is a welcome one, but before you go spending £18.99 / $19.99 on this remaster, it's probably worth bearing in mind that, as far as LOTR games go, War in the North got a pretty mixed reception.

The original has a Metacritic score of 61, and while plenty of reviewers praised how it captured the spirit of LOTR, they felt that its repetitive gameplay and weak story held it back somewhat.

Interestingly, while the original game was made with co-op functionality in mind, hence the three playable characters, the remaster has been optimised for solo players so it's not quite such a grind if you can't find another friend willing to spend 20 quid on a 15-year-old game.

Thankfully, even if War in the North is not your cup of mead, Aspyr has confirmed that they are already working on "even more classic releases from the beloved franchise in the future!"

So, that means more LOTR remasters are to come. Aspyr, if we could get one for 2003's The Return of the King game then my life is yours.

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.