Over the weekend I beat Lord of the Rings:War in the North on Normal Difficulty (Victorious in Battle achievement),a few days shy of the monthly challenge but that’s alright. It had been in my library for years, so it was nice to finally revisit Middle-Earth and especially to get the chance to play as a member of my favorite fantasy race:Dwarves(if my name and steam profile weren’t a giveaway, assuming anyone reads this/checks my profile).Ironically it was that zealotry that prevented me from playing the game before; the only friends I had who wanted to play it are also fervent Dwarf fans,and instead of doing something sensible like taking turns,over time it just sat in my library collecting digital dust. I had so many other games and other methods for delving into Middle-Earth that it wasn’t a priority. I am thankful for the theme that behooved me to play it, though. Underrated gem of an ARPG imho, especially for a Tolkien fan.

The game takes many liberties with source material, but a portion of it is culled from the appendices of the Lord of the Rings.I was thrilled at the way it fleshed out certain characters and included scenes with some of my favorites from the book, like Halbarad, the sons of Elrond, and the Great Eagles.

Not sure about the monthly theme, but I may fill out this month with lots of Warhammer Vermintide as my main gaming group is playing it a lot lately and I also rolled a character for Pillars of Eternity.