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A forgotten old co-op Lord of the Rings game has been unexpectedly remastered and re-released, and there’s a promise of more to come
Aspyr has remastered and re-released The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, a 2011 action RPG built around three-player co-operative play and a parallel Middle-earth story. The Legacy edition is available now for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, with Switch and Switch 2 versions due on 18 August, and Warner Bros. says further classic Lord of the Rings re-releases from Aspyr are planned.
The new version costs about £19 and adds 60fps support, character hot-swapping, split-screen, improved target-locking and interface design, autosaves, gyro controls and bug fixes; Switch 1 will not support 60fps or split-screen. Originally developed by Snowblind Studios, the game follows a dwarf, elf and Dúnadan ranger through northern Middle-earth, including Mirkwood and Rivendell, although Eurogamer’s original review scored it 4/10.
In short
- War in the North returns with modern console support and gameplay improvements.
- It costs roughly £19, with Switch versions arriving on 18 August.
- Warner Bros. has hinted at more Aspyr Lord of the Rings re-releases.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Game preservation and accessibility serve genuine cultural value, particularly for titles that define niche genres like cooperative fantasy RPGs. Even if the original was poorly reviewed, the remaster's technical improvements—60fps, split-screen, gyro controls—address legitimate obstacles to enjoyment, whilst the re-release makes the game available to players who missed it originally or lost access to older versions. For fans of both Lord of the Rings and three-player co-op experiences, this represents preservation of a distinctive game concept that might otherwise disappear from availability.
The case against
Development resources devoted to remastering a critically failed 2011 game might be more productively directed towards original titles or superior existing games in the genre. A 4/10 review typically reflects fundamental design flaws beyond what technical enhancements can remedy, suggesting effort spent here yields diminishing returns. This remaster strategy signals a broader industry trend of leveraging established intellectual property rather than investing in creative risk-taking, particularly concerning given Warner Bros' plan for further revivals rather than new experiences in Middle-earth.
Explained simply
The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy story by J.R.R. Tolkien, set in Middle-earth, a world of elves, dwarves and humans. Many games use its setting and characters, sometimes telling stories that run alongside the events of the books and films.
War in the North is an action role-playing game in which up to three people play together as a dwarf, an elf and a human ranger. Their journey takes place in the northern regions of Middle-earth, including Mirkwood and Rivendell. Snowblind Studios first made the game in 2011, and Aspyr is a publisher and developer that works on games for modern platforms.