‘Lord of the Rings: War in the North’ Just Shadow Dropped, and More Remasters Have Been Teased
Aspyr has surprise-released a remastered version of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, bringing the 2011 action RPG back to modern platforms for the first time since it was pulled from digital storefronts in 2019. The re-release, dubbed the Legacy Edition, matters because the original game had been unavailable to buy for several years, and its return coincides with a tease from Aspyr that further classic Lord of the Rings game remasters are planned, echoing the studio's ongoing work remastering older Star Wars titles.
War in the North originally launched in 2011 to a lukewarm critical reception, scoring 61 on Metacritic from Xbox 360 reviews and 66 on Windows PC, and follows three heroes fighting Sauron's forces in the north of Middle-earth while Frodo and Sam pursue their own quest. The Legacy Edition adds 60 frames-per-second support, interface improvements, extra save slots, autosave, and gyro and motion controls on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, alongside three-player online co-op and two-player split-screen. It is now available on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Windows PC and Xbox Series X.
In short
- Aspyr surprise-relaunched Lord of the Rings: War in the North on modern platforms
- "Legacy Edition" adds 60fps, co-op, autosave and UI upgrades
- Aspyr teases more Lord of the Rings game remasters to come
Explained simply
The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy story set in Middle-earth, where the Dark Lord Sauron seeks power and opposing forces try to stop him. In the original books and films, Frodo and Sam travel to destroy a powerful ring, while other characters fight Sauron’s armies elsewhere.
War in the North is a 2011 action role-playing game set alongside Frodo and Sam’s journey. Players follow three heroes battling Sauron’s forces in the northern part of Middle-earth, with options to play together in co-op. Its return is notable because it had been unavailable to buy digitally for several years, and Aspyr has hinted at further remasters of older Lord of the Rings games.
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