The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is back. Aspyr has released The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – Legacy Edition today on PC and consoles, bringing the 2011 action RPG to modern hardware with co-op, 60 FPS support and a pile of quality-of-life upgrades.
Originally developed by Snowblind Studios, War in the North Legacy Edition is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG. The Nintendo Switch 2 version launches on the Nintendo EU eShop on 18 August.
The game is priced at $19.99/£16.75, with an additional 10% launch discount available until 24 August.
War in the North returns with co-op intact
War in the North takes players away from the main Fellowship and into a darker corner of Middle-earth.
The story follows three heroes as they battle Agandaûr, a Black Númenórean serving Sauron who has gathered an army among the ruins of Fornost.
Players can choose between Eradan, a stealth-focused Dúnadan Ranger; Andriel, an Elven Loremaster specialising in magic; and Farin, a considerably sturdier Dwarven Champion.
You can tackle the adventure alone or build your own Fellowship with friends. Online co-op supports up to three players, while local split-screen allows two players to fight side by side.
The original Nintendo Switch version is the exception here, as local co-op is not supported.
Character progression also remains a big part of the experience. Players can customise skills, abilities and equipment while collecting increasingly powerful weapons and armour.
There is even a giant eagle involved. Beleram can be called into battle to attack enemies from above, which is arguably the correct response to most problems in Middle-earth.
Familiar faces including Aragorn, Gandalf and Elrond also make appearances. Meanwhile, the journey takes players through locations such as Rivendell, Lórien and Mirkwood.
Legacy Edition adds modern upgrades
Aspyr has made several changes for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – Legacy Edition beyond simply getting the game running on newer machines.
One of the biggest additions is character hot-swapping. Players can now switch between the three heroes on the fly and fully manage the equipment, skills and abilities of computer-controlled party members.
Enemy targeting has also been refined with a new lock-on system.
Elsewhere, the user interface now displays Health, Mana and EXP bars for party members. Autosaves and additional save slots have also been added.
A new Triggering Secrets feature allows players to spot secrets associated with the other characters, such as hidden supply caches, regardless of which hero they are currently controlling.
Gyro and motion controls are supported on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
The Legacy Edition also supports 60 FPS gameplay, although this feature is not available on the original Nintendo Switch.
Aspyr says the release includes additional bug fixes too.
As per the press release, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – Legacy Edition is the first Lord of the Rings title released by Aspyr. The publisher also says fans can expect more classic releases from the franchise in the future.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – Legacy Edition is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG for $19.99 / £15.07
The Nintendo Switch 2 version launches through the Nintendo EU eShop on 18 August, while the 10% launch discount runs until 24 August.