Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Nintendo Switch 2 ) Review: Amazing Game, Underwhelming Port

From the dear departed Monolith Productions, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor arguably remains the best game ever created in the Middle-Earth franchise despite its history dating all the way back to the NES era. It’s been over 11 years since I first played it on my first-ever gaming laptop, and it’s one of those experiences that managed to stick with me over the years—thanks to its cohesive revenge story, fluid combat mechanics like the Batman: Arkham series, and, most importantly, the Nemesis system, the kind of emergent gameplay mechanic we’ll probably never see again. Years later, the game is finally getting a re-release, specifically for Nintendo Switch 2. While the new version is a welcome addition, it seems to have the same issues that the developer, Asphr, had in their previous Switch 2 ports, like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider (2013).

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition was released alongside its sequel, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, on 30th September 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2 as a bundle and as a standalone title on the Nintendo eShop. Shadow of Mordor follows an original story based on some of J. R. R. Tolkien‘s unpublished works; the game takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It follows the tale of Talion, a Gondorian Ranger who bonds with the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor, as the two set out to avenge the deaths of their loved ones.

The Departed, Banished From Death

Set in the 60-year span between Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the game follows Talion, a captain of Gondor stationed at the Black Gate of Mordor. When Sauron’s Uruk army, commanded by three fearsome Black Númenórean captains—the Hammer, the Tower, and their leader, the Black Hand—overruns his garrison, tragedy strikes. Talion, his wife Ioreth, and son Dirhael are captured and sacrificed in a dark ritual meant to summon the wraith of Elf Lord Celebrimbor. Instead, the amnesiac Celebrimbor merges with Talion, saving him from death. Bound together, they embark on a perilous quest to uncover Celebrimbor’s past and avenge the slaughter of Talion’s family.

Unlike its sequel, the story in Shadow of Mordor remains cohesive throughout. The objectives, while repetitive at times, are always aligned towards the ultimate goal—exact revenge on the Black Hand of Sauron. The voice acting and the motion capture include the likes of Troy Baker as Talion and Nolan North as the Black Hand of Sauron. The cinematics and cutscenes remain great as ever. Liam O’Brien’s performance as Gollum is probably the most noteworthy performance amongst the cast, thanks to his almost indistinguishable impression of Andy Serkis’ voice of Gollum from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Since the Switch 2 version is the GoTY edition, it includes both the major story expansions—the Bright Lord and The Lord of the Hunt—along with all the skins, warbands, and challenge modes. The Bright Lord follows the events before the game takes place: you play as Celebrimbor before he becomes a wraith, and Lord of the Hunt follows the tale of Torvin, the Dwarf Hunter. Overall, if you want to experience it all, you are looking at at least 35-50 hours of playtime. It’s a package brimming with tons of content, but it comes with one big caveat.

The Elephant in the Room

The biggest issue with the game is that it is locked to 30 frames per second on both handheld and docked modes while featuring a size of 50 GB, which is significantly larger than its superior port on PC, which only takes up 42 GB of space and can run at over 60 fps even on handhelds like the Steam Deck. Even on outdated GPUs like the GTX 1050 and 1050Ti, which are significantly less powerful than Switch 2’s APU, this game can run at over 60 frames per second with ease. 

This is the third Switch 2 Port from Asphyr this year, which is locked to 30 fps. The PS4 and Xbox One ports of Shadow of Mordor are also locked to 30 fps on current-gen consoles, as there was no 60 fps patch ever released for this game. Switch 2 could have been the first console to play this game at 60 fps or at least at 40 fps, considering its VRR support. Although this title was available for pre-orders at half the price, that cannot be held as an excuse for this lackluster port, as Switch 2 definitely has the required raw power to run this game at 60 fps or at the very least 40 fps. If games like Fallout 4, which require significantly more resources to run, can manage a 60 fps performance mode, then this one can too. I just hope Asphyr puts the effort into adding the 60 fps support in a future patch.

Despite being locked to 30 fps, the resolution in the handheld mode is significantly lower than its crisp docked mode. In the docked mode, the game looks really sharp even on a 4K display with almost no aliasing in place. However, in the handheld mode, there is noticeable aliasing throughout, and the resolution seems to be ever lower than 1080p, closer to 720p. It’s really sad the developer did not make any effort in using upscaling tech like DLSS in this port. The frametimes are also all over the place, which gives it a choppy feel while playing, but during cutscenes it looks relatively smooth and sharp. This is quite unusual for video games, and I hope these issues will be addressed in a future patch.

The Timelessness of the Nemesis System

Despite it being locked to 30 fps and choppy frametimes, I still could not stop playing this game because it still remains an amazing game to this day. What Monolith Productions managed to achieve with their Nemesis System, embodied with the satisfying fluid combat of the Arkham series, is a combo unlike any other. Taking out a captain or war chief, or being killed by them, shifts the rankings on the board. Someone climbs the ladder, while others are wiped from existence. The chain of events the Nemesis system creates is unique to each playthrough, except for certain story moments where changes are fixed.

The combat system, while simple, is quite engaging and remains consistent throughout. You can counter, dodge, jump over enemies, or stun them with your wraith abilities and unleash a flurry of heavenly strikes. This strategy changes based on the type of enemy—some just have swords, while others, like the beserkers, wield two swords or one sword and a shield, making their defenses almost impermeable. You also unlock runs and XP points to gain more powers and level up your character. It’s simple and quite easy to follow.

The world of Mordor is one of the game’s standout features. Its vast open-world map is packed with orc strongholds, slave camps, elven ruins, and unique challenges at every turn. The nemesis system makes sure each confrontation feels personal to your playthrough. As you advance, the map gradually reveals itself through towers in each region, keeping fast travel as easy as ever. It’s a simple yet effective approach that remains unchanged in this version, and it still works perfectly.

Real Talk

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor remains a decent experience on Nintendo Switch 2, held back by a lack of implementation of Nvidia upscaling tech and its choppy 30 frames per second cap on both docked and handheld modes. The cohesive revenge story of Talion and Celebrimbor remains great as ever alongside all the add-ons and the story expansions that this version brings in. Considering its discounted price at launch and bundle options, it is definitely worth picking up as a fan of the Middle-Earth: Shadow series and an owner of the Switch 2.

Final Score: 70/100