When comparing Dandara vs Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the Slant community recommends Middle-earth: Shadow of War for most people. In the question“What are the best action games on PS4?” Middle-earth: Shadow of War is ranked 44th while Dandara is ranked 66th. The most important reason people chose Middle-earth: Shadow of War is:
Shadow of War uses the Nemesis system to create a more immersive and alive-feeling world. Thanks to it, orc leaders have names, ranks, titles, tribes they belong to, and most importantly, connections to other orc leaders. For example, an orc leader might be at war with another orc leader. This conflict won't end until one of them dies. There are also orcs that are considered blood brothers, having unwavering loyalty to each other. Because of this, don't be too surprised if you ever get betrayed by one of your followers that's trying to do right by his blood brother. Additionally, the leaders you fight will also develop connections with you. Orcs that you've killed or spared, may come back with scars, recalling your previous encounter and vowing to exact vengeance. Orcs that you've escaped from will mock you for being a chicken, and so forth. The gradual creation of this web of connections is very enjoyable and sometimes even more compelling than the game's main story.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Fun gameplay thanks to unique wall jumping mechanic
Rather than running and jumping, all movement in Dandara is done through a unique wall jumping mechanic. This unique jumping is the heart of the game and what sets it apart from other platformers. You can jump to any wall, ceiling, or floor within reach, often bouncing among them in rapid succession like a ninja. The mechanic itself is simple, just aim and jump. However, this movement style makes shooting at enemies, dodging projectiles, or navigating each room a fun, unique challenge that isn't seen in other platformers.
Pro Great balance between movement and combat
While you do have a gun, it takes several seconds to stop, charge up, and shoot. This means whenever you want to dispatch an enemy, you'll have to stop moving completely for several seconds. It's not as easy as it sounds, since oftentimes dodging projectiles, working around moving platforms, and finding a safe spot requires some planning ahead. Sometimes, it may be better to just keep moving rather than killing every enemy in sight. As a result, Dandara's combat provides a balance and unique challenge not often seen in "run and gun" style platformers.
Pro Rewarding boss fights
The boss fights are exciting and fast paced battles that will put your mastery of the wall jumping movement system to the test. One particular fight has temporary platforms that spawn out of thin air, so you never know where they're going to appear. This requires some on the fly thinking as you'll not only be paying attention to the platforms, but also dodging the boss' projectiles and his minions. You'll have to be precise in your jumping and shooting. Every boss fight incorporates the fun wall jumping flawlessly and defeating each one feels like a true accomplishment.
Pro Character connections make for a compelling experience
Shadow of War uses the Nemesis system to create a more immersive and alive-feeling world. Thanks to it, orc leaders have names, ranks, titles, tribes they belong to, and most importantly, connections to other orc leaders.
For example, an orc leader might be at war with another orc leader. This conflict won't end until one of them dies. There are also orcs that are considered blood brothers, having unwavering loyalty to each other. Because of this, don't be too surprised if you ever get betrayed by one of your followers that's trying to do right by his blood brother.
Additionally, the leaders you fight will also develop connections with you. Orcs that you've killed or spared, may come back with scars, recalling your previous encounter and vowing to exact vengeance. Orcs that you've escaped from will mock you for being a chicken, and so forth. The gradual creation of this web of connections is very enjoyable and sometimes even more compelling than the game's main story.
Pro Addictive gear collection fuels your thirst for orc blood
As you kill orc leaders, they'll drop random quality gear items, ranging from common rarity every-orc weapons/armor to legendary rarity artifacts with unique names. Each item serves to improve your character, providing various stat increases and damage bonuses. You can also upgrade gear with gems or via challenges that usually involve killing orcs, bolstering your strength even further. On top of that, there are set bonuses for legendary items, giving you special abilities such as your hits applying explosive poison on regular enemies. It's very exciting seeing what gear piece an orc leader will drop once you lob his head off, causing you to constantly seek out new victims.
Pro Satisfying combat
Shadow of War gives one of the better feeling combat systems in recent times, allowing you to be either stealthy or go for direct confrontations.
If you choose to be stealthy, you can skewer unsuspecting orcs from behind with your dagger, drop onto them from a building while impaling them with your sword, or just pierce them from afar with your bow.
If you choose a direct confrontation, it's a really quick-paced and brutal showdown against your enemies with your chosen melee weapon. You weave combos against enemies, dodging, parrying, and countering enemy attacks, which ends in a devastating finishing move, resulting in a mutilated or decapitated orc.
Whichever method you choose, the combat flows really well and you always feel like a force to be reckoned with.
Pro You can lead an orc army and expand your own dominion
As part of the Nemesis system, you can recruit orc leaders after you've bested them in combat. Each one has his own unique strengths and weaknesses, so making the best possible army for conquering enemy territories might take a while.
For example, an orc leader can be completely immune to ranged attacks, but can take increased damage from explosions. You should take such an orc leader on assaults against fortresses filled with archers but be wary of the slightest hints of any bombs.
Once you've finished building a sizeable force, you can assault a fortresses. If you succeed in the assault, you'll take over a territory, allowing you to install your own orc leader as the ruler. With enough effort you'll gradually take over Mordor and its surrounding lands.
Shadow of War makes you feel like a recruiter, general, and a ruler, which is very empowering and a lot of fun.
Cons
Con Map is hard to use
The camera rotates when entering new rooms/areas, however the map doesn't rotate to reflect this. As a result, it's hard to tell which direction you need to go in. The static map feel a bit useless at times.
Con Save points are scarce
Killing enemies awards salt which can be used to increase your health pool and upgrade your stats. However, you can only use salt at camps (save points) which are few and far between. Additionally, having to replay large sections of content and losing experience every time you die makes the game lose some of it's fun.
Con Major difficulty spikes
Dandara is a challenging game as it is, but there are some pretty sharp difficultly spikes in some areas that feel a little too punishing. This can be frustrating to some players who felt like they were making progress, only to hit these roadblocks.
Con Can get repetitive
The overall gameplay formula doesn't change much over the course of the game. You fight orcs, take over strongholds, upgrade your character, and collect blips on the world map. After a while it can start feeling like a grind, especially during long play sessions. This is made worse in the final stretch of the game where you have to fight through 20 consecutive stronghold battles without any story segments or exposition.
Con Unskippable cutscenes disrupt the flow of the gameplay
Every time an orc leader enters the screen, there is an unskippable cutscene where he rambles a bit, focusing the camera on him and halting combat until the cutscene ends. This usually happens as you're fighting another enemy, potentially disrupting your rhythm, which can be really frustrating, especially if mess up your combo or take an unnecessary hit after the cutscene.