Almost lost for two and a half millennia, the One Ring, a corrupting relic forged by the dark lord Sauron, has resurfaced in the most unlikely of places: the verdant, unsuspecting hills of the Shire. To prevent absolute darkness from consuming Middle-earth, it falls upon Frodo Baggins, an ordinary young hobbit, to carry the fate of us all to the fiery chasms of Mount Doom, deep into hostile enemy territory. The brave halfling is not alone, though. A wizard's staff, a ranger's sword, an elf's bow, and a dwarf's ax have sworn to protect him. But as the shadowy ruler fixes his gaze on the little ring bearer, the ultimate threat emerges. Will the seductive, eroding power of the artifact itself tear the fellowship apart before their journey even begins?
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It's a subtle one, but a few of Jon Snow's companions at the Night's Watch share names with Frodo's closest friends from The Lord of the Rings. It's the kind of overlap that feels like a deliberate nod between two of fantasy's biggest sagas rather than a coincidence.
Senior animator Mike Laygo, who'd previously worked on Lord of the Rings games, has said Aatrox's movement was directly inspired by Balrog and Sauron. It shows too, that same hulking, wing-dragging menace you get from the Balrog in the mines of Moria is baked right into the way Aatrox carries himself.
