A number of details about Monolith's upcoming Shadow of Mordor sequel, Shadow of War, were revealed this week at the big E3 show in Las Vegas, but one of the more interesting ones that emerged was that you won't be able to replay any missions. The idea is that if you complete the mission, the world will change, so if you fail it should change too.
Immersion is one of the key points on any developer's check list when making a game. They want the player to feel like they're part of the world. A big problem with doing so though, is that you often have a set story in a game, or a plan. Missions that must be completed in order for the next one to make sense. But replaying, restarting and trying again don't make a whole lot of sense, especially in a game like Shadow of War where death isn't such a big deal.
Why should failing a mission be?
Announced during a discussion of the game Troy Baker, the voice of Talion himself and Monolith's Michael de Plate also talked through how large the game is now - each region is bigger than one of the original game's two maps and there are many regions to explore and fight through. Orcs now will gain nicknames based on their actions, letting you know that they've slain a dragon, slain you, or completed some other feat as part of Sauron's Mordor forces (thanks PCGamesN).
They'll have more time to do so as well, as much like when you die, if you fail a mission, time will roll forward, increasing the difficulty of everything in the game and making your foes stronger.