Monolith Productions is going to great lengths to create a story for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor that remains true to its source material — the fantasy works of British author J.R.R. Tolkien.

Shadow of Mordor's story — set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy — follows Talion, a Ranger of the Black Gate who is killed as the Dark Lord Sauron returns to Mordor, only to be resurrected again by a mysterious Wraith. The Wraith, who grants Talion mind-warping powers that allow him to control the twisted Uruks that make up Sauron's army, has an agenda of his own against the Dark Lord and feeds off Talion's desire to avenge his family's slaughter.

The video above explains how Monolith tapped Red Dead Redemption writer Christian Cantamessa in designing Shadow of Mordor's story. It also takes a look at the multifaceted and prolific voice actor Troy Baker, who is bringing Talion to life. Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Baker in action.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor will launch on Oct. 7 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. For more details on how developers are working to keep the game true to Tolkien's world, check out our in-depth interview with design director Michael de Plater below.