Summary
The Lord of the Ringshas never been tremendously prominent in gaming outside a few scattered entries that happened to make a profound impact.The Lord of the Ringshas always been popular as the pinnacle of fantasy storytelling and world-building, and its IP has made for a history of hit-or-miss gaming experiences where not many installments fell into a middling category, either being considered fantastic or lackluster. Licensed and original games alike have been beloved, and therefore the quality of one or the other is no longer predictable.
Interestingly, there’s still so much potential that aLord of the Ringsgame could have in contemporary gaming whether it adhered strictly to licensed adaptations or branched out to attempt original stories and extrapolate on known lore. Both attempts have been made several times now, and arguably the most successfulLord of the Ringsgames to come out in more than a decade were Monolith’sMiddle-earthgames.The Lord of the Rings’ latest games were fumbles, yet the low bar they have set could ironically be what helps the nextLord of the Ringsgame thrive.
The Lord of the Rings’ IP Risks Becoming Creatively Bankrupt in Games
Speaking ofLord of the Ringsgames that have been highly criticized lately,Return to Moriaisn’t the bottom of the pack. Players have still expressed that they enjoy its immersive survival-crafting elements, and for many that might be enough even if vital quality-of-life ingredients are missing from its recipe. Meanwhile,The Lord of the Rings: Gollumisn’t being defended by anyoneand fails to take a tenable stance itself.
Basically every aspect ofGollumis underwhelming, beginning with the fact that aGollumgame was the least creative decision that could have been made and ending with the fact that certain voice lines and emotes are locked behind a paywall. The newestLord of the Ringsgame to be announced wasWeta Workshop and Private Division’sTales of the Shire, and next to nothing was revealed about it aside from it being a cozy game.
Now, withGollumhaving plummeted expectations when it comes to aLord of the Ringsgame, future endeavors can only meet that same awful standard or be far better, putting them in an awkward position. It seems hard to believe that a blunder as bad asGollumcould be repeated, meaning that there’s a greater chance that the nextLord of the Ringsgame will at least be received better than it.
The Lords of the Rings Needs a New Shadow of Mordor, Return of the King
That is indeed a low bar, and ideally the nextLord of the Ringsgame would be able to meet the excellent standard of games likeMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordororThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kinginstead.Tales of the Shiremay not be the game to exceed those expectations depending on how quaint it’s intended to be, but that shouldn’t stop a newLord of the Ringsgame from doing so.Shadow of Mordorand its sequel were popular for several reasons between their rhythmic counter-based combat andpatented Nemesis system, whileReturn of the Kingwas easily one of the most well-crafted licensed movie adaptations in gaming history, complete with engaging co-op and a fun progression system.
The best course of action would perhaps be to try another original story in Middle-earth for developers to explore new characters apart from those that regurgitate the same iconography. However,a modern remake ofReturn of the KingorThe Third Agewould also be widely agreeable with current-gen graphics and gameplay considered.
Otherwise,Lord of the Ringsis ripe for Soulslike potential a la theStar Wars Jedifranchiseand could demonstrate the broadest wealth of its world-building and lore in an expansive action-RPG.
The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum
WHERE TO PLAY
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an action-adventure game developed and published by Daedalic Entertainment and co-published with Nacon. The game, set in the fictional world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien, takes place in between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.He’s got nothing more to lose… How far will he go to retrieve his Precious?Taking place in parallel to the events described in The Fellowship of the Ring ™, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an action-adventure game and an epic interactive experience. You play as the enigmatic Gollum on his perilous journey and find out how he outwitted the most powerful characters in Middle-earth.Gollum is one of the most fascinating characters in The Lord of the Rings universe. In 500 years he has experienced events that would destroy the toughest of beings. But Gollum doesn’t break; he bends, he adapts…Tortured by his split personality, he can be vicious and wicked as Gollum, yet friendly and cautious as Smeagol. It’s up to you to decide which of his personalities will triumph in the difficult moral choices that will dictate the future of your precarious alliances.The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ is an official adaptation based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
