The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’s multiple delays and lack of actual gameplay shown do not bode well for it. Its development has seemed rocky ever since its initial announcement, but while its most recent delay is another opportunity to rectify its current issues, it is still unfortunate. That said, while there is criticism The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has generated that is fair with regard to what has been shown thus far, some criticism has simply predicted it will be an underwhelming game due to the fact that fans play as the crooked creature once known as Smeagol.
Following the power fantasy high of Monolith’s two-entry Middle-earth series, Daedalic’s Gollum asks fans to temper their expectations when it comes to action. The game will be primarily stealth and exploration-based, with unique dialogue choices in an inner conflict mini-game that seemingly affect the player’s circumstances. These features may not all add up to a satisfying experience, but BlueTwelve and Annapurna’s Stray is evidence that a concentration on atmospheric exploration may be all that The Lord of the Rings: Gollum needs in order to excel.
Stray’s Environmental Storytelling and Atmosphere Are its Key Features
Stray released to a positive reception from fans for its adorably authentic iteration of a cat in gameplay. This included moments where the cat would suddenly disobey the player’s controls when a harness is placed onto it, as well as dizzyingly inverting controls when a paper bag is on the cat’s head. Players could then scratch at carpets and doors, meow on command, and knock items off of ledges at their discretion. But while this is the interactive feature that hooks players initially, Stray presents intricate themes in an animated environment full of exploration.
Once players arrive at the Slums, there are many NPC robots to interact with and optional fetch quests to start, and the environment has a lot of creative navigation through interior and vertical traversal. The Slums, Antvillage, and Midtown are all diverse and dynamic in terms of where players can go and what items they can find. Each new area presents its own traversal obstacles that make for fun passageways players then learn about and return to afterward. Stray’s platforming resorts to simple button inputs instead of allowing players to freely leap themselves. However, the game’s exploration is more interesting in terms of finding out where to go, rather than how platforming is achieved. Therefore, Stray may be the perfect design formula for a game like The Lord of the Rings: Gollum that looks light with regard to its interactivity.
Daedalic’s Gollum Does Not Need to Live Up to Other LOTR Games
Daedalic’s Gollum may not be the power fantasy players have come to expect from other The Lord of the Rings games, but if it is able to somehow achieve the same atmosphere that Stray has, it may not need to. Much of the actual gameplay that has been shared shows Gollum either climbing a shale surface, shimmying along a ledge, or crawling around and attempting to avoid potential enemies. Stray is not an action game either, but instead offers sequences dedicated to certain gameplay mechanics.
One portion of Stray has action where the player is able to finally fight back with a UV light, while a sequence in the third-act is centered chiefly around stealth. It is in this diversification that Stray feels fresh and never redundant. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum needs to diversify its gameplay similarly, where some moments center on exploration and some moments center on stealth.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’s dialogue options may shape what choices players make and what incidents they run into, making its gameplay more aligned with how fans wish to play, but scripted events should still allow players to breathe and enjoy its environments. Middle-earth’s locales will be exciting to explore, particularly if they have memorable iconography embedded in them, and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum should make these moments fun to traverse and move around.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.