Summary
- Tolkien's influence on gaming produced diverse, creative Lord of the Rings games.
- Early adaptations featured odd naming choices like "The Crack of Doom."
- Games like "Return to Moria" and "Gollum" offered unique perspectives but received mixed reviews.
The sheer impact of The Lord of the Rings is immeasurable. J.R.R. Tolkien truly blessed the world with his ambitious imagination. So, who would be surprised when this unbridled creativity trickled over into the realm of video games?
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There has been a flood of games mined from Tolkien’s great mind. The films themselves gave us some of the greatest movie-based games of all time. We even received everything from Final Fantasy- inspired outings to full-fledged MMORPGs and the beloved LEGO adaptations. It’s a shame that Tolkien never had the chance to pick up a controller and experience them all for himself. Although, he would have probably despised the experience, so let’s all just pretend he’d pound some Mountain Dew and go to town on the roster of games.
But the road to digital Middle-earth has had some truly odd detours. Some adaptations were so outlandish that even Tom Bombadil might shake his head and shut his door.
6 The Crack of Doom
Birthplace of the Ring
Beam Software’s early Lord of the Rings games are a fascinating piece of gaming history. These text adventures may seem quaint now, but they were a big deal at the time. However, their naming choices are… interesting.
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The Fellowship of the Ring has a straightforward title, Lord of the Rings: Game One. Fair enough. The Two Towers took a more creative turn with Shadows of Mordor: Game Two of Lord of the Rings (a mouthful, but still passable). Then came the finale: The Crack of Doom. Now, call us immature, but some parts of Tolkien’s legendarium can crack a smile (Shagrat anyone?).
It’s no wonder Peter Jackson left that name out of his films. Who’d want the story’s climactic setting to become the butt of a joke?
5 War in Middle Earth
I Spy With My Gigantic Eye
War in Middle Earth
- Released
- 1988
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Synergistic Software
- Publisher(s)
- Melbourne House
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy
Move over Battle for Middle Earth, there’s a more unhinged RTS in town. That game is 1988’s War in Middle Earth. Now this was a game that took one hell of a swing with its concept. Players could take control of single characters like Frodo and the gang on their quest or command large-scale armies as they tackle Mordor’s hordes.
But the part that is most likely to flabbergast players is that everything happens within the game simultaneously. Picture Sauron scanning the lands from above, watching everything in the trilogy unfold before his eye. It’s an ambitious concept that, despite its age, still feels ahead of its time. Maybe it’s about time someone took another stab at it.
4 The Hobbit
"We Have Hobbits At Home"
The Hobbit (2003)
- Released
- October 24, 2003
- ESRB
- Everyone // Violence, Comic Mischief
- Developer(s)
- Inevitable Entertainment, The Fizz Factor, Saffire
- Publisher(s)
- Sierra Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
At the absolute peak of Lord of the Rings mania in 2003, Vivendi seized the moment to cash in on their video game adaptation rights for the novels. Many a kid woke up on Christmas morning expecting to see Sir Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen in all their digital glory, only to unwrap The Hobbit instead.
To be fair, the game sticks closely to the book’s story. But with its Legend of Zelda-style gameplay and cartoonish aesthetic, it felt completely out of step with the darker, more cinematic Lord of the Rings films that audiences had grown accustomed to.
3 The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
The Turn-Based Age
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
- Released
- November 2, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
If Peter Jackson’s trilogy and Final Fantasy X had a baby, it would be lovingly called The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. This RPG reimagined Tolkien’s world through turn-based combat, where even the Balrog and Nazgûl politely wait their turn to attack.
The strangest part? It kinda works. Scratch that, the real strangest part is the game’s wild deviations from both the films and the books. Chief among them? A final battle where the party literally squares up against the Eye of Sauron atop Barad-dûr. Because sure, why not?
2 The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
A Tragic Moment in LOTR History
The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum
- Released
- May 25, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Daedalic Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Daedalic Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
As soon as The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was announced, fans were left scratching their heads. Of all the characters to build a game around, Gollum was certainly a... Choice. Maybe a Telltale-style narrative adventure could have explored his tragic downfall in an engaging way. But instead, the developers opted for a third-person action-adventure, where players skulked and climbed through Mordor and beyond.
Critics weren’t kind. The game was torn to shreds, and in a twist as tragic as Gollum himself, the developers disbanded the entire team behind it. Somehow, they managed to make his story even more sorrowful.
1 The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
This Week on Fixer Upper
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
- Released
- October 24, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Use Of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Free Range Games
- Publisher(s)
- North Beach Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival
Many fans are curious about the goings-on in Middle-earth following Aragorn’s reign and beyond. Heck, even Tolkien started to write his own sequel before abandoning it after just 13 pages. So it was an interesting choice when Free Range Games decided to set their post-Lord of the Rings trilogy entirely in Moria, following Gimli and his crew as they attempted a home renovation straight out of HGTV.
Another surprising twist was the decision to make The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria a survival game. Then again, considering the genre's popularity, maybe it wasn’t such an odd choice after all.
Lord of the Rings Games Tier List
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most adapted franchises in video games, but results run the gamut from spectacular to virtually unplayable.