The Lord of the Rings: Gollum aims to tell the tale of the titular hero throughout unexplored periods of the character's life. The creature once known as Smeagol has become one of The Lord of the Rings' most iconic figures. He plays a crucial role throughout the tale, from his first encounter with the ring to the struggle with Frodo and Sam at the peak of Mount Doom. Despite this, the specifics of Gollum's tale remain untold and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum strives to fill that gap, offering more context and background on this character's fraught history.
Though Gollum's certainly not the hero's tale, German developer Daedalic Entertainment has taken on the challenge of casting Gollum as a protagonist. Earlier this month, The Best War Games was invited to Daedalic Days 2023, the developer/publisher's yearly showing of in-development projects. The Lord of The Rings: Gollum, due to come out sometime in 2023, was this year's focus. Participants got their hands on a roughly 50-minute slice of gameplay, then sat down with a Lord of the Rings lore expert for a Q&A.
In the demo, we were taken across three locations: the Ephel Dúath Mountains (near Minas Morgul and Shelob's Lair), Mirkwood, and within Minas Morgul. Gameplay consisted of sneaking, climbing, distracting, choking enemies, and the occasional narrative choice in which Gollum's inner turmoil is made manifest. Like many modern stealth games, players will spend much of their time stalking enemies from a distance, hiding out in tall grass, and throwing rocks to divert attention. Gollum can also perform common traversal moves like shimmying along ledges and running along walls to cross gaps. Actions deplete a stamina bar, and Gollum can activate a type of detective mode to highlight enemies.
The timeline of LOTR: Gollum will span his escape from the orcs following the events of The Hobbit, to his stay with the elves of Mirkwood and beyond - a period fans haven't been privy to. The demo opened with Gollum in a Mirkwood cell, muttering a riddle or rhyme suspiciously reminiscent of those he spoke in The Hobbit. When asked, the Tolkien lore expert confirmed the connection and stated that the rhyme would have some significance in the story.
In a flashback, we were taken to the first location: the Ephel Dúath Mountains. The area's verticality and vast mountain canyons provide ample opportunity to show off the game's climbing and parkour. The mountains felt appropriately Tolkien-esque, from the oppressive colors to the domineering mountains complete with crackling dark energy. While Gollum pursues a bird he thinks to be Sauron's spy, the gameplay was what players would expect from a stealth game, with portions of the wall clearly made to climb and chalky streaks denoting points where Gollum could interact.
The game's stand-out feature are the moral dilemmas faced by Gollum, in which players must side with either Gollum or his alter ego Smeagol. At the end of the Ephel Dúath portion, we were met with such a choice. Gollum wanted to kill a passing insect, suspecting it to be a minion of Sauron, while Smeagol pleaded to spare it.
These decisions present an opportunity for players to help tell an untold story. But they also raise questions, and it will be interesting to see how Daedalic handles them. The Tolkien estate has a tight hold on its lore, and with an endpoint already defined in the LOTR Trilogy, these decisions run the risk of being fun, but ultimately unimportant. Players couldn't affect anything large-scale, lest the greater canon be disrupted. Of course, the timeframe is unknown, so hopefully, the developers were given enough leeway to surprise fans.
The demo's second area was Mirkwood. In a vast cave system, Gandalf releases Gollum from his cell, instructing him to stay put under the watch of nearby elves. We did nothing of the sort, and soon found our way out of the chamber to explore. Despite it being a dank cavern, the team at Daedalic did an impressive job injecting the area with flourishes of elven beauty. Clear waters, graceful decoration, and vibrant greenery bestowed the level with a magical vitality - a stark contrast to the harsh peaks of Ephel Dúath. As we made our way through, we encountered several elves. If seen, the guards would rush in and immediately capture Gollum. The developers said that Gollum was so outclassed by the elves that fighting them or attempting to choke them wasn't an option; players will need to rely on stealthier tactics.
The final portion of the preview took place inside Minas Morgul. Captured by orcs, Gollum soon gets the slip on his guards and sets about escaping. The fortress's interior exudes Tolkienian evil, with oppressive reds and blacks complimenting harsh architecture. This area felt the most recognizably 'Lord of the Rings,' or at least what audiences have come to expect as such.
In Minas Morgul, the game introduces The Inquisitor, also known as the Candle Man and the right-hand man to the enigmatic Mouth of Sauron. The Mouth of Sauron appears briefly in The Return of the King, but LOTR: Gollum promises to explore the character further. One question surrounding the game concerns how much new story is left to be told. But with distinct new characters like the Candle Man, plus the previously unexplored locations Gollum will visit, it seems like Daedalic has the freedom to expand the lore and surprise players.
The big question is how the gameplay will be distinct from other stealth offerings. Aside from the Gollum vs Smeagol decisions, the action didn't diverge from what might be expected of a stealth adventure. In the Q&A, we asked how Gollum's uniqueness will be mechanically expressed and Daedalic pointed to the sneaking, the moral decisions, and the companions Gollum will befriend as key parts of the character's experience. We only encountered one decision and weren't accompanied by any NPC allies, so it's tough to give a solid impression of their significance.
At this point, much remains to be seen with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. But with its expected release later this year, along with 4 other Lord of the Rings games coming over the next 2 years, fans of the franchise certainly have much to look forward to.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum releases May 25, 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.