There’s a lot of highly anticipated games coming out in 2022, butThe Lord of the Rings: Gollummay be one of the most unique. Although lots of developers have createdLord of the Ringsgames in the past, Daedalic Entertainment has struck upon the unique idea to make a game starring the elusive and troubled Gollum.The Lord of the Rings: Gollumwill offer fans a stealthy action-adventure game exploring Gollum’s life after he loses the One Ring. It will be interesting to see Middle-earth through the eyes of a secondary character like Gollum rather than from Bilbo, Frodo, or Aragorn’s perspective.
Daedalic made a great choice by tapping Gollum to star in itsLord of the Ringsgame, but there’s anotherLotRcharacter who deserves the spotlight: Gandalf. Although Gandalf orchestrates many ofthe events ofThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Rings,he’s also absent from the story frequently, tending to matters across Middle-earth. It’d be great to see some of these journeys from Gandalf’s perspective, or even to chart Gandalf’s earliest adventures in a newLord of the Ringsgame. Gandalf seems like a good character to explore after Daedalic is finished withGollum.
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A Gandalf Game’s Potential
When it comes to story content, aLord of the Ringsgame about Gandalf has a lot of options. SinceGollumexplores the titular protagonist’s life in the early parts ofThe Lord of the Rings,a Gandalf game could focus on Gandalf’s life around the same time when he began to study the One Ring.The Hobbitprovides good material too; players might control Gandalf as hesupports Thorin Oakenshield’s questand investigates Sauron’s return. Beyond that, Daedalic could focus on Gandalf’s early days when Sauron was at his most powerful, or even weave all three time periods into a game that spans Gandalf’s life.
The mechanics of aLord of the Ringsgame about Gandalf would be unique, too. InLord of the Ringslore,Gandalf is meant to serve as an advisorrather than commanding mortals to act in certain ways, although he’s still more than willing to do battle. A game about Gandalf’s adventures in Middle-earth might be divided between adventure sections with heavy dialogue, where players have to convince important characters to make certain decisions, as well as action sequences that blend Gandalf’s capable swordsmanship with magical powers.
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Exploring Middle-earth in New Ways
The Lord of the Rings: Gollumis an interesting project because it focuses on a character whose life and journey aren’t always visible, in spite of their importance.Gollumwill look at Middle-earth differentlybecause it’s informed by the titular character’s experiences. A Gandalf game could do the exact same thing, and perhaps to an even greater extent due to Gandalf’s long life and remarkable experiences. Gandalf has spent so many years shaping the events ofThe Lord of the Ringsand Tolkien’s other stories that he’s more than worthy of his own game.
It would be great to seeThe Lord of the Rings: Gollumstart a new wave ofLotRgames. Middle-earth is a classic fantasy world filled with interesting characters and lore that can easily inspire compelling games likeMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.HopefullyGollum’s creative perspective will encourage other developers to explore theLotRworld, especially from the perspective of characters like Gandalf who only get the stage to themselves on rare occasions. For now though,The Lord of the Rings: Gollumlooks like a game that all fans of Middle-earth should try thanks to its unorthodox protagonist and the corners of his world that it will visit in new ways.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollumreleases in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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