The Lord of the Rings has inspired a lot of video games, but The Lord of the Rings: Gollum takes a different approach. In Gollum, players take control of the corrupted former owner of the One Ring as he journeys across Middle-earth in search of his precious. However, while Gollum's protagonist choice is unique, it will likely still feature a variety of famous characters from Lord of the Rings lore. Fans already know that Gandalf the Grey will appear, as well as the elven king of Mirkwood, Thranduil. Daedalic Entertainment is bound to have a lot of other notable characters.
Aside from featuring LotR heroes like Gandalf, Gollum will almost certainly feature a few villains, possibly including the Nazgul, better known as the Ringwraiths. Sauron's circle of nine ring-cursed minions serve as major threats throughout The Lord of the Rings, famously coming close to killing Frodo, so they seem like ideal villains in Gollum; rivals in the search for the One Ring. In order to properly represent Sauron's Ringwraiths, Gollum needs to bear a few of their core principles in mind: their near-immortality, their enhanced senses, and the power of terror. These elements combined can provide excellent support for Gollum's themes.
The Ringwraiths are Unstoppable Forces
The Ringwraiths were corrupted into a powerful band of undead using rings given to them by Sauron in life. Thanks to these rings, the Ringwraiths are immortal and have served Sauron for many centuries. While Ringwraiths aren't completely indestructible, as the Witch-King of Angmar's fate proves, for the purposes of Gollum they might as well be insurmountable foes. Aside from their undead nature, each of the Ringwraiths is well-armed and skillful in combat, sometimes seen leading Mordor's forces into battle.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum won't focus on combat, based on Daedalic's descriptions of the game. As one might expect from a game about Gollum, it'll be stealth-driven while incorporating some action elements; players will likely assassinate a few orcs on Gollum's journey. However, the power of Ringwraiths should make them more obstacle than enemy. Gollum simply doesn't stand a chance against some of Sauron's closest servants. Ideally, Gollum could use the Ringwraiths akin to Silent Hill's Pyramid Head and other unstoppable monsters from horror games. Ringwraiths might threaten instant death while searching certain areas, putting the player's stealth to the test.
The Ringwraith's Unnatural Sense of Smell
Gollum would be a great opportunity to emphasize one unique trait of Ringwraiths: their strong sense of smell. While good noses seem like an odd trait for Sauron's undead minions to have, it proves useful in The Fellowship of the Ring when the Ringwraiths pursue Frodo. Considering how stealth-driven Gollum will likely be, this power seems like a perfect Ringwraith trait to highlight. Gollum could use relentless antagonists who are always one step behind the elusive Gollum, and the Ringwraiths' potential to track him by scent seems like a lore-driven way to fill that role.
Naturally, the Ringwraiths need to be hard to evade, since they can perpetually pick up on Gollum's trail again, but their senses also open up more opportunities for Gollum to escape. Like many stealth games, Gollum sounds like it'll encourage players to manipulate the environment to their advantage, so ideally Gollum will have ways to confuse the Ringwraith's senses, potentially covering his trail with festering meat or pungent oil. Mechanics that turn one of the Ringwraith's strengths into a weakness would make good use of Gollum's resourcefulness.
The Ringwraith's Aura of Terror
Above all, Daedalic Entertainment can't forget to integrate the Ringwraith's powers over fear. While these undead warriors are innately frightening enemies, Tolkien describes the Ringwraiths as having a supernatural ability to fill their enemies with fear, which could render opponents helpless in the face of the Ringwraiths. This aura of dread goes a long way to making the Ringwraiths dangerous, so Gollum needs to explicitly depict this power in order to represent the Ringwraiths well.
Gollum may already have excellent mechanics through which the Ringwraith's powers of fear can be depicted. Gollum is largely choice-driven, with players following the opinions of the protagonist's two personalities: the gentle, anxious Smeagol, and the scheming, selfish Gollum. When overwhelmed by the presence of a Ringwraith, these two personalities are bound to respond differently, meaning the Ringwraiths can serve as the motivation behind all kinds of important decisions. Players might find themselves working to manage Gollum and Smeagol's fears during stealth segments, facing the risk of either personality panicking and alerting an insurmountable foe.
Pursuing Gollum Across Middle-earth
Gollum's potential Ringwraiths need to play the same part as they do in The Fellowship of the Ring. The Ringwraiths should be relentless, tenacious foes who simply can't be kept down, no matter how many times the protagonists defeat or elude them. Combined with the broader sense of menace and grandeur that they bear during The Return of the King, Ringwraiths could be really impressive villains in Gollum. Unlike the Mouth of Sauron, who will likely only impact Gollum while the protagonist is in Mordor, the Ringwraiths can pursue Gollum throughout the game and serve as a persistent threat.
It will be interesting to see how important the Ringwraiths end up being in Gollum. While they're at liberty to chase Gollum in perpetuity, there's also a chance that they end up playing a minor part, serving as recurring enemies during certain sections of Gollum before ultimately focusing on the One Ring itself. Daedalic may try to frame Gollum as his own worst enemy more than anything, rather than emphasizing the other threats that fill Middle-earth. Nevertheless, Ringwraiths seem like ideal recurring enemies for Gollum as long as Daedalic plays to their strengths and role in the books. Using the familiar lore of Ringwraiths in creative ways will make them shine, much like Daedalic's use of Gollum himself.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum releases in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
