The continent of Middle-earth is filled with amazing characters, first brought to life by J. R. R. Tolkien in his books, and later adapted into films and dozens of video games. While a variety of fan-favorite figures from The Lord of the Rings have found themselves transported from the pages to screens, some have stood out more than others. One of the most famous characters has to be Gollum, the corrupted Stoor Hobbit who became more than a little fixated on the One Ring. This slippery side character from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series has never had a game all of his own, but Daedalic Entertainment and Nacon are giving him the main character treatment in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will focus on Gollum's life leading up to the novels and the events that players might be more familiar with. The mixture of action-adventure and stealth gameplay will let players explore settings they've seen before in previous games and films, and perhaps some new ones as well. While a few locations have already been confirmed for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, along with a few brief glimpses, players are mostly in the dark as to where the game will take them. That being said, there are a handful of places that fans of the series will no doubt love to see recreated in the game.
Confirmed Locations
The development team has stated its intention to remain as close to the source material as possible, including following Tolkien's descriptions in the books in minute detail when it comes to locations and characters. Harald Riegler, Producer at Daedalic Entertainment, said the game would provide players with "faithful, detailed environments, some of which have never been seen before in such detail." This sounds promising for fans of the series, especially given the interesting list of places they know The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will visit.
Locations confirmed to be in the game include the slave pits of the Dark Tower, where Gollum was imprisoned and tortured by Sauron's forces. As well as the areas of Mordor that Gollum was imprisoned in and forced to escape through, players will also be able to see Mirkwood, the home of the Wood Elves where Aragorn takes Gollum after capturing him.
While Daedalic Entertainment has said that some familiar faces will be cropping up, the full list of characters that will feature in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is still a mystery. However, considering Aragorn's importance in Gollum's story prior to his entanglement with the Fellowship in Moria, it is likely he will have a part to play along with confirmed characters Gandalf and Thranduil.
Places Players Might Like To See
Along with areas of Mordor, Moria, and Mirkwood, there are lots of other locations from Gollum's story that would be great to see brought to life in the in-game world. Riegler promised that players will "experience Middle-earth through the eyes and mind of one of the most twisted characters of all time," and exploring the fantastical settings as the treacherous and mercurial character will be an interesting way to see both the familiar and the new.
Setting the game mainly before the books pick up Gollum's story offers the studio a lot of freedom, and allows it to explore areas that might not feature too prominently in the books or in subsequent visual adaptions. It could encompass Gollum meeting the murderous giant spider Shelob and her lair among the Ephel Dúath mountains, or even Gollum's time near the Gladden Fields when he was one of the River-folk if the game has any flashback sections.
Gollum might have to pass through the Gladden Fields on his way from Mirkwood to Moria, and this could present some interesting moments of reflection or character development. Exploring more of Hobbit culture could also be interesting, considering so much of it has been centered solely on Hobbiton.
Once Gollum is let loose from the Mordor fortress of Barad-dur, he spends time in Mordor before being captured by Gandalf and Aragorn and taken to Mirkwood. While Mordor has featured prominently in the films and also previous games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, Gollum's mixture of parkour and stealth opens up new ways to explore the region. Emyn Muil with its maze of crags and unforgiven landscapes, as well as the nearby Dead Marshes, would make for some atmospheric exploration and could offer intriguing opportunities for stealthy gameplay while Gollum eludes enemies and exposes the region's secrets.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum releases in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
