Highlights

  • Tales of the Shire will immerse players in the cozy life of a Hobbit in Middle-earth, focusing on food and cooking as key aspects of gameplay.
  • Players will need to consider the lore of The Lord of the Rings when cooking, as Hobbits are known for their love of food and hearty appetites.
  • The game should offer a wide range of ingredients for players to use in their culinary endeavors to truly capture the authentic Hobbit experience.

Tales of the Shire is the next highly anticipated cozy life sim game, especially for Lord of the Rings enthusiasts. Set in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Tales of the Shire gives players the opportunity of a lifetime: experience life as a Hobbit in the Shire's cozy village of Bywater.

As a Lord of the Rings game, Tales of the Shire will likely pull from the lore of the books as much as possible, and that is especially true of the Hobbits it represents. As such, it would do well to consider what food and cooking really mean to Hobbits and allow that truth to influence the full extent of its culinary features.

Tales of the Shire logo over Bywater with spotlight on house interior
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Tales of the Shire's Indoor Decor Should Only Be the Beginning

Tales of the Shire should not only involve players decorating their home interiors but also establish Bywater by building up the village itself.

Tales of the Shire's Cooking Needs to Consider The Lord of the Rings Lore

The Lord of the Rings' Hobbits Are Known for Their Love of Food

Canonically, The Lord of the Rings' Hobbits are known for their love of food. Not far into J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, it quickly becomes apparent just how hearty the appetite of a Hobbit truly is. This is largely due to the contented perspective of Hobbits, as they are more than satisfied with their lot in life and prefer to enjoy the fruits of Middle-earth rather than going on ambitious adventures for anything that might be considered greater.

Much of this contented nature is witnessed in other Hobbits being bewildered by a young Bilbo Baggins leaving the Shire in The Hobbit or a nervous Samwise Gamgee taking his first steps beyond "the farthest from home [he's] ever been" in The Lord of the Rings ​​​​.

Even casual fans of The Lord of the Rings films get a decent picture of the Hobbits' love for food. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Pippin begins complaining about being hungry and then proceeds to describe all the meals he's used to partaking in — breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper.

Then, at the beginning of Return of the King, Merry and Pippin are both seen feasting and smoking as they sit "on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts." With such an extreme emphasis on the relationship between Hobbits and their food, Tales of the Shire needs to ensure its Hobbits are given a wide range of ingredients to work with when cooking.

Tales of the Shire's Hobbits Should Have a Wide Range of Ingredients at Their Disposal

One line in the official game description for Tales of the Shire reads, "No Hobbit’s day is complete without food." It then goes on to explain all the different ways players will be able to invest in their culinary endeavors. As such, it is clear that cooking will be one of Tales of the Shire's key features. Based on what has been revealed so far, players will be fishing, gardening, and foraging for ingredients to use in their home-cooked meals. However, due to Hobbits' known love for food, Tales of the Shire needs to make sure this list of ingredients is extensive, as it would be disappointing to cook only a handful of dishes.

According to what has been shown in the game's screenshots and video footage, the list of ingredients seems rather short, especially when it comes to what can be planted in the garden. Most of the gardens revealed by the game so far are largely filled with flowers along with a few vegetables and fruits here and there.

It would be ideal if Tales of the Shire was to take Hobbits' love for food seriously and eventually grant players access to an almost overwhelming number of crops, recipes, meal opportunities, and other food-related activities. Only then would Tales of the Shire feel like an authentic Hobbit experience. At the very least, Tales of the Shire needs potatoes — for meme's sake.