The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, from developer Daedalic Entertainment and publisher Nacon, is an upcoming action-adventure game that features the story of Gollum (originally known as Smeagol), the iconic monster from J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy books.
Daedalic is best known for its long list of critically acclaimed indie games — including the popular Deponia series — although The Lord of the Rings: Gollum appears to be its most high-profile title to date.
Here's everything we know about The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, including release date, trailers, compatible platforms, story details, gameplay, and more updates.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Release Date
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was originally intended to launch sometime in 2021, but it was pushed back due to unannounced issues during development. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum's release date was pushed back to September 1, 2022, but in July 2022, the developers of the game announced on the game's Twitter account that its release was delayed "by a few months". However, it's still unclear if it will be released by the end of the year.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Trailers
There are already multiple trailers released for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, and you can watch all four videos here.
In August 2020, Daedalic Entertainment released the first teaser for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, which you can watch below:
In March 2021, a sneak peek trailer for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum gives us a better look at its gameplay:
In a video titled A Unique Promise, Harald Riegler, Producer of Daedalic Entertainment, shared more details about the world, mechanics, and overarching storyline of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
In December 2021, Daedalic Entertainment released a cinematic trailer that reveals a closer look at Gollum and the world he will be exploring in the game.
In July 2022, Nacon released a new gameplay trailer that reveals more of Gollum exploring various landscapes in the Middle-Earth.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Platforms
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is slated to release on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It's expected to launch on Nintendo Switch at a later date.
PS5 players will benefit from enhanced DualSense features, including a variety of haptic feedback responses based on players' in-game actions.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Story
The action-adventure game will follow the story of Gollum before the events of The Lord of the Rings.
Carsten Fichtelmann, CEO and co-founder of Daedalic Entertainment, told The Hollywood Reporter:
“We have the story that we all know from the book, but everything that happens to him before he appears in the book are the main things we will see in our game. We will tell the story before he first appears in the books.”
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is the first title in the works in the new partnership between Daedalic and Middle-earth, but plans for further games in the future are in the development.
“Our goal was to present a storytelling experience. About four years ago, I caught Middle-earth Enterprises in Berkeley, maybe like Peter Jackson did 20 years ago, and I said we’re interested in licensing Lord of the Rings,” Fichtelmann said of the formation of the partnership. “After some negotiations, it was clear that the Tolkien estate looked for a company that was capable of doing something which is more story-orientated than some of the other products that came out over the last years.”
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Gameplay
Unlike most other The Lord of the Rings games, Gollum will not heavily focus on combat. The game mixes stealth with vertical climbing parkour,” explained lead game designer Martin Wilkes. “If you want a reference you might think of it as similar to Prince of Persia. It is mostly a non-combat game, but Gollum will be able to stealthily take out enemies. However, this will not be easy and always come with big risks. We want players to carefully weigh these encounters. After all, Gollum’s strengths lie in cunning not combat.”
The game is expected to feature triggers for a lot of environmental hazards. While Gollum won't be wielding any weapons, he can lead his enemies into deadly traps — and will even benefit from the special abilities of allies he’ll encounter throughout his adventure.
In non-combat parts of the game, players will be making major decisions during tense converations with NPCs. The game will feature a branching narrative that changes based on your choices — will you listen to the slightly-more-innocent Smeagol or the corrupted Gollum? These decisions will directly impact your gameplay experience, but Daedalic hasn't revealed any specifics about these choices.
The world players will be exploring in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a blend of linear stages and open-world environments. “Some levels are completely open in all three dimensions and can be explored freely, while others are more linear but often with alternative routes where players can, for example, decide if they’d rather sneak around some guards or take a risky parkour route in vertiginous heights to pass the next segment,” said Wilkes.
Overall, the game will provide a unique mix of narrative-driven actions, stealth, and puzzles, similar to Prince of Persia games.
Where can I buy The Lord of the Rings: Gollum?
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is now available for preorder on Amazon and Steam. The preorder price is $50 USD. No preorder bonuses have been announced yet. Other major retailers will most likely have the game available for pre-order soon.
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