A new Lord of the Rings game is in development inspired by Hogwarts Legacy. Fans really want to enjoy a great AAA series of Tolkien after experiencing failures like The Lord of the Rings Gollum, or niche games like Tales of the Shire.
However, not everything was a catastrophe when it came to Lord of the Rings Games. The years and different generations have left us works such as Middle-earth Shadow of War or the ever-beloved The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
We had some great games, but there were also some that were forgotten, and to be fair, must be taken into consideration when inspiring this ambitious new title that the Embracer Group is developing.
As Galadriel would say: History turned them into legend, legend into myth, and for 2,500 years these games went unnoticed. Much was lost then, but no one lives now to remember it… Except a few, we want to justify them as they deserve.
Of course, That doesn’t mean these games are the best in the fantasy franchise. (in fact, some were quite criticized), but they dared to offer new ideas that could later serve as inspiration for this new Lord of the Rings game.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
New Line Cinema
There were three games that served as adaptations for each of Peter Jackson’s films, but The Fellowship of the Ring is the most different experience from the others. The game does not have the participation of EA (unlike the hack ‘n slash that were the other two installments).
Vivendi Games distributed this more adventure-oriented game, and despite being somewhat flat in its action, it was the title of the trilogy that was most closely linked to the books and not so much for the cinema. Battles against wargs, famous deleted characters, and more unique details shine through.
The Fellowship of the Ring’s quest for differentiation based on literary material could well serve as inspiration for the new game. Tolkien’s Legendarium Can Give Us Much More Than Film Adaptations.
The Lord of the Rings: The Conquest
A Star Wars battlefront in Middle Earth. Of the entire compendium of Lord of the Rings games that EA left us, The Conquest is the most particular. Maybe it was dull and not as refined as the Pandemic shooter saga, but it’s really interesting.
Of The Lord of the Rings: The Conquest could borrow a lot of ideaslike that double campaign that allowed us to turn the tide and plunge Middle-earth into the shadows, controlling Sauron and company. Furthermore, many of his battles were spectacular.
The Hobbit
Long before Peter Jackson’s second trilogy arrived, The Adventures of Bilbo Baggins was adapted by Sierra in 2003 and the truth is that his style won over younger players… and fans of a certain saga known as The Legend of Zelda.
It wasn’t very original, as it was based on Link’s 3D adventures (and, in part, his visual style), but the magic of the journey from the Shire to the jaws of Smaug made it a tremendously enjoyable and fun game.
There would be nothing wrong if Embracer adopted the idea of offer a more limited and not so vast adventure like an open world game à la Hogwarts Legacy. Sometimes the magic is in the little things, as small as a hobbit.
The Lord of the Rings, Volume 1, by JRR Tolkien
Lord of the Rings fever didn’t start with the films. Interplay Productions (creator of the first Fallout) also wanted to develop its own game based on the British writer’s work. That’s how it was born The Lord of the Rings, Volume 1, by JRR Tolkien in 1990.
The game also became popular thanks to its SNES version. which arrived a few years later, although it did not do so in the best conditions. The title seemed outdated for “The Beast Brain”, but Its conceptual similarity to the classic The Legend of Zelda has earned it some defenders.
Obviously, the game is far from the influence of the films and that shouldn’t scare the new title in production either. There’s nothing wrong with opting for a less common acting style. The Rings of Power tried to replicate the films and it wasn’t the right approach, for example.
The Lord of the Rings: The War in the North
One of my weaknesses… and many others. The Lord of the Rings: The War in the Northdeveloped by Snowblind Studios and Warner, it had the misfortune of coinciding with games like Skyrim or Dark Souls in 2011, which meant it went unnoticed and many today forgot about it.
It’s not amazing and sometimes it becomes an action game without much depth, but the new Lord of the Rings game could take the same approach as The War in the North: offer a side story that turned into an epic conflict.
Yes, the game’s story may lack padding, but presented new plots in areas of Middle Earth that greatly attracted fans of this universe. I hope to have a game like this again, direct and without many frills.
The Lord of the Rings: The Adventures of Aragorn
Insulted by his more childish character, The Lord of the Rings: The Adventures of Aragorn (for PS3 and Wii) left us with an imperfect but frankly different adaptation that felt original and had some strong points.
The narrative or combat were not very successful, but having everything based on Aragorn’s point of view during the three books of the main saga gave it a closer and more special touch. What is more, Its artistic section remains very lively and attractive.
What if The Hunt of Gollum, a film produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Andy Serkis, inspired the new game? If so, this title may require a few things. The game was a very interesting adaptation of the best moments of this literary classic.
The Lord of the Rings has a long history in the field of “video games”, but it is true that we have not had any title that has reached the position of books or cinema in terms of prestige.
There were worthy attempts. For example, recently there has been a renewed focus on The Lord of the Rings Online And a fan walked 10 hours from Shire to Mordor in the MMO, which served to demonstrate something really cool. Let’s hope the new game aspires to do something important.
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