“The Lord of the Rings: Gollum,” which has been in development by Daedalic Entertainment for quite some years, I recall this was one of the first games ever to release a cinematic teaser that was promoted for the next-generation consoles, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Set in the beloved world of Middle-earth, the game puts players in the shoes of Gollum on his quest to retrieve the precious ring stolen by Bilbo. All the way from its conception I always wondered “why is this even a game? What makes Gollum so interesting to lead a whole video game?” This game failed to convince me of why this game should exist. This game has been getting a lot of hate already upon its release and it pains me to say it’s all deserved, as someone who always looks for the positive, I feel for the developers who did their best with this title.
Wayne Forester, the voice actor for Gollum, delivers a competent performance. While he may not match the iconic portrayal by Andy Serkis from the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films, he adequately fills the role for a game such as this. The bigger problem though, Gollum just isn’t a voice I want to keep hearing, he’s not a pleasant character to listen to. He of course with a split personality (Smeagol and Gollum) will have him constantly talking to himself which does not help this situation. I know saying “precious” is Gollum’s thing, but he will often say it at nauseum, and it loses the whole meaning of the word for me.
The general gameplay transported me to the days of the PlayStation 2 era, which was mildly nostalgic but mostly confusing and shockingly disappointing. The tasks and overall plot lack coherence, and events unfold merely because the game dictates them to. There aren’t any kinds of upgrades, no reason to want to explore the world, or just any good reason to see this game to the very end, unless you somehow are enthralled by its paper-thin story. There aren’t even any collectibles! The character of Gollum himself feels weak, with gameplay predominantly revolving around stealth mechanics to compensate for his lack of strength. The platforming levels, again reminded me of a PlayStation 2 game, but just slightly remastered for modern consoles. There are games such as the “Uncharted” franchise that make wall climbing really fun and engaging, but here when climbing walls its very slow and boring and doesn’t do anything interesting, I can check my phone while doing it at the same time.
One notable feature is the ability to make choices that favor either Gollum’s split personalities, Smeagol or Gollum himself. While these choices have a mild impact on the overall narrative, they do little to salvage the otherwise confusing and underwhelming experience. Let’s move on to graphics, graphically, the game disappoints, appearing very dated and lacking the visual polish expected from a modern title. I don’t feel like this was always supposed to be the case, because I could have sworn, I’ve seen gameplay footage of this title in the past that looks immensely better than what this finished product gave us.
I’ll end with one positive aspect of the game, and that is its soundtrack, which captures the cinematic grandeur of the “Lord of the Rings” films very well. The music adds depth and emotion and has no right being in such a disappointing product. Unfortunately, “The Lord of the Rings: Gollum” stands as one of the worst games I’ve had to review for Gaming Cypher, especially disheartening for being such a fan of the rich world of Middle-Earth. The game fails to capitalize on its potential and its insulting to gamers expecting us to pay for a full priced game when the final product is worth a small fraction of it. If you want to get nostalgic and play a platformer that feels like it’s three generations old, still do yourself a favor and wait until it goes on sale, like a clearance level Black Friday level sale.
4/10
For more information, visit: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/the-lord-of-the-rings-gollum/
Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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