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News video games 24 March 2023, 13:25

Press Played LotR: Gollum and is Unimpressed; Release Date and Gameplay

We have learned the new release date for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Extensive gameplay and impressions from the press screening will help you judge whether the game from Daedalic Entertainment is worth the wait.

After several delays - the latest being dictated by the cold reception of the first gameplay - studio Daedalic Entertainment and Nacon have finally announced a new release date for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. The title will be released on May 25, on PC, PS4, PS5, XOne and XSX/S. The Switch version is still in the plans - it will be released later in 2023.

The announcement of this information was combined with a gameplay presentation (available above), and was also preceded by a press screening. So what is the industry media saying? Is it worth waiting for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum? It depends - the game seems to be uneven and a tad off from modern standards.

Middle-earth as lored.

  • The game world is particularly good. The great attention to detail is praised. On the walls, for example, one can notice tapestries depicting Eärnur - the last king of Gondor (until Aragorn took the throne after a long reign of stewards).
  • It was also noted that Daedalic Entertainment is sticking very closely to book lore - which was facilitated by its collaboration with Damiri Knapheide, an expert on J.R.R. Tolkien's work.

Where Smeagol cannot, Gollum will go

  • On the whole the moral choices made a positive impression. They were presented using the dual nature of the protagonist. In the game we will encounter situations that we will be able to solve either as Smeagol (in a good way) or as Gollum (in a bad way).
  • Although the developers assure us that our choices will carry significant consequences, journalists who had the opportunity to play The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, did not find them too significant. Nevertheless, they stipulated that this may have been due to the limitations of the demo version of the game.

Gameplay "not from this era"

  • The gameplay was the worst - the structure of the gameplay was divided into platforming, stealth and puzzle sequences. Sometimes we can decide how we will play through a stage, but generally it is imposed on us.
  • What's worse, the game seems very linear and unforgiving of mistakes. The result of a failed jump or detection by enemies is usually death and the need to repeat the stage from scratch. The individual actions - jumping, sneaking, etc. - were implemented correctly, however.

In addition, there is a complaint about a kind of detective mode, since without it it is sometimes difficult to find the right way. What some journalists also warn is that if someone is firmly attached to Smeagol/Gollum played by Andy Serkis from the film trilogy, they may recoil from The Lord of the Rings: Gollum already at the start. Will this actually be the case? We'll find out in May.

Hubert Sledziewski

Hubert Sledziewski

Has been writing professionally since 2016. He joined Gamepressure.com five years later - although he has known the service since he had access to the internet - to combine his love for words and games. Deals mainly with news and journalism. A sociologist by education, a gamer by passion. He started his gaming adventure at the age of four - with a Pegasus. Currently, prefers PC and demanding RPGs, but does not shy away from consoles or other genres. When he's not playing or writing, he enjoys reading, watching series (less often movies) and Premier League matches, listening to heavy music, and also walking the dog. Almost uncritically loves the work of Stephen King. Does not abandon plans to follow in his footsteps. However, he keeps his first "literary achievements" locked away deep in a drawer.

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