On May 25, 2023, the long-awaited action-adventure game from developer and publisher Daedalic Entertainment will be released, which I would like to introduce to you in my PC review.
Story and Plot:
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is based on the literary works of J. R. R. Tolkien and takes place parallel to the events described in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship™. You'll take on the role of Gollum and Smeagol, two personalities, in one body, and experience his story of how he was cheated out of his treasure, a magic ring, and what he does to get it back. During this journey you'll visit places such as Mordor or the Elven Kingdom, and you'll have to complete various tasks and escape from your dungeons. The beginning of the game is a bit sluggish and boring, but gradually picks up more speed and turns out to be a fun action-adventure game.
Feel the suffering and decide
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum captures the torment that Gollum and Smeagol have to endure very well, you always feel sorry for the little wretch who is basically just striving for true friendship and his treasure. You get to know him better and build a bond with him. The split personality is simulated incredibly well in the German version, every now and then we also get the opportunity to make decisions or answer as Gollum or as Smeagol and although I always choose the good side in games, in many cases Gollum just fit better. The only pity is that the decisions we make have no influence, because whether we act with Gollum against Smeagol or the other way around, the outcome always remains the same, because at the end of the "duel" wins the one who has to win storywise.
Climb and sneak
Gollum and Smeagol have a special game they like to play with orcs, but as a player you rarely get to snap the orcs' necks. Much more we have to sneak from place to place and overcome many climbing passages to escape from our dungeons to recover our beloved treasure that was stolen from us. The climbing passages are exciting and a lot of fun, and the sneaking has also been implemented well. It feels a bit like playing "Thief", only without robbing everything. However, exploring is very rarely rewarded with items that Gollum and Smeagol pocket. For this, however, he meets enough characters, but they often only want to exploit the good in Gollum and Smeagol.
Graphics and Sound
The graphics in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum aren't bad, I had 30 FPS in cutscenes on Shadow PC with Ultrasettings and ray tracing and between 60 and 75 FPS during the game. However, there weren't many places where it was really worth it, Gollum and Smeagol look okay, you have to get used to it though, especially with the hair. The dubbing actors in German are very good, especially those of Gollum and Smeagol contribute extremely to the atmosphere. Elvish is also spoken, but there were only a few lines (without subtitles) of it, so I would advise anyone who wants to buy the DLC against it, because it is simply not worth it (exception in the sale). The soundtrack is very good and especially lifts the climbing passages, the sound effects are first class, especially in the spider realm.
Trailer:
