The Lord of the Rings: Gollum appears good. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the character designs enchantment to me, at the very least for probably the most half. Some are fascinating and authentic iterations of the characters we love, some are model new characters stuffed with intrigue, and others are a bit too just like the Peter Jackson interpretations for my liking. However on the entire, the compelling artwork path is pulling me in. I’ve at all times thought this, for what it is value, however the newest Gollum trailer appears higher than ever.
Take Gandalf, for instance. He actually appears like a hermit who’s traveled Center-earth in hunt of this piteous creature. His iconic hat appears prefer it has been hewn from supple tree bark, his cloak feathered and heat for these chilly Angmar winters. His eyebrows have some work to do in the event that they’re to match Tolkien’s descriptions, however I admire the departure from the McKellen-likes which might be so frequent in post-2001 Rings artwork.
The identical goes for Thranduil, who wears ornate armor befitting his stature as Elvenking and a crown that appears at one with the forest he resides in. It jogs my memory of a passage in The Hobbit: “On his head was a crown of berries and purple leaves, for the autumn was coming once more. Within the spring he wore a crown of woodland flowers.” It is unclear which season Gollum takes place in, however I would like to see Thranduil’s headwear shift as time passes.
We have additionally seen glimpses of different aspect characters. Mell, the blind Elf who I discovered about in my hands-off preview final yr, makes an look, debuting a really non-Jacksonian, hippyish look. From orcs to emissaries, there are plenty of various outfits and a few nice headgear, till it involves the titular character.
Gollum himself is the one design I am undecided about. He appears just like the design that will be produced by an AI that Tim Burtonises no matter picture you enter, and also you simply popped within the Andy Serkis Gollum. I believe it might have strayed farther from the well-trodden path of the films, however I perceive why Daedalic has performed it protected.
The places look nice, too, particularly Thranduil’s realm in Mirkwood. The volcanic wastes of Mordor will likely be tough to maintain fascinating, however the selection and verticality of Thranduil’s realm will present nice reduction. We have seen much more of the sport’s characters and places in final week’s trailer, however I am nonetheless anxious the gameplay will not maintain up.
From what I noticed final yr – and take this with a pinch of salt, improvement has continued since then – the gameplay appears boring. Bear in mind the mission the place you simply keep away from being seen by Gandalf and Thranduil as they prattle exposition at you for 5 minutes? The scene that it’s a must to fully restart if you happen to’re seen, regardless of how far by the dialog you’re? Precisely.
Gollum’s parkour appears dated, and the entire Eagle Imaginative and prescient factor went out of style years in the past. Or ought to have finished, at the very least. Gollum’s been described as having an open world when it clearly has linear routes, albeit you possibly can seemingly select between stealthy and parkoury choices by most ranges. With the gameplay wanting so uninspired, the sport’s success may come all the way down to its core mechanic: Gollum’s decision-making.
Gollum is each the protagonist of this sport, and its antagonist. You may have loads of selections to make over the course of every degree, and you’ll select between the Gollum choice or the Smeagol choice. The unhealthy route or the nice route. The adverse, killy alternative, or the optimistic, nicer alternative. It appears somewhat trite in the meanwhile, however relying on its implementation, it might make or break the sport.
We have solely seen easy decisions to this point, whether or not or to not kill somewhat beetle and the like, however we’re promised loads extra. If the mechanic has depth, the extra Gollum decisions you choose, the more durable it’s going to be to make Smeagol selections sooner or later. As Gollum descends into insanity and depravity, it needs to be tougher for him to see the sunshine. And the identical ought to go for the other, too.
I have not seen sufficient of the sport to inform you whether or not this mechanic will likely be sufficient to make Gollum fascinating or not, and within the trailer will probably be sufficient to inform us, both. We’ll have to attend till we get our palms on it to know for positive. So, whereas the charming designs and fascinating artwork path pull me into Gollum’s model of Center-earth, I am nonetheless somewhat nervous in regards to the completed sport. Please do not make me disguise behind curtains as extra essential characters clarify the plot to me, nevertheless cool they give the impression of being.
