It hasn’t even been an hour into The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and I already realize that I’ve never hated a video game character this much. Another realization follows: I derive no satisfaction from what I’m doing. I’m waiting for bugs that break the game, hoping for some relief from the endless boredom, but they don’t come – the developers managed to patch the game a bit after its release, and, as you can understand, I wasn’t in a rush to review it. The absence of glaring flaws negatively impacts the entire experience because the game lost its only chance to entertain me in any way. It’s an unusual situation, to say the least.
It may seem like it’s all fitting. We’re supposed to hate Gollum – arguably the most repulsive character in the entire Tolkien saga. But there’s a reason why we see him so little: the books mention the wretched hobbit in passing, touching on some moments of his biography and leaving everything else unsaid. And that suits everyone: he’s a compelling character, but he was never created to be a protagonist. This didn’t bother Daedalic Entertainment. The studio ambitiously took on the development of a stealth-action game, and initially, it seemed like the game might be strange but very ambitious, standing out from its counterparts. However, development issues and, most likely, COVID took their toll.
When I received my review code, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Just as I got the chance to delve into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – arguably the game of the year, if not more – and Lego 2K Drive, the overloaded May releases forced me to plan my publications in advance, and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum ended up at the very bottom of my priorities. Even better, I had the opportunity to wait for another patch. Soon, confirmation came that my decision was right: the publisher informed me that due to issues with simulating Gollum’s hair, the game was refusing to function properly and advised either disabling the option or waiting for a new patch that would erase all my progress. I had never seen such a comically problematic launch for a game.
Nevertheless, I decided to give it a go. I’m not a die-hard fan of The Lord of the Rings, but I genuinely love the saga: I’ve watched the movies countless times, read the books, and even dedicated my thesis to Tolkien. However, the game failed to awaken the Tolkien enthusiast in me – at best, it made me appreciate the successful releases of this year even more.
The small, creeping creature named Gollum is the unhappiest and most pitiful being created by Tolkien. Typically, video games offer us the chance to play as heroes or vibrant protagonists capable of heroic deeds, gathering allies around them. Gollum, on the other hand, is shunned by everyone—even orcs. When he’s not crawling through dark, wet caves, he’s getting kicked around and doing slave labor. Fellow captives and his overseers alike despise him.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has many technical problems. It looks weak—definitely not worth $59.99, and it’s filled with bugs. The frame rate fluctuates, and the level design resembles something from the early 2000s. Gollum himself has a canonical yet off-putting appearance, and every time he appears on screen, I feel like turning off the TV. But the main issue is not in the technical aspects. The problem is that the player has no desire to play. Why bother? It’s a dull, gloomy game where our avatar is tortured and ridiculed. There’s no chance of a happy ending, no hope for redemption. Like other failed prequels, this story lacks a significant purpose—we already know what will happen to Gollum, and nobody ever asks the questions the game tries to answer.
As for the gameplay, Gollum feels like a forgotten game from a decade ago that someone attempted to poorly remaster. The stealth genre has long lost its popularity (although I have nothing against it), and wall jumps and rock climbing have become tiresome. The game tries to be a platformer, but the dreadful controls and questionable design hinder it here as well.
I see attempts to do something new. The developers seemingly tried to create an anti-game with an anti-hero—instead of heroic feats, we eat worms, and instead of conquests, we barely survive. Such a game has the right to exist, especially since somewhere beneath the mediocrity lies an attempt to create something truly original. For example, from time to time, Gollum engages in debates with Sméagol—his alter ego—and as players, we can influence the path he chooses. To do this, we must “convince” Gollum. It’s an interesting mechanic that changes very little.
I could continue highlighting positive aspects, desperately trying to find a rating, but why? It would be unfair to the readers. There are games that you fight for, even problematic or annoying ones, they are worth the struggle and finishing. Gollum is a game where after the first failure, you want to uninstall it and never load it again.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a failure, and no patches can save it. However, I don’t find it in myself to attack the developers and mock this release. Perhaps in another life, we would have gotten a truly unique and exciting game, but unfortunately, this is not it. Making something good about such a character is possible, but it requires a genuinely talented developer. Daedalic Entertainment simply lacked the strength, budget, and time.
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