Despite being announced almost a year ago, fans have heard little since regarding The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
The adventure, which is in development at German studio Daedalic Entertainment, is slated for launch sometime in 2021 and, as the name suggests, is focused almost exclusively around the poor Stoor who developed an unhealthy obsession with the One Ring. That about covers all of the official information released by the studio back in March of last year but now, Daedalic is finally ready to share more about its ambitious love letter to Tolkien.
Discussing the title in the latest issue of EDGE magazine, senior producer Kai Fiebig revealed a number of new details, including that this interpretation of Gollum will look nothing like the live-action version brought to life by Andy Serkis. “We don’t want to displease the folks who have only seen the movies,” Fiebig admits, adding “but in short, he doesn’t look like Andy Serkis. We started with the person he was and then evolved him. You can see that this was once something like a human being, before the Ring corrupted him.”
As for gameplay, EDGE describes the spinoff as a stealth experience with an emphasis on climbing and platforming segments, with Gollum’s story taking place prior to the original trilogy. Beginning in the fortress of Barad-dûr where he’s being held captive, Gollum’s escape will serve as the catalyst for a wider adventure that’ll presumably take the player to various locations in Middle Earth. What one shouldn’t expect, however, is the usual gamut of skills, special abilities or other progression systems to unlock during the course of play.
According to designer Martin Wilkes, much of the game’s draw will come from experiencing the internal conflict between Gollum and Sméagol. “It’s not just choosing to be Sméagol or Gollum, because for Gollum as an entity it’s not that easy. Each personality is being attacked by the other; each has to defend himself,” he said.
Daedalic clearly has a genuine love for Tolkien’s fantasy world, then, but it remains to be seen if The Lord of the Rings: Gollum can deliver both engaging gameplay and a solid narrative. Expect further details for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 title to surface later this year.