The Lord of the Rings Gollum will be a new action-adventure video game by Daedalic Entertainment. The studio has a long list of critically-acclaimed indie games, including the popular Deponia Series. Gollum appears to be their most prominent creation.
Daedalic has become more cautious in releasing information to the public. Even though the game was revealed in 2019, there have only been a few bits of information released in recent years. The game is slowly taking shape, thanks to a few developer interviews and trailers. A new gameplay trailer was released on 7th July, giving us the best look at this upcoming title. Here’s what we know about Lord of the Rings Gollum.
Release Date
The Lord of the Rings Gollum is scheduled to be released on September 1, 2022.
The original launch date was 2021. However, unannounced problems during development caused the plans to be changed.
Platforms
The Lord of the Rings Gollum will launch on PCs, current-gen and last-gen systems. The team originally announced the game as only available on next-gen consoles, but has now added PS4, Xbox One and Switch to its launch console list. DualSense will be enhanced for PS5 users, with haptic feedback based on the actions you take in-game.
Trailers
There are several trailers for The Lord of the Rings Gollum, most of which have a cinematic feel. The trailers are better than the May 2020 original images. All the trailers are below.
A Split Personality – Trailer
The latest trailer, released during The Game Awards in 2021, gives a better look at Gollum’s world and how he will be sneaking about when the game launches.
A Unique Promise
Harald Riegler of Daedalic Entertainment sits down for a brief interview about Gollum’s world, mechanics, and overarching storyline.
Sneak Peek trailer
It’s less than a minute in length, but it’s still one of the best looks we’re yet to have of the game.
Teaser trailer
It’s a teaser trailer, so this short clip offers more questions than it does answers. It’s still worth a watch, however, as it’s one of the few official videos we have related to the upcoming title.
Gameplay trailer
The most recent trailer arrived on July 7, 2022, offering a closer look at Gollum’s gameplay. It runs for just over a minute and shows off a bit of new gameplay footage such as Gollum scaling walls overgrown with ivy and swimming underwater.
Play Game
Gollum, unlike most games bearing The Lord of the Rings’ branding, will not include any serious combat. Martin Wilkes, lead game designer, said that the game combines stealth and vertical climbing parkour. If you’re looking for a comparison, it might be similar to Prince Of Persia. Gollum can stealthily eliminate enemies in this game that is primarily non-combat. This will not be an easy task and it always comes with a lot of risks. Players should carefully consider these encounters. “Gollum is a cunning character, not a fighter.”
In terms of how this will translate into the moment-to-moment game play, you can expect to trigger a lot more environmental hazards. Although Gollum will not be using weapons, the game allows him to lead his enemies into deadly traps. He can also benefit from special abilities that his allies have.
You’ll make some big decisions when you are not fighting in tense discussions with NPCs. The Lord of the Rings features a branching storyline that will change based on the decisions you make. Will you listen to the corrupted Gollum, or the slightly innocent Smeagol. These choices will have a direct impact on your gaming experience. However, the details are still unclear.
You’ll find a mix of linear and open world environments in Gollum. Wilkes said that some levels can be explored in three dimensions, while others have a linear layout with alternate routes. For example, players can decide whether they want to sneak past guards, or do a parkour route at vertiginous heights.
Gollum‘s latest gameplay video didn’t reveal much new, but it did show us the anti-hero in action. Gollum looks great when he moves, and the environment he will be exploring is even more impressive. There’s no shortage of beautiful backdrops, from dense jungles and rocky mountains. Gollum was also seen swimming underwater in first-person. This is likely a good way to avoid Sauron’s forces. Around the 40-second mark in the gameplay trailer, he appears to be tossing an object to distract any guards that may be standing in his path.
Overall, it appears that Gollum is going to provide a unique blend of stealth and puzzles with narrative-driven actions. It sounds like an interesting mix of gameplay elements and is unlike any Lord of the Rings title we’ve seen before.
Multiplayer
Daedalic has not yet revealed any plans for multiplayer. Gollum as it is currently designed, is a one-player game. Multiplayer is also not a good idea, since you would lose a lot of the fun if it was impossible to make choices in cutscenes. It’s still possible that Gollumwill include some kind of co-op, but we wouldn’t put money on it.
Pre-order bonuses
Although we know the release date, pre-orders are not yet available. Pre-order bonuses were offered for several of Daedalic’s older titles — Chaos on Deponia, which was given to players who ordered Goodbye Deponia. Gollum could receive a similar bonus when pre-orders are announced.