Video Games
‘The Lord of the Rings—Gollum’ to Focus on Story And Duality, Combined With Stealth
Back in March, Daedalic Entertainment had announced that they were developing a new action-adventure game titled The Lord of the Rings—Gollum, which would centre around the story of the titular Gollum. Not much more was revealed about the title, but in the latest issue of Edge Magazine, the German developer has given fans a little more info, including the fact that Gollum will look very different than how he did in the film trilogy.
“We don’t want to displease the folks who have only see the movies. But in short, he doesn’t look like Andy Serkis,” states senior producer Kai Fiebig. “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.”
And true to the idea that the game will tell Gollum’s story from a perspective different from the films, the team hopes to “show a different set of emotions” when it comes to the character. “We need somebody you could almost love, and on the other hand somebody you can really be afraid of. And at some points, trust me, you will fear him.”
The magazine describes The Lord of the Rings—Gollum as a “fairly straightforward stealth game with an emphasis on climbing and platforming”. Taking place before the trilogy, the game will have Gollum start in Barad-dûr, a fortress in Mordor where he’s being held prisoner. Gollum himself won’t have much in the way of special abilities or skills, since it wouldn’t make much sense. Instead, the focus will be on the of the character’s duality between Gollum and Sméagol. Even then, the game won’t be a simple “good versus evil” playthrough.
“It’s not just choosing to be Sméagol or Gollum, because for Gollum as an entity it’s not that easy,” according to designer Martin Wilkes. “Each personality is being attacked by the other; each has to defend himself.”
The Lord of the Rings—Gollum is currently expected to be out in 2021 for PC and all consoles.
Moon Studios dropped a new trailer during the Sony State of Play for their dark action-RPG No Rest for the Wicked, while also hinting at the long-awaited launch window for the full 1.0 release. The game, which has been in Early Access on Steam since April 2024, will be launching this October in full for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, while versions for the Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 will arrive at a later date.
As a token of appreciation for supporters new and old, Moon Studios is offering an exclusive Early Access Founder’s Pack, a free limited edition bundle available for anyone who purchases the game on Steam prior to July 10, with rewards unlocking when 1.0 officially launches. PlayStation 5 users can receive the Early Access Founder’s Pack by pre-ordering the game once available, any time before launch day.
The Founder’s Pack includes:
- A New Secret Hideout: Spirit Cavern – The legacy of Moon Studios now lives inside No Rest for the Wicked, exclusively for Founders. A hand-crafted home that bridges both worlds.
- Sayer’s Vow: An all new Sword in the stone reserved just for the founders that only early adopters can extract in the game world.
- A Custom Founders Tag ensures players are clearly identified as early adopters.
- As a Founder member, players will get access to an exclusive Public Beta Test Realm reserved just for them, even after the 1.0 game launch.
As for the full 1.0 release, it will be a massive expansion of the core experience, introducing a staggering 60+ hours of new content, a new horde mode, powerful new weapons, bosses and enemies, new areas and a completely reimagined class system.
In No Rest for the Wicked, players take on the role of a “Cerim,” a member of a holy order imbued with mysterious powers, tasked with destroying the Pestilence, an ancient plague that has begun to consume the island Isola Sacra, itself already the site of great political upheaval and death.