Criticism arises after first gameplay scenes of Tales of the Shire: A Lord of The Rings Game
Tales of the Shire is a cozy life simulation game set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Players will lead the life of a Shire dweller, with everything that goes with it - growing vegetables, catching fish, trading and smoking a pipe. Gameplay footage from the game has now been shown for the first time on IGN's YouTube channel. The video starts with character creation, followed by a dialog with Gandalf. The hobbit then sets off to have Orlo Pridefoot show him his new hobbit cave and prepare a meal there. Afterwards, he makes a detour to the inn "The Green Dragon".
The reactions of the community are very critical. At the time of research, the video had around 4,600 dislikes compared to just 660 likes. The mood in the commentary section is correspondingly not good.
The graphics in particular have been criticized, with some describing them as "old-fashioned" and rather flat due to the lack of shadows. Some commentators also accuse the developers of disregarding the source material and implementing the game inaccurately. One user wrote "This looks like a student project in Unity", another wondered "Why does Gandalf look like a bearded woman?". On Reddit, on the other hand, there is a slightly more positive view of the game. Some users point out that not much of the actual gameplay has been seen yet and that the game has potential despite the graphical weaknesses.
Release postponed
After Tales of the Shire was initially announced for the end of 2024, the developers at Wētā Workshop had already announced that the release would be postponed in favor of quality. Now the release date has been officially set for March 25, 2025.
Source(s)
Image source: YouTube / Tales of the Shire
