The Lord of the Rings - Gollum

 PlayStation 5
User Score
1.1

Overwhelming dislike- based on 266 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 266
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 266
  3. Negative: 240 out of 266
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  1. IndubitableTake
    Jun 29, 2023
    10
    Now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the fantastic Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) and Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) duology comes The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. This epic tale from Daedalic Entertainment and Nacon offers gamers an opportunity to experience a journey through the eyes of Middle-earth’s most underrated character—the eponymous Gollum.

    This game takes place    Now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the fantastic Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) and Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) duology comes The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. This epic tale from Daedalic Entertainment and Nacon offers gamers an opportunity to experience a journey through the eyes of Middle-earth’s most underrated character—the eponymous Gollum.

    This game takes place many decades after the events of The Hobbit, and features untold sequences that shed further light upon the darkness of Mordor, and the tragedy of Gollum. This title is a third-person, action-adventure game, featuring stealth and platforming across a variety of iconic destinations. Gollum provides a journey unlike any other, and should be a necessary addition to the collection of any self-respecting Middle-earth fan.

    Regarding story, this game definitely has something to say. I would hate to spoil this exhilarating twelve-hour tale, so I will keep details to a minimum. However, it must be noted that Gollum takes place parallel to the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, and happens to feature a similar level of vision, scale, and refinement in storytelling. With all this being said, there should be no question that the narrative alone is worth the price of admission. The “Precious Edition” is currently priced at $69.99 USD (tax not included, $2.99 “Emotes Pack” also not included).

    Regarding gameplay, this title is something you can absolutely play. The platforming mechanics rival that of the storied Uncharted franchise, offering a greater sense of verticality, production value, and fantastical adventure. The stealth gameplay is also exceptionally detailed and thought-out, constantly delivering sneaking experiences that are just as thrilling and polished as the platforming sequences. The stealth is so engaging, that it even makes the original stealth saga, Metal Gear Solid, noticeably obsolete and far less original by comparison. However, the real highlight of this game is the ability to make choices that critically impact key points of the narrative. Gamers can choose to side with either the good Sméagol side, or the evil Gollum side. This gameplay inclusion is very fitting of Gollum, and thus allows each of the qualities of such a complex and layered character to truly shine—namely his single-minded, shallow, and one-dimensional pursuit of the One Ring.

    A Gollum-led game is indubitably a concept that needed to be fleshed out and delivered one day. I am happy to report that after several delays, this idea has finally arrived at a playable state. The game delivers top-of-the-line graphics, and a narrative recounted with a stunningly large attention to detail. The constant texture pop-ins, FPS drops, and stuttering help to convey the fractured mind of the title’s eponymous protagonist, as he is pressured to retell his magical adventure. These efforts deserve commendation, and while the canon of Monolith Productions’s duology is up for debate, I would argue that Gollum is worthy of becoming canon along with The Rings of Power.

    While I personally do not have any notable criticisms to make of Gollum, I have seen a handful of critiques claiming that this game is deserving of universal disapproval. Complaints cite things like “it’s nothing but fetch quests,” “nobody wanted a Gollum game,” and “why?”. One notable commenter I saw kept on insisting that there are vastly superior games to play right now, such as Resident Evil 4 (2023), The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Street Fighter 6, and Final Fantasy XVI. To that I must say, I have already experienced Leon Kennedy murdering villagers in 2005, I have thrust my sword through Ganondorf on multiple occasions, I have caved Chun-Li’s face in as Ryu, and I have watched Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. I have not witnessed a journey as Gollum before. I do not support any of these blasphemous claims, as I have faced no such issues while playing this game. Regardless of these unjustified critiques, in addition to not actually owing a copy of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, I do own a PlayStation 5 home gaming console, which grants me authority to speak on this issue.

    In conclusion, I cannot recommend Middle-earth: Shadow of War enough, so please go out and purchase this product. Get ready for an orc-throttling good time!    … Expand
  2. Mentekk
    Jun 4, 2023
    10
    Master piece, goty 2023, better than Elden ring, zelda botw,totk and other overrated games.
  3. Desmonde2
    May 30, 2023
    10
    despite being hated, I consider this a special game since it has an interesting story.
  4. medkat
    May 26, 2023
    10
    quite the ballsacky game. such a poor game, much bad in this game. what horrid graphics, very lazy and fastly made. my balls ITCH just looking at this pile of bad.
  5. Zeed7
    May 26, 2023
    10
    Not a lot to say guys, this is one of the most polished, awe inducing, mouth watering stories i've ever partaken in! I had the most smeagling time playing this game!
  6. Lordofthegollum
    May 27, 2023
    10
    If this game was made by FromSoftware all of you sheeps would be praising it.

    Even if LOTR: Gollum isn't a fantastic video game by any means the ratings it received are quite unfair for a game that doesn't have any game breaking bug or an extremely boring gameplay (I'd say its a proficient plataformer). Also, i'm playing the game in PS5 and the controls seem to be completely normal,    If this game was made by FromSoftware all of you sheeps would be praising it.

    Even if LOTR: Gollum isn't a fantastic video game by any means the ratings it received are quite unfair for a game that doesn't have any game breaking bug or an extremely boring gameplay (I'd say its a proficient plataformer).

    Also, i'm playing the game in PS5 and the controls seem to be completely normal, not unresponsive or clunky.    … Expand
  7. Markytos
    May 26, 2023
    10
    Es un juego grandioso!! El mejor juego de 2023 es curioso como la prensa le echa tanto hate a esta obra maestra
  8. Gonzalodmv
    May 26, 2023
    10
    Juegazo infravalorado, Goty 2023. Faltan caracteres, tengo que seguir escribiendo, falta poco, ya está.
  9. odysseus420
    May 27, 2023
    10
    I am absolutely loving this game, it features one of the most original stories in the LoTR franchise and the gameplay is both fun and exciting. Sure, there are some bugs here and there but they will be patched quickly enough, Daedalic isn't the first studio to fall victim of a greedy publisher setting an unreasonable deadline and it won't be the last. However this is a genuinely fantasticI am absolutely loving this game, it features one of the most original stories in the LoTR franchise and the gameplay is both fun and exciting. Sure, there are some bugs here and there but they will be patched quickly enough, Daedalic isn't the first studio to fall victim of a greedy publisher setting an unreasonable deadline and it won't be the last. However this is a genuinely fantastic game that will delight TRUE fans of the LoTR franchise and leave the haters, losers and fair-weather "fans" by the wayside as they cry and whine about things like "Gollum is ugly" (oh really? was Timothée Chalamet not available for the role?) and "the graphics are bad" (tell me, how were the "graphics" in the original JRR Tolkien novels again?) despite not having even played the game. Give it a chance and you too, like myself, might find yourself cradling the PS5 disc as you roll around half-naked around the house in delight eating raw fish and saying "my preciousss" in much the same manner as Gollum™ himself (from the movie)… Expand
  10. Davidddddddd
    Aug 6, 2023
    10
    Perfeitooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
  11. TruthSeaker
    Aug 15, 2023
    10
    Top-tier game.
    Haters gonna hate tho.
    Gollum animations and VA alone deserve a pure 10/10
  12. JUICE__
    Aug 15, 2023
    10
    best game of 2023. TOTK and FF 16 have nothing compared to this. definetely goty 2023, no contest

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
33

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 56
  3. Negative: 46 out of 56
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 22, 2024
    20
    The graphics, the animation, the UI, everything here looks like we've gone back a good 17 years. The technical state of the game is also bad, reminiscent of clinical death, making the game almost unplayable. [Issue#328]
  2. PLAY
    Sep 17, 2023
    40
    A superb Gollum isn’t enough to save the game he’s been parachuted into, which is by turns dull and frustrating. It’s destined for Mount Doom (the bargain bins). [Issue#29, p.92]
  3. GameOver.gr
    Jul 23, 2023
    20
    From its abysmal graphics to its utter failure of delivering Middle Earth in any interesting way, this is an example of a game that should be scrapped from its concept inception.
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