Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game

If you can get past a few little quirks in how the game runs, however, Tales of the Shire is going to be well worth your time. It is truly a cozy and wholesome escape to the Shire, full of the daily tasks a Hobbit loves best – cooking, eating, and enjoying time with friends.

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game is such a great idea, but it becomes way too apparent, far too quickly, that the developers either didn’t have the budget to fully explore their idea, or simply had no idea how to turn the great idea into a compelling game. It’ll leave such a warm impression on you, but once that’s worn off, the game sours more quickly than a poorly cooked rhubarb pie. Hobbits like that for some reason. I do not.

Tales of the Shire is a perfectly enjoyable life-sim that embraces its Lord of the Rings source material well. But due to some prominent graphical shortcomings (at least on Switch), it's far from a perfect adventure. There's enough content and engaging progression in Tales of the Shire to ensure that Tolkien fans have a good time with it, but those who aren't fans of the IP don't need to look far for a better alternative.

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings game doesn’t reinvent the cosy formula, despite several promising glimmers of originality. Any sign of promise is, unfortunately, cancelled out by mediocrity and an experience that is dominated by untapped potential. The game, despite these issues, has undeniable charm but it’s difficult to claim that it’ll resonate and land with the masses.

Cosy gaming+hobbits seems like a match made in Valinor, and Tales of the Shire tries hard to meet that lofty goal — but in its current state, at least on Switch, this game is unfortunately almost as much of a slog as schlepping evil jewellery to a distant volcano.

Tales of the Shire is a really solid idea. It should work. There are great ideas here and some solid writing. This feels like the early access version of what could eventually be a very good game. But right now, it isn’t. Instead it is a shallow glimpse at what could be. When you factor in significant performance issues that even the Switch 2 can’t seem to brute force, and constant stability problems, it becomes very hard to recommend this game. I really want to like Tales of the Shire. I think there is a reality in which it could potentially get better in time, but it just isn’t there yet.

Tales of the Shire has a lot to do in a sleepy, cozy way, from foraging to farming to cooking up elevenses and second breakfasts. I tried to play as much as I could, but the performance on Nintendo Switch saps the magic out of it and really dampens the fun.

Tales of the Shire had previously been delayed in its development, so I can understand the reticence to announce another date change, but I can’t help but feel as though the game could’ve used a bit more time in the oven. I don’t want to give the impression that there was nothing I enjoyed about this game - the care shown in areas like the dialogue, decorating, and flavor mechanics is so lovely, and I genuinely enjoyed finding new recipes and crafting meals.

Tales of the Shire offers a comfortable and lazy fantasy life, but it’s one that feels genuine and heartfelt. Fans of the genre will love it, as long as they’re prepared to fully embody the peace and tranquillity of a Hobbit’s way of life.