Everything you need to know about the Lord of the Rings: Gollum game

There have been dozens of video games from The Lord of the Rings over the years, but very few that take a narrative focus. That’s changing with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, an upcoming action-adventure game that stars, well, Gollum. First revealed in 2019, the game is easily the most ambitious project ever created by developer Daedalic Entertainment, and details have slowly emerged over the years. Here’s everything we know about The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.

When is the Lord of the Rings: Gollum release date?

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is set to release on September 1, 2022, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. A Nintendo Switch version will be released at a later date, Daedalic announced. Originally the game was supposed to only release on PC and next-gen consoles, but in August 2020 the developer announced it’d be releasing current-gen versions as well. At the moment, we don’t know if the PS4 and Xbox One versions will be different, or compromised, in any way.

Is there a Lord of the Rings: Gollum trailer?

There have been a variety of trailers and videos for Gollum, but nothing so far provides a really substantial look at the game. The Sneak Peak trailer above shows roughly 30 seconds of in-game footage, which is the best look we have. Daedalic has also released a cinematic trailer called “Split Personality,” and a short developer diary on the ideas behind Gollum featuring Producer Harald Riegler. With the game releasing in September, we can likely expect more in-depth trailers or gameplay demos soon.

Who is the Lord of the Rings: Gollum developer?

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is developed by Daedalic Entertainment, a studio primarily known for the point-and-click adventure series Deponia. The studio has also made a variety of other narrative-focused games, including Silence, State of Mind, and Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, which is licensed from the award-winning 1989 novel of the same name.

Outside of that, Daedalic also works as a publisher for a wide array of indie titles. Some of the more notable titles the studio has published include The Suicide of Rachel Foster, Felix the Reaper, and Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun.

What is the Lord of the Rings: Gollum story?

While we know Gollum will dive into the unexplored backstory of the titular character, it’s not entirely clear what timeframe the game will take place in. The official Steam page for the game reads “While being vital to the story by J.R.R. Tolkien, many parts of Gollum’s quest have not been told in detail yet. In The Lord of the Rings™: Gollum™ you get to experience this story. From his time as a slave below the Dark Tower to his stay with the Elves of Mirkwood.”

All of the footage we’ve seen of the game has shown Gollum either in Mordor or The Dark Tower, so it’s likely that a major portion of the game takes place there. As a narrative-focused game story will play a huge part, and Gollum’s split personalities will also affect the way the story plays out. You’ll need to make a wealth of decisions across the game, and the Gollum and Smeagol personalities will both try to sway those decisions.

For example, in its early preview, Eurogamer noted a moment that had the character deciding what to do with a beetle, with Gollum wanting to eat the insect because he believed it to be a Mordor spy, while Smeagol wants to spare it. These decisions can lead to one of two endings, although the game will always have the same epilogue as it doesn’t want to break from the canon of The Lord of the Rings.

It also seems like other prominent characters from the series will make an appearance, as previews have noted seeing both Gandalf and Thranduil, the elven king of Mirkwood and the Woodland Realm.

What is Lord of the Rings: Gollum gameplay like?

While story and decision-making are a huge part of Gollum, there’s also a variety of other gameplay you’ll need to use along the way. As you might expect, Gollum can’t exactly take on Orcs and other enemies in combat, so the major focus of the game will be on stealth and puzzle-solving. Apparently, Gollum will have a stamina meter that he can expend to use stealth takedowns on enemies, but avoiding combat entirely is usually the better idea.

The environment will feature a level of interactivity, and the example Daedalic has shown so far is Gollum throwing a rock to break a light, which then causes an Orc to fall into a pit and be eaten by Shelob. Interestingly, Daedalic has also confirmed that the game won’t have any kind of upgrade system or unlockable skills, as Gollum has everything he can do from the very start of the game.

Other than the basics we still don’t know a lot about the gameplay of Gollum, or how long the experience might last. Again, with a release date only a few months out, that’s bound to change soon.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum launches on September 1, 2022, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.