The farming and life sim genre is extraordinarily crowded as many developers try to chase the success of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Some are more successful than others. For example, August’s Fields of Mistriaimpressed in early access by sticking to the genre’s core conceit and creating a town full of villagers that you want to get to know better.
Now, Weta Workshop is attempting to capitalize on this trend with a video game based on The Lord of the Rings. In Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, players control a Hobbit who Gandalf brings to the Hobbiton town of Bywater.
From there, it’s up to players to familiarize themselves with and cook for the townsfolks, farm and forage for food, and raise the standing of the village.
After playing its opening two hours, I’m finding some creative ideas in Tales of the Shire, but a lot of work will need to be done if it’s going to rise to the top of a crowded genre.