The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Review

thesixthaxis.com:

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a game I’d been looking forward to for a while now, and while many might have said they weren’t interested in seeing Gollum’s story, I personally felt it had potential to be an interesting and even unique video game. It would have to be focused on stealth, of course, since sneakiness, riddles, and the ring are Gollum’s whole thing, but it could be a great way to explore the way he survived in goblin caves, his presence during The Lord of the Rings, or even escaping from Mordor after being interrogated by Sauron – this final option is what this game explores. It could be good. This game, however, is not good.

It begins well enough. You’re introduced to some platforming and stealth mechanics and the story kicks into gear as you’re quickly captured by the Nazgul in a scene that was reasonably cool at first, but goes on a little too long as you wait for the dramatic moment to pass. Gollum’s interrogation leads to him being told to retrieve the ring by Sauron, but he’s then inexplicably locked in the slave pits below Barad-dûr.

What follows is Gollum surviving with the help of a handful of people until he can leave, years later – he is occasionally questioned about the ring and someone called Baggins by other characters during this. Again, I maintain this could be an interesting game, and at this point it is enjoyable enough. It’s an exploration into the brutal culture of the orcs and uruks, as well as taking in the industrialised, evil, and barren scenery they live in.

One key element to Gollum’s character is that he is also, as we all know, Smeagol, and his two personalities often talk to and argue with each other, and the way this is represented is both rather odd and endearing. Occasionally