The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Review In Progress

mmorpg.com:

The first time I really sat up and took an interest in a conversation happening in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was when the Candle Man mentioned Eärnur and his struggle against The Witch-king of Angmar. Hearing the fate of Gondor's last King before Aragorn would ascend to the throne nearly a thousand years later was such a welcome treat. It also put into stark contrast how I have started to feel about The Lord of the Rings Gollum the game, and Gollum as a love letter to Tolkien.

Let's get this out of the way right off the bat: in my nearly twelve hours with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum heading into this review, it's not been a great ride. From slow, plodding tasks that feel like they were added to just pad the run time to the myriad bugs and crashes that have all but prevented progress on some days, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum really struggles to find its footing.

Set in the years between when the events of The Hobbit and the start of the War of the Ring, LotR Gollum follows its titular character through his trials as he seeks to get back to his Precious. From spending time in both the Dark Lord Sauron's Black Pits to living in a cell amongst the Elves, the story unfolds as a partial flashback with Gollum recounting his experiences to Gandalf the Grey.

It starts off with Smeagol escaping Cirith Ungol, only to be caught and interrogated by the Dark Lord himself for the whereabouts of the One Ring. Having given up the Shire and Baggins, Gollum is turned into a slave, serving Sauron in the Black Pits below Barad-dûr. 

One look at The Lord of the Rings: Gollum tells you that this isn't the same Middle-earth we saw in Jackson's movies. There are hints of the same design language — and it makes sense: Tolkien was insanely