Lord of the Rings: Gollum Review — Not So Precious

The Lord of the Rings is one of the few licensed franchises that has made a successful transition from its original medium (you know, books) to the film world, and then to video games. The original novels are loved, the films are praised endlessly, and the video games, with the likes of The Two Towers and Shadow of War, are standouts on the gaming front. But, it was inevitable that something would go wrong, and it has with Lord of the Rings: Gollum.

Initially an interesting concept, Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a third-person stealth game where you take control of the titular Gollum/Smeagol, as you sneak your way around orc prisons, Elvin strongholds, and iconic other Lord of the Rings locales as a bit of a filler story, taking place between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Rings.

While the lore is beloved, any hardcore fan would even wonder how Gollum could hold down his own game. Well, it’s filled with a lot of creeping behind enemies, moving from hiding spot to hiding spot, and some clunky platforming that doesn’t quite land the jump. There are some dialogue choices where you get to pick between the more evil Gollum response or the rational Smeagol perspective, but the dialogue itself isn’t funny, interesting, or powerful, leaving it feeling a bit ineffective from a story perspective.

Even with the more obtuse premise, there was an opportunity for Lord of the Rings: Gollum to be something genuinely interesting, full of witty writing, clever puzzle mechanics, and some gap-filling lore that fans would appreciate. Unfortunately, it’s not, and admittedly, there are other very similar but better fantasy stealth games out there (see Styx: Shards of Darkness). Even the most hardcore LoTR fans may want to wait for a discount on this one.

Lord of the Rings: Gollum is available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Switch.