Skip to main content

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is finally launching quite soon

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum finally has a release date. Daedalic Entertainment and Nacon confirmed during a hands-off preview event attended by Digital Trends that this unique Lord of the Rings game finally launches on September 1. 

Daedalic Entertainment first announced The Lord of the Rings: Gollum in 2019, but the game was pushed back to 2022 when Nacon came on board as publisher. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer for this adventure as it’s only a few months away. Since its announcement, the rights for Lord of the Rings games have gone up for sale, and EA has announced a mobile game based on the franchise. Thankfully, none of those developments seemed to have negatively impacted The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.

Gollum hides from soldiers in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Gollum will die in a direct confrontation, so he must stealthily dodge and take down enemies. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Digital Trends got an early look at The Lord of the Rings: Gollum via a hands-off demo. While this may seem like an odd comparison, imagine Uncharted’s platforming in a stealth-focused game set in the Lord of the Rings universe. I saw Gollum hopping around ledges in both Mordor and Mirkwood as the developer carefully managed Gollum’s stamina so he wouldn’t fall off any ledges he was climbing. 

Combat is minimal as Gollum has limited stamina he can use in attacks. As such, platforming and puzzle-solving will be the best ways to get through many situations. Throughout the game, players will also have to choose between the Gollum and Sméagol personalities during key story moments, and these decisions will impact the narrative. 

Characters like Thranduil and Gandalf also made appearances in the demo. They sported looks more similar to their description in the books than how they were portrayed in the movies. While Gollum obviously isn’t the prettiest protagonist, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has a distinct look and feel compared to any The Lord of the Rings game that has come before it. 

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on September 1. A Nintendo Switch version is also in the works, but does not have a release window outside of 2022. 

Tomas Franzese
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
Hatsune Miku’s Crypt of the NecroDancer crossover is a perfect fit
Hatsune Miku sings in Crypt of the NecroDancer DLC trailer.

Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku's next video game crossover was announced and released today, and it's the perfect kind of collaboration for the character. If you buy a new $2 DLC, you can now play as Crypton Future's popular virtual singer in the PC and PS4 versions of Crypt of the NecroDancer.

Crypt of the NecroDancer is a roguelike dungeon crawler that moves to the beat of the music. You can see why Hatsune Miku would be such a good fit for a game like this. The digital idol has a long history in the gaming space, both through her own series of rhythm games and guest appearances in titles like Persona 4: Dancing All Night, Just Dance, Ninjala, and Fall Guys. Likewise, Brace Yourself Games and Crypt of the NecroDancer are no strangers to crossovers; Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda was a full-fledged spin-off using music from Nintendo's series that came out in 2019.

Read more
Dragon’s Dogma 2’s first updates will tackle its PC performance issues
A character with a bow and arrow in Dragon's Dogma 2.

Capcom revealed what the first updates for Dragon's Dogma 2 will fix and change following the RPG's first weekend on the market.

Dragon's Dogma 2 launched on March 22. While it garnered positive reviews, it also had a bevy of technical issues, particularly on PC. Capcom admitted it was aware of Dragon's Dogma 2's optimization problem on the day it launched and is now outlining the first steps being taken to improve things via game updates. On PC, Capcom will release an update that will improve DLSS Super Resolution quality and fix "an issue where models appeared low-quality under some specific settings."

Read more
Another Crab’s Treasure is an approachable Soulslike with a comedic twist
Hermit crab holding up pitchfork

Souslikes come in all shapes and sizes, including colorful seascapes with cute crabs.

Another Crab’s Treasure is the Finding Nemo of Soulslikes: a more accessible, cartoony approach to one of the most unforgiving genres. It's no Dark Souls, but it is an alternative for those tired of the typical dark fantasy Soulslike settings and the tropes attached to them. On the surface, it’s just about a guy who just wants his house (read: shell) back. However, it tells an entertaining story with genuinely challenging combat in between those narrative beats. It even lightly comments on societal and environmental issues like plastic-filled oceans and the downsides of capitalist society.

Read more