The latest trailer for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has revealed more of the game’s winding story, which combines the Tolkien mythos with filmic inspiration for a new tale focussing on the plight of tortured Stoor, Gollum (formerly known as Sméagol). In the adventure, players will use stealth tactics to traverse a variety of recognisable realms – the villainous Mordor and eleven Mirkwood, amongst them.
During this quest, which will see Gollum battling with his own personality and the forces of Sauron, Tolkien heroes including Gandalf and Thranduil will appear, lending advice and a helping hand along the way.
While these heroes somewhat resemble their movie counterparts, it’s clear developer Daedalic Entertainment aims to put its own sense of style on the classic Tolkien story, with only vague inspiration taken from New Line Cinema’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Here, Gandalf is presented as a much younger wizard, and Thranduil sports a more earthy redesign, in line with his position as the King of the Woodland Realm.
Read: The Lord of the Rings: Gollum sets mid-2023 release date
It appears both Gandalf and Thranduil will play an essential part in this tale, acting as guides for Gollum. While they’re not quite allies – they’re seen harshly interrogating him about his whereabouts – it does appear Daedalic aims to expand on Gollum’s role in The Lord of the Rings by teasing out his relationships with other iconic characters.
The game’s latest trailer has further revealed a new threat growing in the land of Mordor, with a reimagined Mouth of Sauron operating as a primary antagonist in the game, alongside evil creatures like Shelob, the giant spider. Both will threaten Gollum’s journey, as he attempts to navigate the evolving political landscape of Middle-earth, and survive with his limbs intact.
It appears enemies will mount attacks on all sides, with few allies to help Gollum on his long quest to regain the One Ring and thwart the gathering forces of evil. While his nature as an anti-villain (and knowledge of Tolkien’s story) means his quest will likely be derailed, the journey remains very intriguing – even more so, after the latest trailer.
This new interpretation of The Lord of the Rings appears different enough to be refreshing – and we look forward to seeing more of the game in the coming months. It is not currently dated, but will release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and
