We all dearly wish we could sing praises about The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. After all, it unfolds in one of the greatest fictional universes of all time and tells the tale of Gollum, an iconic character. However, it’s regretfully not feasible to do so, for the game developed by Daedalic Entertainment has been a considerable disappointment. You’ll grasp what we mean when we share the Gollum review scores from Metacritic shortly.
Related: Tears of the Kingdom Review Scores Are Perfect
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Review Scores
Earlier in May, we discussed ten games we were most eagerly anticipating. Redfall from that list turned out to be a surprising letdown. However, the real disappointment of the month could well be Gollum, because as many critics have opined, it’s not even a ready-to-play game. Not only does it fall short of entering the AAA category (It’s not there budget-wise), but it also struggles with accomplishing even the most fundamental tasks.
As we write this article, there are a total of 37 reviews on Metacritic, with an average score of a meagre 35 – quite dreadful, indeed. Here are Gollum review scores from some of the most prominent sites we’ve selected:
- Push Square – 20
- GameSpot – 20
- Gfinity – 20
- Inverse – 30
- Game Informer – 35
- IGN Spain – 40
- GamesRadar – 40
- PC Games – 40
- God is a Geek – 50
As you can see, the scores awarded are rather low. All the critics mention that the game is technically a mess. Some suggest that it needed not just months, but perhaps years of further development before release. But we’ve grown accustomed to modern games being launched before they’re truly finished, so it doesn’t come as a shock.
The comment that caught our eye the most amidst the reviews came from GamePro Germany’s editor, Dennis Michel, who gave it a score of 60. Here’s what he had to say:
Gollum feels like a game that would have had a hard time even ten years ago, as simply the basic framework of stealth and Uncharted climbing is not good and left me more frustrated than motivated.
Dennis Michel at GamePro Germany
Daedalic Entertainment Apologises
The developers are well aware that these criticisms are wholly justified. Shortly after the game’s launch, they released a statement acknowledging their errors. In it, they clearly admit their mistakes, concede the game was not ready, and offer an apology. They promise to do everything in their power to rid the game of all its glitches and technical problems in the coming weeks. You can read the full statement here, if you wish.
However, this apology hardly seems sufficient. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum review scores aren’t just low on Metacritic – users on Steam are also continuing to give low scores. This isn’t a “Lynch” campaign: Each review has significant points to make. Here are a few we’ve picked out:
- “I am honestly shocked at the absolute gall of Nacon and Daedalic to charge $50 for a game of such poor quality. This is an obviously amateur product across every dimension, riddled with so many technical and creative design flaws that the AAA-tier asking price beggars belief.”
- “I’m a huge Tolkien nerd and my boyfriend got it for me because of that. I made it about 40 minutes in before I couldn’t stand the clunky controls, bad stealth, or frequent screen tearing.”
- “It was tricksy, precious. Very tricksy. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses. Wicked, tricksy, false! Sixty Dollars they did. Cruel men hurts us. Master tricksed us.”
The consensus seems to be that this game should have been released with a $20 price tag. But it does seem a bit odd to be selling a game with so many technical problems at full price. It’s clear that the developers are LOTR fans, as there are many meticulous details in the gameplay that have been well attended to.
However, either the development budget was insufficient, or the team was. Based on gameplay experience, we definitely wouldn’t recommend purchasing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Gollum Game Is?
Completing the main story of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum takes roughly eight hours. If you’re keen on completing all side quests and collecting the collectibles, you’ll need about 14 hours. But don’t worry, the gameplay of the Gollum game is quite monotonous. The simple puzzles and parkour maps won’t pose much of a challenge to you.
How Much Is New Gollum Game?
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, developed by Daedalic Entertainment, can be purchased for $50. While it’s not a full-price game, it’s still rather overpriced given its quality. All reviews and gameplay videos indicate that the game’s value should max out at about $20. It might be wise to wait for a sale before making a purchase.
What Is The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’s Story?
The game’s timeline, which is faithful to the books rather than the films, is clear-cut. The events portrayed in the game, in which we play as Gollum, take place between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. It starts in the year 3017, 66 years after Bilbo comes into possession of the ring. While we get to explore many locations in Middle-earth, the game sadly isn’t that great.
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