The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an action-adventure game, an interactive experience based on the literary works of JRR Tolkien whose story takes place parallel to the events described in The Fellowship of the Ring. As his name indicates, the protagonist is neither more nor less than Gollum, formerly called Sméagol and one of the most important Middle-earth characters in The Lord of the Rings saga. This is the first time Gollum has had his own game, and Daedalic Entertainment promises to deliver an “experience that remains incredibly faithful to the books.”
“From his escape from Mordor, where he escaped from the Mouth of Sauron and the demon spider Ella-Laraña, to the dungeons of Thranduil, king of the elves and father of Legolas, Gollum has had many adventures and encounters on his remarkable journey.” says the synopsis of the game. Gollum’s journey has only one objective, to recover what was stolen from him: the One Ring, the cause of his corruption and thanks to which he has managed to lengthen his life in an unnatural way. Over the centuries, the ring’s influence has also caused Gollum to develop dissociative identity disorder, a key element in the game.
Gollum is a character with exceptional agility and sharp wit, two skills that players will have to make the most of when overcoming challenges and enemies. This corrupted hobbit would hardly make it out of a direct confrontation with most opponents alive, but his scouting and infiltration skills make him a dangerous character. Players will also have to take into account the two personalities of our protagonist. Sméagol is good-natured and still remembers things like friendship, while Gollum is evil and a slave to the Ring.
Throughout the campaign of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum the two personalities will fight, maintain a love-hate relationship and the character will dialogue with himself. “Gollum doesn’t break; he bends, he adapts…”, says Daedalic Entertainment. His tortured split personality allows him to be cruel and evil like Gollum, but also friendly and cautious like Sméagol. The players will be responsible for deciding which of the two personalities will win in the moral decisions that our protagonist must make.