Lord of the Rings: Return of Moria mechanics have been shown off at Summer Games Fest with a new trailer showcasing Hobbits, elves, and dwarves digging and battling underground.
It's a survival and crafting game, a first for the series, which takes a laborious approach to the underbelly that keeps Tolkien's world going. That means you'll be building and forging weapons, items, and presumably forts if the brief look at base-building elements is anything to go off of.
One thing's for sure, it cannot be as bad as the recently released Lord of the Rings: Gollum which was far from one of the best PS5 games. Hopefully, this upcoming game can redeem the series and be closer in terms of quality to the legendary Shadow of Mordor than what was released a few brief months ago.
While the game has been delayed back to Fall 2023, this story trailer gives a more in-depth look than the initial reveal nearly a year ago. For the uninitiated, Moria (also known as The Black Chasm) is essentially a series of complex tunnels made through the mountains. It was a way for the dwarves to safely passage where taking the journey on foot would otherwise be certain death.
The last game touting The Lord of the Rings license didn't go down too well. Gollum, a complex character in both the books and throughout the Peter Jackson epics, is interesting but wasn't exactly leading man material. Lord of the Rings: Gollum currently sits on a dismal 34% on Metacritic with an abysmal 1.1 user score. Return to Moria may be set underground, but it's only up from here.
E3 2023 may have been canceled but don't worry. There's plenty more happening this summer for you to keep an eye on as developers and publishers are rolling out all the biggest new and upcoming games.
