The Lord of the Rings: Journey Back to Moria Analysis

The Lord of the Rings IP is currently everywhere, especially with Rings of Power transporting players to a different era. This has led to a revival in the video game industry, with titles like Lord of the Rings: Gollum, the upcoming Lord of the Rings MMO from Amazon, and the recently released The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria. Although the last title does offer some interesting elements related to the IP, it falls short when compared to other games in the genre.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria introduces Middle-Earth to the survival-crafting genre for the first time, offering a unique experience that diehard fans might enjoy exploring. However, it doesn't fully maximize the potential of this concept. While it's not a terrible game, those seeking excitement and groundbreaking features may be disappointed.

In The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, players are transported back to the Fourth Age of Middle-Earth, following the events of the main Lord of the Rings series. The story revolves around a group of dwarves led by Gimli, who embark on a mission to reclaim their ancestral homeland of Moria and restore the kingdom of Khazad-dum. However, their journey is far from simple, as they find themselves trapped in the treacherous depths of the mines with no clear escape. It is now up to the players to navigate through the vast caves, rebuild the dwarves' halls, and survive the lingering effects of Sauron's influence, as well as a mysterious corruption that plagues Moria.

To begin playing, players must first create their own unique dwarf character from scratch. Although the character creator is not overly advanced, it offers enough options for players to spend some time perfecting their avatar. Fortunately, if they are unsatisfied with their initial appearance, they can easily change it at any time. This flexibility in customization, even if not utilized by everyone, is always a welcomed feature.

Once players have created their character, they will be treated to a brief cutscene that sets the stage before immersing them deep into the heart of Moria. Their first task is to locate their initial base, create essential tools, and commence mining valuable resources. Fans of survival-crafting games will find this familiar, as the mechanics closely resemble those of similar games in the genre. However, there are several new elements that capture the essence of Lord of the Rings, and thankfully, Return to Moria effectively explains these additions.

The mining system functions much like in other survival-crafting games. In Return to Moria, players must construct a pickaxe to extract resources from nodes scattered throughout the caverns. Additionally, they need to learn how to craft stronger pickaxes to mine more resilient materials. However, the game introduces fresh components that add excitement to the mix. In order to build superior equipment, players must locate specific foundries. And to enhance their mining experience, they can even sing mining songs to uplift their spirits while exploring the depths of the mines.

Mining in Return to Moria may not appear significantly different, but its approach to the activity is peculiar. Instead of granting players the freedom to mine in any direction they desire, the game imposes limitations by allowing them to only mine through specific walls, leaving the rest as impenetrable obstacles. As a result, players can only explore predetermined pathways, which contradicts the essence of the genre. Such games are typically associated with unrestricted exploration, and eliminating that aspect can result in a rather uninspiring gameplay experience.

In Return to Moria, exploration is an integral part of the game experience. Players will encounter destroyed bases and crafting equipment that need repair, some of which can be built using the building menu. However, players will initially rely on the existing destroyed objects until they learn how to construct them themselves. This necessitates branching out, establishing multiple bases, and thoroughly exploring the mines. Despite the constant movement, the exploration aspect may leave some players feeling unsatisfied.

While exploration is a significant aspect of the game, it also highlights one of Return to Moria's weaknesses. The game world itself is visually uninteresting, consisting mainly of monotonous corridors. Free Range Games aimed to recreate the atmosphere of being in the depths of a mine from the Lord of the Rings, and that goal was achieved. However, this does not result in engaging exploration. Once players have seen one hallway, they have essentially seen them all. Although there are occasional new biomes to discover, many of them lack lasting intrigue for prolonged exploration.

In the journey through Return to Moria, players will frequently encounter combat situations. These encounters often involve groups of orcs, bears, or wolves who pose a threat. To overcome these adversaries, players will need to utilize a variety of craftable weapons. Moreover, they will also have to hunt for resources such as hide and food. With the exciting action sequences present throughout the Lord of the Rings narrative, gameplay promises to be enjoyable. However, most combat encounters lack complexity, requiring players to continuously press the attack button until their opponent is defeated. There is a lack of engaging combos, unique maneuvers, and distinctive fighting styles among the diverse range of enemies.

Players will engage in a significant amount of base building in addition to their exploration activities. The base building mechanics allow players to construct their own unique dwarven huts wherever they desire. However, the game is also populated with pre-explored bases, which suggests that rather than encouraging players to build wherever they choose, the game actually incentivizes them to repair these bases. This contradicts the open-ended nature typically found in this genre.

The lack of freedom in Return to Moria is perhaps its most significant drawback. Additionally, the gameplay itself does not offer anything particularly captivating. While the game can be enjoyable, especially when played with friends, it lacks the distinctive elements that would make it truly memorable compared to other games in the same genre. Apart from its association with the Lord of the Rings franchise, it fails to possess any remarkable features that would set it apart.

Return to Moria: An Epic Journey in Middle-earth

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria by Free Range Games is an immersive survival game that places a strong emphasis on the art of crafting. Utilizing cutting-edge procedural-generation technology, this highly anticipated 2023 release allows players to delve deep into the legendary Moria mines of Middle-earth as their very own custom-created dwarf.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is available now on PC, with a PS5 release on December 5 and an Xbox Series X/S release in early 2024. Our website was provided a PC code for this review.

Editor's P/S

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a game that has a lot of potential, but ultimately falls short of its mark. The game's setting is fantastic, and the characters are well-done, but the gameplay is repetitive and the story is uninspired.

One of the biggest problems with Return to Moria is its gameplay. The game is a survival-crafting game, but it doesn't do anything new or interesting with the genre. Players will spend most of their time mining for resources, building structures, and fighting off enemies. The combat is particularly disappointing, as it is very simple and repetitive.

Another problem with Return to Moria is its story. The game's story is set after the events of The Lord of the Rings, and it follows a group of dwarves as they attempt to reclaim their ancestral home of Moria. The story is predictable and uninspired, and it doesn't do much to flesh out the characters or the world.