Info about The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™:

Official game description:
Buzz
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Collector's Edition
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About the Game
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The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ is an official adaptation based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien.  
He's got nothing more to lose… How far will he go to retrieve his Precious?  
Taking place in parallel to the events described in The Fellowship of the Ring ™, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an action-adventure game and an epic interactive experience. You play as the enigmatic Gollum on his perilous journey and find out how he outwitted the most powerful characters in Middle-earth.  
THE UNTOLD STORY
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He has survived dangers most wouldn't dare talk about, driven by the singular desire to once again hold in his hands what was stolen from him. Although his desperate quest is a central part of the story crafted by J.R.R. Tolkien, it has never been told in detail. For the first time, follow the untold story of Gollum: an experience that stays incredibly faithful to the books. From his flight from Mordor, where he escaped the Mouth of Sauron and the demon-spider Shelob, to the dungeons of the Elvenking Thranduil, Legolas' father, Gollum has had many adventures and encounters on his extraordinary journey.
ACTION AND STEALTH
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After being corrupted by the Ring over hundreds of years, Gollum has developed exceptional agility and sharp wits. Use his unique skills to explore and infiltrate legendary locations and dizzying heights. Find your way past the Orcs as you climb the Dark Tower of Barad-dûr and give the Elves the slip in the mysterious Mirkwood.  
While Gollum is no fighter, he is more than capable of strangling a careless enemy when the opportunity presents itself… or of finding a more creative and less risky way of getting out of trouble.
ONE CHARACTER, TWO PERSONALITIES
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Gollum is one of the most fascinating characters in The Lord of the Rings universe. In 500 years he has experienced events that would destroy the toughest of beings. But Gollum doesn't break; he bends, he adapts…  
Tortured by his split personality, he can be vicious and wicked as Gollum, yet friendly and cautious as Smeagol. It's up to you to decide which of his personalities will triumph in the difficult moral choices that will dictate the future of your precarious alliances.

Release date: 25 May, 2023

Categories: Stealth Gameplay, Platformer, Single-player Story, Choice-based Narrative, Multiple Endings, Puzzle Solving, Linear Progression


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Surprisingly Enjoyable Experience (weight 0.22): Many players found the game surprisingly enjoyable, often exceeding their low expectations. They highlighted its entertainment value, especially considering its price point, and appreciated its unique aspects despite perceived flaws.
- Compelling Gollum Characterization (weight 0.2): The portrayal of Gollum and his internal struggle with Sméagol was a major highlight. Players praised the voice acting, animations, and the unique gameplay perspective of playing as Gollum, finding his character development and dual personality compelling.
- Strong, Engaging Story (weight 0.13): The game's narrative was consistently praised for being well-written, engaging, and captivating. Players found the plot interesting, the characters well-developed, and appreciated how choices impacted the story's evolution.
- Enjoyable Stealth & Platforming (weight 0.09): Players generally enjoyed the core gameplay loop, particularly the stealth and platforming mechanics. They found these elements to be surprisingly precise and fitting for the character, offering a fresh and engaging experience.
- Pleasing Visuals & Art Style (weight 0.09): Despite some technical limitations, many reviewers found the game's visual style and art direction appealing. They noted beautiful environments, detailed backgrounds, and an overall aesthetically pleasing design, especially on higher settings.
- Faithful Lord of the Rings Lore (weight 0.06): Fans of the Lord of the Rings universe appreciated the game's faithfulness to the lore and its ability to capture the Middle-earth atmosphere. The game's world-building and inclusion of iconic locations resonated well with fans.
- Excellent Soundtrack & Sound (weight 0.06): The game's soundtrack received significant praise for being excellent, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant. Many considered the music to be one of the strongest aspects of the game, greatly enhancing immersion.
- Intuitive Controls & Checkpoints (weight 0.04): The game's controls were found to be intuitive, and players appreciated the frequent and generous checkpoints. This design choice made the game more forgiving and allowed for easy progress in shorter play sessions.
- Well-Designed Puzzles (weight 0.02): Some players found the puzzles to be well-designed and engaging. They noted that the puzzles offered variety and were appropriately challenging, contributing positively to the gameplay experience.

Common complaints:
- Severe Technical Issues & Bugs (weight 1): The game is plagued by an overwhelming number of technical issues, including frequent crashes, severe performance problems like low frame rates and stuttering, and numerous game-breaking bugs that prevent progression. Players reported issues with controls, camera, and general unresponsiveness, making the game frustrating and often unplayable.
- Outdated & Poor Graphics (weight 0.87): The game's visual quality is consistently criticized for being outdated, resembling PlayStation 2 or early 2000s graphics despite being a 2023 release. Character models, especially Gollum, are described as ugly, poorly animated, and lacking detail, contributing to a generally unpolished and unappealing aesthetic.
- Clunky & Repetitive Gameplay (weight 0.82): Gameplay is widely described as clunky, repetitive, and boring, particularly the platforming and stealth mechanics. Players found these core elements to be poorly implemented, frustrating, and lacking depth, leading to monotony and a general lack of enjoyment.
- Weak & Uninspired Story (weight 0.64): The narrative is consistently criticized for being poorly written, nonsensical, and unengaging. Players felt the story lacked depth, memorable moments, and failed to do justice to the rich Lord of the Rings lore, often feeling like bad fanfiction.
- Overpriced & Disappointing (weight 0.59): Many players felt the game was overpriced for its quality, with its high price tag being unjustified given the numerous flaws. There's a strong sentiment that the game is a 'cash grab' that fails to honor the Lord of the Rings franchise, leading to disappointment among fans.
- Poor Gollum Implementation (weight 0.15): Gollum's character model is widely disliked for its appearance and poor animations. His controls are described as clumsy, and his constant muttering and repetitive death lines are annoying. The game also features specific bugs related to Gollum's movement and checkpoint reloads.

Gameplay feedback:
- Platforming and Stealth Focus (weight 0.2): The core gameplay primarily consists of platforming, climbing, and stealth mechanics. Players spend most of their time navigating environments, hiding from enemies, and solving simple environmental puzzles, with a strong emphasis on parkour-like movement.
- Gollum's Internal Conflict & Journey (weight 0.11): The game centers on Gollum's journey between 'The Hobbit' and 'The Fellowship of the Ring', exploring his time as a prisoner in Barad-dûr and Mirkwood. A key mechanic involves Gollum's internal conflict, where players make choices by convincing either the Sméagol or Gollum personality.
- Limited Character Abilities (weight 0.06): Gollum is portrayed as a weak, non-combatant character whose abilities are limited to climbing, sneaking, distracting enemies with thrown objects, and performing stealth takedowns. His movement and stamina are often described as restrictive.
- Replayability and Achievements (weight 0.05): The game offers multiple endings and collectibles, encouraging replayability for achievements. Some achievements require specific challenges like no-death runs, and the overall playtime is estimated to be around 10-15 hours.
- Inconsistent Stealth Mechanics (weight 0.04): The stealth mechanics are inconsistent and often basic, relying on simple line-of-sight and dark areas. Players report issues with AI, making stealth feel either pointless or buggy, sometimes requiring level restarts.
- Linear Level Design (weight 0.04): The game features a highly linear structure with distinct chapters, preventing players from revisiting previous areas. Gameplay often involves simply moving forward through a series of pre-defined paths and objectives.
- Frustrating Platforming Jumps (weight 0.03): Platforming sections are often frustrating due to imprecise jumps and unclear designated paths. Players frequently experience deaths from failed jumps, leading to repetition and a lack of confidence in the movement system.
- Lack of Combat System (weight 0.02): The game lacks a traditional combat system. Player interaction with enemies is limited to stealth executions or distractions, which are described as elementary, unengaging, and often leading to instant-fail scenarios.
- Outdated Game Feel (weight 0.02): The game's overall feel and mechanics are often compared to titles from the PS2/PS3 era or even the 90s, suggesting outdated design choices and a lack of modern polish.
- Simple Controls and Tutorials (weight 0.02): The game avoids lengthy tutorials and features simple controls. A 'feral senses' mechanic helps players navigate, and movement becomes manageable once controls are learned.
- Poor Stamina Management (weight 0.02): The stamina system is poorly implemented, with the bar depleting very quickly and regenerating at an extremely slow rate. This significantly hinders running and movement, impacting the flow of gameplay.
- Missing Quest Tracking (weight 0.02): The game lacks a clear quest journal or tracking system. Players report difficulty in knowing their current objectives as the HUD and pause menu do not consistently display quest information.
- No Online or Microtransactions (weight 0.01): The game is a single-player experience with no online components or microtransactions.

Performance notes:
- Poor and inconsistent performance (weight 0.21): Many players report severe and frequent performance issues, including constant stuttering, significant FPS drops (even on high-end hardware), and game freezes or crashes. These issues occur across various game sections, including cinematics and critical gameplay moments, making the game unplayable for some.
- Numerous bugs and glitches (weight 0.12): Players report a variety of bugs, ranging from minor graphical glitches and collision issues to game-breaking problems like infinite death loops, corrupted saves, and improper level loading. While some players experienced few issues, others found them frequent and disruptive.
- Demanding, outdated graphics (weight 0.06): The game is criticized for its high system requirements, particularly VRAM, which are deemed excessive given its mediocre and outdated graphics. Players note issues like texture pop-in, low draw distance, and general visual quality that doesn't justify the performance demands.

Recommendations:
- Not worth full price (weight 0.34): The overwhelming sentiment is that the game is not worth its full price and should only be considered at a significant discount, if at all. Many players requested refunds or advised against purchasing due to its poor quality and numerous issues.
- Avoid at all costs (weight 0.3): Many players strongly advise against buying or playing the game, citing it as a waste of time and money. Some even suggest playing other games or engaging in alternative activities like reading the books or watching movies instead.
- Mixed reception, some enjoyment (weight 0.24): Despite the negative reception, some players found enjoyment in the game, particularly those who appreciate stealth mechanics or are interested in Gollum's story. There's a desire for potential future improvements or even a sequel.
- For die-hard LOTR fans (weight 0.11): The game is primarily recommended for die-hard Lord of the Rings fans who are willing to overlook significant flaws for the sake of experiencing a new story within the universe. Even for these fans, a deep discount is advised.
- Use external resources (weight 0.01): Some players suggest using external resources like cheat engines or watching cinematics on YouTube as alternatives to playing the game directly, indicating a desire to experience the story without enduring the gameplay.

Other player notes:
- Unfinished and Rushed Release (weight 0.14): Many players feel the game was released unfinished and rushed, likely due to publisher pressure and limited resources. This led to a perception of it being a 'half-baked' project that could have been much better with more development time. There's a strong sentiment that the game was abandoned post-launch.
- DLC Locks Core Content (weight 0.03): Players were highly critical of the decision to lock lore elements and the Sindarin (Elvish) voice acting behind paid DLC, especially on day one. This was widely seen as a 'scummy' and hypocritical practice for a Lord of the Rings game.
- Varying LOTR Fan Reception (weight 0.02): Player reception varied based on their familiarity and expectations from the Lord of the Rings franchise. Some hardcore fans were open to reinterpretations, while others, including newcomers, had no specific preconceptions.
- Game Length and Completion (weight 0.02): The game's length was generally reported to be around 10-14 hours, with some players spending significantly more time to achieve platinum trophies, indicating a commitment despite the game's flaws.
- Positive Environmental Design (weight 0.02): Despite numerous criticisms, some players acknowledged positive aspects of the game's environment, noting good scenic locations, detailed environments, and a successful conveyance of atmosphere.
- Flaws as Artistic Choices (weight 0.01): Some players attempted to rationalize the game's flaws, such as camera issues and character models, as intentional design choices reflecting Gollum's distorted perception or madness. However, this was a minority view.
- Unsatisfying Multiple Endings (weight 0.01): The game features multiple endings, but player feedback indicated that both available endings were unsatisfactory or 'bad,' failing to provide a compelling conclusion to the narrative.
- Poor In-Game Guidance (weight 0.01): Players found the in-game guide unhelpful and noted a lack of sufficient tutorials for initial actions, making the learning curve steeper than necessary.
- Misleading Marketing Scope (weight 0.01): Players noted a discrepancy between marketing, which suggested a broad Middle-earth adventure, and the actual gameplay, which kept them in Mordor for a significant portion of the game before moving to other areas like Mirkwood.
- Bizarre Plot Detail (weight 0.01): A specific, bizarre plot point involving Smeagol carrying a large bottle for years only to trade it for rotten bread was highlighted by players as illogical and strange.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.3): Players expressed disappointment due to the game's overall poor quality, including outdated graphics, numerous bugs, and unpolished mechanics. This led to unfulfilled expectations, a sense of wasted potential, and a feeling of low value for the price, especially given the game's association with a well-known franchise.
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Frustration stemmed primarily from the game's technical issues, such as frequent bugs, crashes, and poor optimization, which often hindered progress or made the game unplayable. Additionally, clunky controls, repetitive gameplay, and poor level design contributed significantly to player annoyance.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.1): Satisfaction was found by players who managed to enjoy certain aspects of the game despite its flaws, often when purchased at a reduced price. Positive elements included the story, character interactions, atmosphere, and the overall experience of overcoming difficult sections or appreciating specific lore details.
- Anger (weight 0.09): Anger arose from the game's perceived poor quality and value for money, leading to feelings of being cheated or robbed. Game-breaking bugs, an unfinished state, high price, and perceived developer incompetence or exploitative DLC practices further fueled this emotion.
- Boredom (weight 0.04): Boredom was a common sentiment due to the game's repetitive and uninspired gameplay loop, monotonous level design, and a lack of engaging content. Players found the core mechanics, such as climbing and throwing, to be tedious and the narrative often failed to hold their interest.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Enjoyment was experienced by players who appreciated the game's story, character portrayal, and immersive atmosphere. Despite technical issues, some found the stealthy platforming and narrative compelling, leading to an overall positive experience.
- Regret (weight 0.02): Regret was primarily associated with the financial aspect of purchasing the game, particularly for those who pre-ordered or felt they wasted money. This emotion also extended to regretting the time spent playing the game.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Initial excitement was generated by the game's potential, quality of graphics, music, and the promise of deep stealth and a thought-provoking plot. This emotion was often tied to early impressions or anticipation for future content.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation was directed towards specific positive elements, such as the quality of the story, character development, and voice acting, particularly for Gollum/Sméagol. Some players also acknowledged the developers' effort despite the game's limitations.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Disgust was triggered by the game's ugly graphics, unappealing environments, and unpleasant character designs. The overall poor state and experience of the game also contributed to this strong negative reaction.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise occurred when the game exceeded low expectations, often due to negative pre-release hype. Players were surprised to find the game better than anticipated, leading to an unexpected positive experience.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness arose from the game's poor state and its failure to live up to its potential, especially given the beloved franchise. Players felt a sense of loss or disappointment over what the game could have been.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion stemmed from the game's negative reception contrasting with a player's personal experience, or from difficulties with in-game navigation and understanding the game's overall purpose or design choices.
- Neutrality (weight 0.01): Neutrality reflected a balanced perspective, where players acknowledged both positive and negative aspects without strong emotional attachment. This often involved recognizing technical issues or gameplay mechanics that simply didn't align with personal preferences.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy was experienced through enjoyable gameplay moments, immersion in the game's world, and appreciation for specific character portrayals, particularly the spiritual struggle and voice acting of Sméagol.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Curiosity motivated players to experience the game despite its widely reported poor quality. This was driven by a desire to personally witness how 'bad' the game truly was, or to explore its unique, flawed appeal.
- Defensiveness (weight 0): Defensiveness arose when players felt the need to defend their positive experience or the game itself against widespread negative reviews and criticism from others.
- Pity (weight 0): Pity was directed towards the voice actor's situation or the struggles faced by the developers, acknowledging the challenges they might have encountered during the game's production.
- Realism (weight 0): Realism involved players managing their expectations and understanding the game's limitations. This perspective allowed them to approach the game with a more grounded view, acknowledging its flaws without excessive emotional reaction.
- Relief (weight 0): Relief was felt upon the resolution of a significant bug or, more commonly, upon finally completing the game, indicating a sense of burden lifted after enduring a challenging or unsatisfactory experience.}