Being 5ft2, I think I could already live comfortably inside a Hobbit hole, especially as a big fan of potatoes and eating in general.
Those were my thoughts when watching theLord of the Ringstrilogy and those were my thoughts once again when I recently experiencedTales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game.
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However, before you can get stuck into Hobbit life, you will have to create your Hobbit and despite not having an extensive character customisation, it is still efficient enough, especially as you can choose how much hair your Hobbit’s feet can have.
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As well as that, you can choose between the standard hair, skin colour, nose, mouth etc but you can also choose a personality type such as grumpy, cosy or jolly.
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Although I thought this was more the Seven Dwarves than Lord of the Rings, it is still a cute little feature and can affect how you build relationships.
Once I had finally designed my Hobbit, I was faced with having to name them but luckilyTales of the Shiregives you the chance to pick between a bunch of presets. Not only does this stop me from panicking over a potential name for twenty minutes, it’s also a good idea if you want to have a more lore-accurate Hobbit.
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With all life and farming sims, the first hour or so is dedicated to learning the ropes and after skipping around my home, checking out the bedroom, writing desk (which can be used to write dinner party invitations) and pantry (which I am insanely jealous about), I got to work making a creamy porridge with rhubarb for one of the many villagers you will meet, and befriend.
Much likeStardew Valleyand others in the genre, as well as building a life for yourself, you will also get to befriend the locals and doing so will see them reward you with gifts.
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To do this, you can take on a cooking mini-game which allows you to control every aspect of the meal and more importantly, you will have to make sure that you have the ingredients for each recipe.
However, if you are feeling a bit lazy, you can head down to the village stalls which sell everything you need to cook a delicious meal.
As well as food, you can also find fellow Hobbits who sell upgrades and decorations for your home and many other much-needed items and with stock getting rotated daily, you never know what you will find in the local market.
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AlthoughTales of the Shiremirrors titles such asStardewwhere the townsfolk have schedules so you know where to find them at any time of the day, the Shire feels a lot more full.
Although it is the bare minimum to plonk down some NPCs, it was something that stuck out to me during my time withTales of the Shire,and as a result, playing it felt like getting a warm hug.
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It is these villagers that will assign you with various quests ranging from fetching them three fish, cooking three meals or finding a missing book.
Fishing, much likeAnimal Crossing,will see fish only appear in certain spots at certain times and in order to fish at all, you have to look for ripples in the water.
The fishing mini-game, although hard to master at first, is really fun and doesn’t just ask you to stand there and do nothing whilst the fish comes to you.
The Shire is quite large and when you’re new, it is hard to get around.
I think it’s pretty obvious that I could talk for hours aboutTales of the Shireand all its unique little features but what I loved most of all is its feeling of community and warmth.
Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Gameis set to launch on 25 March, 2025 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.
Topics:The Lord Of The Rings,Preview,Reviews,Steam,PC,Xbox,PlayStation,Nintendo Switch
