38
MONSTER
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a story-driven action adventure. Take on a perilous journey as Gollum, chasing the only thing that is precious to him. Gollum is skillful and cunning, but also torn by his split personality. One mind, two egos - you decide!
Game analysis
Monster Scorecard
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Story and Narrative
Expand for full analysis
46
Critics have mixed opinions on The Lord of the Rings - Gollum story. Some praise its exploration of Gollum's journey, while others criticize its lack of depth and uninspired narrative. Overall, the consensus is divided, with some finding it intriguing and others deeming it monotonous. Personal player experiences may vary.
SCORE DISTRIBUTION FOR STORY
Story Score
46
Positive (80-100)
14%
Mixed (50-79)
28%
Negative (0-49)
59%
Based on analyzing reviews that specifically scored or critiqued the story and narrative.
TL;DR
story and narrative
Critics have mixed opinions on The Lord of the Rings - Gollum story. Some praise its exploration of Gollum's journey, while others criticize its lack of depth and uninspired narrative. Overall, the consensus is divided, with some finding it intriguing and others deeming it monotonous. Personal player experiences may vary.
Gameplay Mechanics
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32
Critics have mixed feelings about the gameplay of The Lord of the Rings - Gollum. Positive aspects like well-developed platforming and stealth mechanics are noted, but the negatives, such as repetitive and dated gameplay with basic mechanics, overshadow the positives. Overall, critics find the gameplay underwhelming, lacking innovation, challenge, and creativity, making it a disappointing and unengaging experience.
SCORE DISTRIBUTION FOR GAMEPLAY
Gameplay Score
32
Positive (80-100)
0%
Mixed (50-79)
21%
Negative (0-49)
79%
Based on analyzing reviews that specifically scored or critiqued the gameplay mechanics.
TL;DR
gameplay mechanics
Critics have mixed feelings about the gameplay of The Lord of the Rings - Gollum. Positive aspects like well-developed platforming and stealth mechanics are noted, but the negatives, such as repetitive and dated gameplay with basic mechanics, overshadow the positives. Overall, critics find the gameplay underwhelming, lacking innovation, challenge, and creativity, making it a disappointing and unengaging experience.
Graphics and Visual Design
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35
Critics are split on The Lord of the Rings - Gollum's graphics. Some praise its Middle Earth environments, while others slam its outdated appearance and poor textures. Most critics express disappointment, citing muddy visuals, low-quality character models, and lackluster design. The game is criticized for not leveraging modern hardware capabilities, with some even calling its graphics shocking and unworthy of release. Issues with facial animations, textures, and physics are highlighted, along with game-breaking bugs and loading problems.
SCORE DISTRIBUTION FOR VISUALS
Visual Score
35
Positive (80-100)
0%
Mixed (50-79)
29%
Negative (0-49)
71%
Based on analyzing reviews that specifically scored or critiqued the graphics and visual design.
TL;DR
graphics and visual design
Critics are split on The Lord of the Rings - Gollum's graphics. Some praise its Middle Earth environments, while others slam its outdated appearance and poor textures. Most critics express disappointment, citing muddy visuals, low-quality character models, and lackluster design. The game is criticized for not leveraging modern hardware capabilities, with some even calling its graphics shocking and unworthy of release. Issues with facial animations, textures, and physics are highlighted, along with game-breaking bugs and loading problems.
Music and Sound Design
Expand for full analysis
55
Critics have mixed opinions on the Sound Design and Music of The Lord of the Rings - Gollum. Some praise the score and voice acting for capturing the essence of Tolkien's world, while others criticize the sound mixing and flawed design. Overall, it's a divisive aspect of the game with both positive and negative feedback.
SCORE DISTRIBUTION FOR SOUND DESIGN
Sound Score
55
Positive (80-100)
27%
Mixed (50-79)
33%
Negative (0-49)
40%
Based on analyzing reviews that specifically scored or critiqued the music and sound design.
TL;DR
music and sound design
Critics have mixed opinions on the Sound Design and Music of The Lord of the Rings - Gollum. Some praise the score and voice acting for capturing the essence of Tolkien's world, while others criticize the sound mixing and flawed design. Overall, it's a divisive aspect of the game with both positive and negative feedback.
Voice Acting
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54
Critics are split on the voice acting in The Lord of the Rings - Gollum. Some praise Gollum's voice as immersive and accurate, while others criticize it as lacking impact and effectiveness. The consensus is divided, with some finding the performances promising and others underwhelming. Ultimately, the voice acting's success seems to vary depending on individual preferences.
SCORE DISTRIBUTION FOR VOICE ACTING
Acting Score
54
Positive (80-100)
21%
Mixed (50-79)
36%
Negative (0-49)
43%
Based on analyzing reviews that specifically scored or critiqued the voice acting.
TL;DR
voice acting
Critics are split on the voice acting in The Lord of the Rings - Gollum. Some praise Gollum's voice as immersive and accurate, while others criticize it as lacking impact and effectiveness. The consensus is divided, with some finding the performances promising and others underwhelming. Ultimately, the voice acting's success seems to vary depending on individual preferences.
Technical Performance
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23
The Lord of the Rings - Gollum faced major technical challenges on PC and PS5, with widespread complaints of glitches, crashes, poor mechanics, and unfinished states. Critics agree that the game's technical performance hindered the overall experience, leading to disappointment and frustration among players.
SCORE DISTRIBUTION FOR TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE
Tech Score
23
Positive (80-100)
0%
Mixed (50-79)
4%
Negative (0-49)
96%
Based on analyzing reviews that specifically scored or critiqued the technical performance.
TL;DR
technical performance
The Lord of the Rings - Gollum faced major technical challenges on PC and PS5, with widespread complaints of glitches, crashes, poor mechanics, and unfinished states. Critics agree that the game's technical performance hindered the overall experience, leading to disappointment and frustration among players.
Replay Value
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27
Critics slam The Lord of the Rings - Gollum for its lack of fun gameplay, linear nature, and absence of meaningful choices, resulting in minimal replay value. The game offers little incentive for multiple playthroughs, with simplistic missions and no upgrades or exploration motivation. While there are minor branching paths, overall, critics find the experience shallow and repetitive, leaving players unengaged and disappointed.
SCORE DISTRIBUTION FOR REPLAY VALUE
Replay Score
27
Positive (80-100)
0%
Mixed (50-79)
13%
Negative (0-49)
88%
Based on analyzing reviews that specifically scored or critiqued the replay value.
TL;DR
replay value
Critics slam The Lord of the Rings - Gollum for its lack of fun gameplay, linear nature, and absence of meaningful choices, resulting in minimal replay value. The game offers little incentive for multiple playthroughs, with simplistic missions and no upgrades or exploration motivation. While there are minor branching paths, overall, critics find the experience shallow and repetitive, leaving players unengaged and disappointed.
Overall Verdict
38
MONSTER
OVERALL SCORE DISTRIBUTION
Monster Score
38
Positive (80-100)
0%
Mixed (50-79)
24%
Negative (0-49)
76%
Based on analyzing all available reviews that scored and critiqued the game.
TL;DR
Critics have mixed opinions on The Lord of the Rings - Gollum. Some praise its potential and love for Gollum, while many others slam it for poor gameplay, technical issues, and lack of polish. The consensus is that the game is disappointing, outdated, and not worth playing, with critics advising fans to try other Lord of the Rings games instead.
38
MONSTER
Reviews
145 reviews found65
Wccftech
May 25, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
The game is charming in its own way, with good environment design and writing, but it lacks polish and has technical issues. It is cautiously recommended for Lord of the Rings enthusiasts and those interested in the franchise's lore.
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60
Shacknews
May 25, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
Polarizing experience with interesting lore but dull gameplay and technical issues
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50
But Why Tho?
May 25, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
The game is a love letter to a flawed character and Tolkien lore, but the disappointing mechanics and gameplay may only appeal to fans of the franchise.
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50
God is a Geek
May 25, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
The technical issues and lack of polish make it hard to recommend The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, especially compared to other Lord of the Rings games.
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50
TheXboxHub
May 31, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
The game is described as a disappointment and tough to recommend in its current form.
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45
Noisy Pixel
May 25, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is not recommended unless you specifically desire a retro platforming experience or have a strong love for Gollum. The game is consumed by terrible platforming sections and dated visuals, despite the fun inner battle mechanics and a good soundtrack.
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45
New Game Network
Jun 8, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has few redeeming qualities and is undermined by its poor gameplay, gloomy world, terrible visuals, and technical issues.
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40
Movies Games and Tech
Sep 5, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum misses the mark with its gameplay, bugs, and mechanics, despite an interesting story and solid voice acting and score.
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40
Slant Magazine
May 25, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
Gollum feels like a disheartening collection of mechanics that, at best, bring to mind one of the lesser pre-2013 Tomb Raider games and, at worst, suggest leftovers from the N64 bargain bin.
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40
Gamers Heroes
May 30, 2023
AI-generated summary • May contain inaccuracies • See full review for precise details
The review suggests that the game is not enjoyable and should be avoided.