One of the first of the non-classically styled Lego games, this game introduces plenty of good ideas, but is brought down with some odd choices and lots of bugs. Having the hub area be all of Middle Earth which you physically travel across makes the game feel more engaging while still having the classic level structure within that. On the other hand, the ability spread between characters is very slim, with certain characters taking a lions share of puzzle abilities. This means most of extra characters feel pretty useless compared to other Lego titles. This is partially solved by the item trove you unlock through the course of the game, but ends up feeling clunky with how many items you end up sifting through. This game also has one of the more tedious 100%-ing processes I've experienced in the series, along with a boatload of bugs that almost softlocked completion for me in the process. I would ultimately just recommend a normal playthrough for those who do still enjoy Lego games or Lord of the Rings.

As usual, it's a decently enjoyable LEGO game, and it's probably the first LEGO game I've completed fully in co-op with my friend, and it was fun. But it does feel pretty unpolished at times, and I think 100% completion is probably one of the worst in any LEGO game. The platforming sections in the open world can be pretty frustrating, it isn't helped with things like Gollum's climbing being janky. One mythril brick was obtainable by jumping on some pillars. Y'know how the game makes platforming easier by pulling you towards small platforms so you don't overshoot? Well, one of those pillars had it's pull point set-up incorrectly, making me fall off consistently. I had to use a backflip to land on that tiny platform, and it shows how much more unfun the platforming would be without these pull points. The map itself also doesn't feel polished, like how sometimes it marked certain items with ! even though I haven't obtained that item, or showing mythril bricks that don't even exist, or something confusing like that. As for other bugs, we've encountered a few softlocks and a few crashes. Also, when you forge a mythril item, the UI in co-op gets messed up, and I have no idea how that got past the testing. Lastly, there's this item called "Mythril Fireworks" which is supposed to destroy mythril blocks, at least it did destroy some, but it's also pretty inconsistent, as I had to search for another something that can destroy these blocks. LEGO The Lord of the Rings is still a fun LEGO game, but I can't escape the feeling that it was rushed, which is something that I actually don't feel often with these games.

I like LEGO games, but I missed a lot of the older ones. I already played LEGO The Hobbit which plays better LEGO LotR but this has the better story. I currently only beat the main game; I plan on going back and 100% it. Like most LEGO games, trying to get 100% will at least double the playtime since you have a lot of quests and have to replay all the stages. If you are new to LEGO games, I would recommend playing LEGO City Undercover, DC Super-Villains or Star Wars: The Force Awakens. After playing those and you want more LEGO games, then I would recommend playing this and The Hobbit.

I played this on the SteamDeck. I had use Proton-GE. The game froze on me once but not sure if that was due to Proton or being an older Lego game. Game crashed on me at a cutscene near the end, so I replayed that and played the last 2 stages on my PC with no issues.