This was a fun co-op focused successor to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (even being made by the same developers).
It has a virtually non-existent story with comically bland characters, and the plot all too conveniently lines up with the timing of Frodo's journey. The three main characters are kind of meant to be vessels for the three of you to inhabit, but even as vessels they fail. I feel little connection to any of them. The only time there was any real presentation of character traits and flaws was at the beginning of the final level, when Eradan helps Farin climb a mountain despite his stubbornness. More of this would have been great, and especially fun to discuss with friends while playing. Beleram the Eagle was by far my favourite character because he was always there in time.
The game was also buggy, but rarely in an intrusive way. Most of them were really entertaining, as bodies would collapse during combat or fly every which way, particles floating around when our weapons disappeared in cutscenes, hair clipping through armour, as well as cutscenes having visual bugs like the other eagles being frozen in the corner of the screen, or two of the same character appearing at once. There were also some hilarious pacing issues when cutscenes would trigger; combat would be cut short and then the characters would just be standing around talking. The most intrusive bug occurred when we'd choose to return to the hub mid-level, and then try to go back to where we were, and we'd be separated, forcing a level restart. The game is not polished overall; I've had a few instances where I was locked into a combo by multiple enemies. You don't have any invincibility frames in the game, to my knowledge. It's awkward.
With all of this said...the game, at its core, is really fun. I think the gameplay loop is solid, and though its level design and variety pales in comparison to Dark Alliance, it provided enough engagement and strategy to keep things fresh throughout, despite repetition seeping in toward the end. It was great fun to experience with friends; just an man, elf and dwarf on a quest together. Sharing laughter and commentary on the game itself. It was just as much fun to pick on as it was to actually play. The environmental design was also GORGEOUS, a beautiful realization of Middle-Earth in the interactive medium for sure.
I completely understand why the game flopped upon release; going up against Dark Souls the same year and Skyrim the same WEEK wasn't going to be easy. It also isn't the most polished or interesting game from the outside looking in. Hell, even on the inside, it doesn't have a lot to call its own. But it was fun, and I'd recommend it if you have a couple of friends that love Lord of the Rings and want something goofy and fun to play. (Actually the game was delisted, you can't get it anymore on digital storefronts lmao)
It has a virtually non-existent story with comically bland characters, and the plot all too conveniently lines up with the timing of Frodo's journey. The three main characters are kind of meant to be vessels for the three of you to inhabit, but even as vessels they fail. I feel little connection to any of them. The only time there was any real presentation of character traits and flaws was at the beginning of the final level, when Eradan helps Farin climb a mountain despite his stubbornness. More of this would have been great, and especially fun to discuss with friends while playing. Beleram the Eagle was by far my favourite character because he was always there in time.
The game was also buggy, but rarely in an intrusive way. Most of them were really entertaining, as bodies would collapse during combat or fly every which way, particles floating around when our weapons disappeared in cutscenes, hair clipping through armour, as well as cutscenes having visual bugs like the other eagles being frozen in the corner of the screen, or two of the same character appearing at once. There were also some hilarious pacing issues when cutscenes would trigger; combat would be cut short and then the characters would just be standing around talking. The most intrusive bug occurred when we'd choose to return to the hub mid-level, and then try to go back to where we were, and we'd be separated, forcing a level restart. The game is not polished overall; I've had a few instances where I was locked into a combo by multiple enemies. You don't have any invincibility frames in the game, to my knowledge. It's awkward.
With all of this said...the game, at its core, is really fun. I think the gameplay loop is solid, and though its level design and variety pales in comparison to Dark Alliance, it provided enough engagement and strategy to keep things fresh throughout, despite repetition seeping in toward the end. It was great fun to experience with friends; just an man, elf and dwarf on a quest together. Sharing laughter and commentary on the game itself. It was just as much fun to pick on as it was to actually play. The environmental design was also GORGEOUS, a beautiful realization of Middle-Earth in the interactive medium for sure.
I completely understand why the game flopped upon release; going up against Dark Souls the same year and Skyrim the same WEEK wasn't going to be easy. It also isn't the most polished or interesting game from the outside looking in. Hell, even on the inside, it doesn't have a lot to call its own. But it was fun, and I'd recommend it if you have a couple of friends that love Lord of the Rings and want something goofy and fun to play. (Actually the game was delisted, you can't get it anymore on digital storefronts lmao)