Computer platforms (PS5, Xbox Series X|S to come)
Regarding video game adaptations, fans of The Lord of the Rings might be feeling quite battered; after all, just five months ago, the abominable Gollum left players with a bad taste in their mouths worse than Smeagol’s rotting fish. Was Return to Moria going to be another underwhelming release that relied solely on the appeal of Tolkien’s cherished fantasy universe, given that the film appeared to be under a sort of media blackout prior to its release?
Thankfully, no. In terms of storytelling, Moria even accomplishes some pretty interesting things. It follows the Dwarves’ efforts to retake Khazad-dûm, their ancestral home, following the War of the Ring. This is one of the few spin-offs that explore Middle-earth after Frodo destroys his cursed jewelry. But even though Gimli, played by John Rhys-Davies in his legendary role from the Peter Jackson movie, leads the Dwarven efforts here, you’ll play a bespoke character who becomes stuck beneath after an explosive attempt to overcome a hard magic gate goes awry.
One of Return to Moria’s greatest features is the character generator, which offers a remarkable range of customization possibilities. With limitless combinations of skin tones, hair colors and styles, facial designs, and tattoos, your heroic digger may be customized to perfection. An even more magnificent assortment of beards to adorn chins (beardless is an option, sacrilegiously) completes the picture.
Regretfully, everything happens after Moria starts collapsing since, on a mechanical level, this is just Minecraft with a Tolkien overlay. It’s not like Microsoft’s all-encompassing sandbox has a monopoly on mining or crafting, per se, but _Moria_ hits so many distinct beats that it’s hard to avoid making comparisons, especially to the survival mode in Minecraft.
Regretfully, the combat in Return to Moria is quite simplistic, including flinging weapons against largely thoughtless enemies.
At first, your dwarf will be in almost complete darkness and will need to gather materials to make a torch. Once you’ve dug deeper into the mines using a pickaxe made from metal shards and shattered wood, you can build your first camp, where you can forge and construct ever-more intricate objects. Similar to Minecraft, Moria regularly releases new crafting recipes that require you to go a little further or find a slightly rarer resource in order to make slightly better gear. Everything is kept just out of reach in order to keep you motivated to reach the next milestone.
Basic goods can be made quickly, but anything more complex would need the construction of facilities like refineries, forges, and culinary stations where you may prepare meals that are higher in nutrition and can sustain your energy levels longer. Unfortunately, though, as you progress deeper into the mines, you must craft these facilities at each base camp you establish. This means that either you must spend a lot of time back and forth hauling rare materials to the exact device you need to turn them into something actually useful, or you must grind repeatedly to build multiple instances.
Although Steve in Minecraft must constantly fend off zombie attacks in order to survive, there are many more monsters that wait in the shadows of the underworld to make this back and forth even riskier. The mines of Moria are still infested with orcs, wargs, poison-spitting spiders, and other creatures that are akin to the high fantasy version of those World War II soldiers who are shipwrecked on islands for decades without realizing the conflict is over, even though Sauron has been vanquished by this point. Regretfully, the combat in Return to Moria is quite simplistic, including flinging weapons against largely thoughtless enemies. They pose minimal harm, other than the possibility of being ambushed or taken by surprise; all they do is obstruct your exploration.
One significant distinction between Moria and Minecraft is its extreme structure, which may or may not be a good thing. No matter how sophisticated a tool you create, you won’t be able to break through the ancient walls and corridors of Khazad-dûm and establish clear, easy connections between locations. In contrast, game worlds are procedurally generated, meaning that every player’s experience varies slightly between major areas. For better or worse, it is consistent with the idea that Moria is incredibly intricate, much like Tolkien envisioned.
Return To Moria is ultimately spared complete disgrace thanks to that feeling of loyalty to the original work. The previously mentioned Tolkien paint job is largely done effectively, from the artistic and architectural details to the frequent dollop of lore to be found along the way. This feels like an honest dive into Middle-earth on practically every level, yet that same adherence means that it will only truly resonate with die-hard Tolkien fans.