The long-awaited PC game The Lord of the Rings: Gollum came out a few days ago and has been bombarded with negative reviews and angry gamers.
Upon its release, Gollum has become the worst-reviewed AAA game of 2023. One of the main complaints is the underwhelming visuals and bad graphics, along with game-breaking performance issues. The movement is also slow and clunky, making the platforming elements very difficult and frustrating — especially with how deadly fall damage is in this game.
Stealth is another big aspect of the gameplay that doesn’t seem to work as intended. The levels don’t provide a lot of areas to hide from AI enemies, leading to abrupt “game over” screens that seem unavoidable.
On top of the game’s clunkiness and bad design, reviewers are also just finding the game boring. While playing the game for the first time, YouTuber Charles “MoistCr1TiKaL” White said he was having trouble not falling asleep. He noted that the game felt like completing pointless tasks over and over, dubbing Gollum the “worst game of the year so far.”
In addition to disliking the game itself, reviewers also ranted about the paid DLC released along with the game when it launched. Not only were fans angry with the concept of paid DLC and taking advantage of gamers, but the DLC itself was laughable, including things like Gollum emotes.
Developers respond to The Lord of the Rings: Gollum backlash
German game developer Daedalic Entertainment GmbH responded to the backlash with a statement on Twitter with a “sincere apology” for the “underwhelming experience” upon Gollum’s release.
“We acknowledge and deeply regret that the game did not meet the expectations we set for ourselves or for our dedicated community. Please accept our sincere apologies for any disappointment this may have caused,” the developers wrote.
The apology goes on to discuss that creating a story in Middle-Earth was both a challenge and an honor. But the game was ultimately not satisfying players enough. The team stated that they would be addressing bugs and technical issues and are dedicated to “providing you with patches” to improve the game.
“We will continue to keep you updated on our progress and provide transparent communication regarding the upcoming patches and improvements. Your passion and dedication as players have been the driving force behind our determination to make things right,” the team concluded.
The gaming community largely responded negatively to the apology, continuing to complain about the DLC packs and demanding nobody give money to the game. Some even told the developers to “cut their losses” and move on to the next project, saying Gollum was already too far gone to bother with. A few Lord of the Rings fans, however, are holding out hope that the game will be fixed.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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