The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Reviews
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a broken mess of a game. There are barely any redeeming qualities to be found amidst what can only be described as a massive missed opportunity. There is some serious potential in a single-player linear Lord of the Rings experience like this, but with outrageously dated level design, clunky controls, a severe lack of polish, muddy and unimpressive graphics, and a dull story, Gollum completely misses the mark. As massive fans of the books, films, and games, it's sad to see that there is nothing precious about this experience.
A derivative, uninteresting and fundamentally broken stealth action adventure that fails to capture anything interesting about Tolkien's fiction
Daedalic's long-delayed Tolkienian adventure is just as unlikeable and tragic as its namesake protagonist.
A strong sense of character is let down by poor controls, fiddly implementation, and bugs.
Daedalic had an opportunity to prove the cynics wrong when so many people wondered what the hell the point of a Gollum game would even be. Instead, they handled this with such utter clumsiness they likely ensured a game like it will never happen again.
The story of Gollum actually has some interesting lore but bad encounter design, terribly executed stealth and platforming, and a host of bugs make the experience an exercise in frustration.
Although I do think the premise for the game was good, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a slog to get through. The boring missions, bland environments, flat gameplay, poor graphics and average story combine to make this, at best, a completely mediocre experience. But once you take the multiple issues into consideration and the fact that Daedalic wanted £60 for it, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum becomes like its namesake: a pitiful wretch corrupted by the allure of the One Ring.
I’m a positive person when it comes to games, happy to overlook minor issues when the overall result is worthy of both my and your time. Unfortunately, Gollum is not a game I could recommend to anyone, even if you were the world’s biggest Lord of the Rings fan.
This game was clearly a challenge too big for the developer and they should have been saved from this embarrasment. This game doesn't do the Lord of the Rings franchise, Daedalic or Nacon any favors and it would be best if they avoid games of this size and for a while. With its extremely poor character design, lackluster, boring gameplay and bug ridden mess, this is one title even the biggest LotR fan should avoid.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is inadequate in all respects. Something good can be glimpsed in the second act, but it is still a drop in a sea of mediocrity that isn't worth your time, and especially not worth the involvement of such an important license as The Lord of the Rings.
Review in Italian | Read full review
An ill-conceived parkour game with aged graphics and gameplay, but with an undeniable thread of lost potential underneath that makes me wish the development team had spent more time in the planning stage. PC version reviewed.
LOTR: Gollum is a prime example of the results of a game that relies only on IP's power without solid structure. In the devastated gameplay, only a few people would be intrigued about the story of the unlikable protagonist.
Review in Korean | Read full review
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an absolute mess. Gollum’s movements are very inconsistent. Almost every jump feels like a leap of faith! Though some of the world may be interesting to explore, it quickly becomes undesirable because of just how clunky these basic controls are! The Lord of the Rings: Gollum struggles to make an impact in Tolkien’s beloved universe and stands as an outsider when compared to the franchise’s other games. There might be some interesting ideas here, but it is not fun! Whilst parts of the narrative are interesting, it all falls apart very quickly.
With dated design, LotR: Gollum is a slow and tedious slog through Middle Earth that even the staunchest LotR fans will struggle to enjoy.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a messy and frustrating action platformer set in Middle-earth. ... Most of the gameplay involves platforming and stealth, though neither works very well. Gollum is full of technical problems that make an otherwise unpleasant experience even worse, and the game’s boring story makes it hard to recommend, even to the most hardcore Lord of the Rings fans.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a poorly designed, bug-ridden, untested game that's only redeeming quality doesn't matter in the whole picture.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is so broken on every level that just proves that having enough material and a rich universe to work with doesn't necessarily guarantee a good outcome if you don't know how to make a video game.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Do not buy this game and avoid the extra DLC at all costs.
Well-known brand, interesting main character, mix of different genres. What could possibly go wrong? Everything. You really don't have to waste your money on this today.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
I struggle to think of a positive experience over the thirteen-odd hours I spent playing this game. Gollum is uninspired and dated and The Lord of the Rings fans deserve better than this.