You wouldn’t know it from today’s biggest films or video games or TV shows depicting this universe, but J.R.R. Tolkien wasn’t all that into the battles or violence. He spent more time describing meals in The Hobbit and the goings on of Tom Bombadil and the Old Forest in Lord of the Rings than he did for the biggest clashes (Helms Deep, the 22-minute climax of The Two Towers was but 26 pages long). And yet it’s the focus of Shadow of Mordor, Battle of Middle Earth, and all of Peter Jackson’s films.
Video games have certainly always had a penchant for violence, but the Lord of the Rings, in particular, is a vibrant universe fit to burst with creatures, culture, and coziness. Who wouldn’t want to see how the elves live in Mirkwood, help dwarves craft magnificent structures in Moria, or live the quiet life as a hobbit in The Shire? A prime opportunity was lost in the heyday of the series, as adaptations sought to follow trends and double down on gritty ultra-violence, when many players just wanted to simply exist in Middle-earth. And it’s baffling that those aspects of Lord of the Rings have largely stayed unexplored until now, with the hobbit-sized game Tales of the Shire.
