That’s not inherently a bad thing - it’s arguably better suited to the somewhat puzzle-adventure vibe Gollum is seemingly going for - but the visual design of the paths shown in the demonstration was, simply put, ugly.Īmong the gloomy rock faces of the Mordor mountains were perfect, highly-visible lines for Gollum to shimmy along.

Rather than the ‘climb anything’ design of games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and recent Assassin’s Creeds, Gollum uses predetermined paths through the environment. Thankfully Gollum doesn’t always need to get close to enemies, as sometimes he can simply clamber past them. This adds a substantial amount of risk to takedowns, but it does raise concerns about how prevalent instant-fail stealth will be across the entire game. Daedalic explains that there is some leeway to escape enemies should they spot you, but being very close to alerted foes will result in them capturing you. But strangling unaware enemies drains your stamina meter, and if you don’t have enough endurance to finish the job then it’s game over. While Gollum can’t fight, he can murder via the time-honored tradition of stealth takedowns. This was clearly a scripted tutorial event, but hopefully later levels allow inventive and freeform use of distractions and traps. The example from the presentation showed Gollum throwing a rock at a lamp to distract an orc, causing them to fall into a pit and be eaten by resident giant arachnid, Shelob. Enemies that block your path must be dispatched with sneakier methods. But that same path may also have walls covered in handholds that allow you to scale over and around those same enemies.Īs Gollum is completely outmatched in strength by even the lowliest orc, combat is entirely out of the question. A pathway patrolled by enemies, for instance, may have a sneaking route for you to follow among the shadows, allowing you to wait unseen for orcs to pass before moving into the next concealing patch of shrubbery. While frequent use of both are required, there are sequences in which you can opt for your preferred approach.

Gollum is a linear game made up of what Daedalic says are mostly confined environments, explored through a combination of stealth and climbing. This scenario forms the framework of a stealth game in which you must avoid fights at all costs, lest you find yourself captured by the dark lord’s servants. Taking place just a few years before The Fellowship of the Ring, the story sees Gollum desperately searching for his precious ring while attempting to stay out of Sauron’s clutches.

The lord of the rings and gollum