Frodo Mojo

By Carlson

Artistic vision is such a broad and varied thing. What I see in my mind’s eye when I read The Lord of the Rings is bound to be different than what anyone else sees. This difference is one of the most difficult points of contention when it comes to games and movies that are based on books. Anyone who has read the book has their own vision of what the world and its creatures should look like. The gamble that a developer or filmmaker takes is that their vision will be appealing to the thousands of other people who have their own. So, with the release of the The Fellowship of the Ring in both film and in game form, there are now two new visions of that world created by J. R. R. Tolkien, each with its own interpretation and limitations.

On the road to adventure.

This is what I was thinking when I first took a look atThe Lord of the Rings™: The Fellowship of the Ring from Black Label Games. I had already seen the film version of the same story, and while I enjoyed it quite a bit, I recall noticing that there were a good number of things left out of the movie. Of course, there isn’t any way that the movie could include everything from the books, at least not without making it a five-hour long extravaganza. So, the question was, which route will the game take? Will it follow the book religiously, with only minor adjustments to the story and plot laid out by the original author? Or will it take the path of a more flexible artistic interpretation? While I respect anyone that has a compelling vision of their own, I tend to lean towards sticking to the original. And, holding true to the original story, is one thing that this game appears to do rather well. There are, of course, plenty of little additional details that are there purely for the game aspect of things, but the original story is still present underneath it all. My encounter with Tom Bombadil (who was unfortunately missing from the movie version) was enough to make me realize that.

Outside of the story itself, on the game side of things, one must realize that this game is geared more towards an adventure than an action title. The game boasts extensive puzzles and exploration. There is certainly combat involved, but a good portion of my playtime was spent trying to solve smaller sub quests and tasks, like helping a friend get the ingredients to make a pie or fixing the Mill. Once you realize that and stop approaching it like a combat game or shooter, then it really is quite enjoyable. The artistic style and gameplay are more along the lines of the cute and comic, rather than the dark and foreboding feel that one might expect from the books and movies.

Ah, sweet memories of the shire.

I found the user interface to be pretty manageable, though switching through the inventory, in the middle of a battle (“Where did I put that healing item?”) could make my life a little bit hectic. The pace of gameplay is rather moderate and easily managed. I didn’t often feel rushed to finish a task or get somewhere. As odd as it may seem, running like mad wasn’t the first thing I thought of when I encountered the Ring Wraiths (the dark riders). I was inclined more towards a slow and stealthy approach. The movement and camera controls are similar to games likeAzurik, so if you are comfortable with that, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting used to the layout in The Fellowship of the Ring.

All things considered, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found in this rendition of the classic work of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is actually rather well thought out and treats the original story with the sort of reverence and respect that those of us with a passion for such things appreciate. While heart-pounding excitement may not be the name of the game, it is an excellent attempt at telling a long and powerful story. My hat goes off to the developers.

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