For somebody like me who’s determined to get caught into any whimsical life sim, Tales of the Shire appears like an ideal match. On paper, it guarantees a comfortable life in Center-earth, crammed with farming, adorning, cooking, and fishing. However the demo displays a determined try and make a comfortable sport whereas the subgenre is so widespread somewhat than specializing in constructing a sport that welcomes new Lord of the Rings followers whereas letting long-time ones stay out the dream of dwelling as a hobbit. Consequently you are presently met with one thing that lacks an identification and is frankly simply disappointing.
To start out, quite a lot of it’s boring. There isn’t any higher approach to put it. And that is coming from somebody who has put hundreds of hours into loads of life and farming simulators which revolve round a quite simple job. Farming feels fairly pointless, other than getting elements to prepare dinner, and there is a lot you’ll be able to prepare dinner with out having to farm, which rapidly stripped my willingness to do it within the first place. Within the demo, you are restricted to solely having 5 planters as effectively, somewhat than with the ability to customise and streamline your individual farming area.
Alternatively, you’ve got the choice to exit and forage for elements, which I rapidly opted for as soon as I realised farming was giving me the identical satisfaction as stubbing my toe. Foraging is likely one of the most detailed and interesting elements of Tales of the Shire, which got here as an enormous shock on condition that it is hardly spoken about by any NPCs within the few hours I spent within the demo. Reasonably than issues like mushrooms being labelled with umbrella phrases like “pink toadstool” and even higher—simply mushroom—they’re modelled and named after real-life edible mushrooms. I discovered quite a lot of pleasure in choosing Puffballs and Chanterelles, or plucking Wild Beef off tree trunks and scurrying residence like an excited raccoon to retailer my findings within the pantry earlier than I needed to gingerly pluck them out to prepare dinner with.
In the case of cooking, just a little extra effort has been put in in comparison with farming. I imply, with the quantity hobbits eat and speak about meals, you’d anticipate the fervour to shine by within the exercise of getting ready meals. However, though it appears like cooking has extra substance, it is actually simply quite a lot of clicking and hoping for one of the best. You chop elements like greens to be both chunky or clean relying on what you are cooking, and have the choice to fry them to change the feel too. When you match the feel to what a small grid in the precise hand nook suggests, your meal will likely be higher high quality and enhance your friendship with whoever you invite over for dinner. It is a complete guessing sport, however it’s extra entertaining than watching taters develop in planters.
As for the story missions, quite a lot of the quests I used to be informed to finish concerned me going from one character to a different to ask them about one thing, after which being informed to go and discover another person to speak to. It felt like a endless chase for data with no actual reward, and I ended up simply being extra pissed off on the sport after I was prompted to maneuver onto the subsequent sufferer. However, I’ve to provide Tales of the Shire the good thing about the doubt right here because the demo solely provides the primary few hours of the sport, and I perceive that this was a simple approach to make me aware of the map and meet the opposite hobbits within the shire. However nonetheless, I am unable to assist feeling prefer it may’ve been executed in a extra entertaining manner than “go and ask them a few e-book”.
Plus, characters in Tales of the Shire are quite simple and don’t have any defining options to set them aside, which makes issues difficult if you’re attempting to familiarise your self with everybody, otherwise you’re requested to talk to somebody particular. It is like the identical character mannequin has been copy and pasted all through the complete map, and even the character you create has nothing particular to set it aside from the remaining. A stage of similarity is anticipated, given we’re all hobbits within the Shire, however the fashions really feel so disappointingly lifeless. One of many solely defining options of characters within the sport is the addition of thick black eyelashes that make everybody appear as if they’ve simply began listening to My Chemical Romance and visited the pharmacy for the most cost effective eyeliner. Even Gandalf has fallen sufferer to this trend pattern, and I frankly assume he’d be extra of a smokey eye fan.
The Shire itself has extra going for it fortunately. Although it mirrors the identical cutesy, chibi-esque fashion of the characters, areas like your house have a good bit of element. It does seem like the type of place I would need to stay in, with hobbit holes overflowing with flowers and vegetation, so it is enjoyable to discover to start out. The map manages to supply fairly a bit to see corresponding to a market, a tavern, and loads of different hobbit holes, with out feeling too overwhelming, and I appreciated {that a} path of birds leads you to your vacation spot somewhat than you having to aimlessly run or skip round hoping you find yourself in the precise place.
After spending 4 hours within the demo of Tales of the Shire, I am assured in saying that it presently appears like a careless, half-baked try and resolve the previous few years of Lord of the Rings video games. There’s an excessive lack of substance to mechanics, characters, and even dialogue. So somewhat than being a turning level, it appears like one other nail within the coffin. However now its launch date has been pushed again to 2025, I discover it arduous to consider I am the one particular person conscious of its faults. I desperately need to stay hopeful that it will likely be the subsequent sport I by chance pour a whole bunch of hours into, discovering a brand new life for myself in probably the most whimsical worlds conceivable. For that to occur, although, much more work goes to must be carried out between now and its launch subsequent 12 months.
