Wait until you look into his cute big eyes,” exclaims Tilman Schanen, lead narrative designer on The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum. We’ve dared to ask whether a vicious, spiteful character like Gollum can ever be likable.
“Gollum can be vicious, and as players we will not agree with everything he does,” continues Schanen. “But there is also good in him, and now it is up to the player to push him more towards his old, innocent Hobbit-origin or be all-out nasty Gollum, if they want to.”
The setting and story of Daedalic’s game, with its early levels playing out in the oppressive caves and castle keeps of Mordor, has been chosen for a reason: we see Gollum surviving alongside characters vastly more evil and deranged than our ring-obsessed ex-Hobbit.
Schanen explains: “We all love to root for outsiders and underdogs, and Gollum is both an outsider and an underdog wherever he goes. We will constantly find ourselves in trouble seemingly too big to handle for the little guy, and our game designers do an excellent job of making you feel just that.”
LOOK WHO’S TOLKIEN
This story is from the February 2021 edition of Official PlayStation Magazine - UK Edition.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2021 edition of Official PlayStation Magazine - UK Edition.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster
The first-ever Star Wars FPS gets the remaster treatment
Stilt
A hopportunity for some silly fun
Penny's Big Breakaway
Spin it to win it
Bound by fate
Ys X: Nordics to get an English-language release this autumn
Morbid: The Lords Of Ire
Slash-happy soulslike loves slicing red bits out of bodies
WWE 2K24
Rock solid, yet wrestling itself into an annual headache
Host with the ghost
Surviving inside Celeste's hotel is tricky enough; try escaping with an enraged spectral manager in pursuit
Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Remake
The remake proves this burning's still a fraternal flame
Alone In The Dark
Needs more bright ideas
A Little To The Left
Ah, the cat's got into this puzzler