As a lifelong fan of Middle-earth, I’ve dreamt of many roles – from an enchanting elf to a valiant ranger, but now, as I approach the ripe age of almost-31, I find myself longing for the simple life of a hobbit. Tales of the Shire seemed like the perfect opportunity to live that dream, but after a two-hour preview, it left me with mixed feelings, much like a second breakfast that’s a bit too buttery.
For the first time I saw Lord of the Rings, I yearned deeply to become a graceful, slender, and nonchalantly stylish elf, and moreover, be wed to Orlando Bloom’s character Legolas, as many 8-year-old girls did. In my teenage years, I found peace with staying human if it meant falling for Aragon. However, at the brink of my thirties, I realized that the most remarkable creature one could aspire to be in Middle-earth is a hobbit. Thankfully, Tales of the Shire offers an opportunity to experience this.
The life simulation game “Tales of Shire” by Wētā Workshop centers around the adorable creatures from Tolkien’s universe, hobbits. Given the popularity of heartwarming games and the enduring fascination with the Lord of the Rings saga, I’ve long believed it was just a matter of time before a game dedicated to these jolly, insatiable beings would be created. After all, isn’t tending to their land, drinking, dancing, celebrating, and occasionally embarking on a world-saving quest what hobbits are all about? I had the opportunity to engage in most of these activities during my two-hour playthrough of a preview build of Tales of the Shire. Regrettably, however, the experience didn’t leave me as satisfied as a contented Gamgee snuggled in their hobbit-hole. Although Tales of the Shire is endearing and has solid foundations, Wētā Workshop will need to undertake a journey involving numerous quality-of-life enhancements and significant overhauls if they hope to make this game truly exceptional.
Your character departs from their hometown of Bree to establish a new life in one of The Shire‘s most charming villages, Bywater. Upon arrival, you soon find yourself on a quest to verify that Bywater truly exists, as a local grump suggests the village might be more appropriately named “Backwater” instead.
This narrative functions as a guide or introduction to the game, introducing players to various characters from the neighborhood and fundamental aspects like fishing, cooking, gardening, foraging, and cultivating relationships. Several of these elements resonated with me. The game’s fishing component, though not groundbreaking, offers an enjoyable, tension-filled mini-game that manages to steer clear of monotony or excessive difficulty. Contrary to my usual preferences, I discovered myself eagerly spending a considerable amount of time in the kitchen. Instead of simply pressing buttons to prepare food, you are motivated to chop and cook ingredients to produce a more flavorful dish.
This ties in with gardening and foraging, as high-quality ingredients, spices, and herbs help elevate the meal’s overall flavor. I adored mindlessly wandering through the woods, picking up hops, puffball mushrooms, and currants. Another system I really enjoyed in Tales of the Shire is Companion Crops, which gives certain crops bonuses if they are grown next to a crop it gets along with. Conversely, there are some crops that should be kept in different beds, lest their quality decline. After harvesting, collecting, and fishing up ingredients, it was easy to throw ’em all into my massive pantry that you can seamlessly pull from while cooking. In short, the more “free-form” elements of Tales of the Shire work together splendidly.
On the contrary, the “building relationships” aspect is a separate issue. Although hosting a dinner party for your neighbors, which could be delightful, was one method to enhance relationships – that was pretty much the only enjoyable part for me. The game’s storyline, in general, I found engaging, but many of the village inhabitants seemed repetitive and unoriginal to me. What made it even more frustrating was the recurring fetch quests, which dominated a significant portion of my time in the village. I frequently found myself running errands for a limited group of hobbits, with one particularly bothersome quest requiring me to go back and forth between the same two hobbits as many as four times.
Even though the overall atmosphere is delightful, reminding me of the familiar charm of The Shire, I couldn’t help but find myself repeatedly annoyed by the game’s peculiarities. Bywater seems meticulously designed to appear inhabited, which I appreciate, but it became increasingly frustrating when I attempted to mingle with my fellow residents and almost every hobbit I encountered turned out to be a non-playable character I couldn’t engage with. Despite being populated, it started to feel rather empty.
Instead of providing a mini-map, compass, or other navigation tools like a “breadcrumb trail,” Tales of the Shire opts for an immersive approach by having players follow blue birds that perch on fence posts and signs occasionally. Although this concept is adorable, it could become annoying when I moved faster than the birds would appear, or when I was navigating through densely populated areas like the town square or woods, losing sight of them. Given that Bywater is rich in nature with numerous small bridges, winding roads, and a limited number of NPCs scattered across the map, not being able to fully trust the birds for navigation was frustrating. Despite the game’s intention to keep players engaged without frequent map consultations and maintain the whimsical atmosphere, I found myself needing to do so more often. These issues are just a couple of my concerns with the game.
In my hobbit-hole, I got stuck between repetitive tasks, increasing irritation with specific aspects, and a lack of engaging characters or storylines. Unlike in Stardew Valley where solitude and personalizing your space can be rewarding, Tales of the Shire demands more interaction with neighbors. This is problematic as there’s not enough enjoyable activities to fill an entire day, even if you dedicate time to decorating your home.
In simpler terms, this game has tasks that may not keep non-interactive neighbors interesting and lacks events like birthdays or festivals on a calendar. This concerns me because without these breaks from the routine, I’m unsure if I’d continue playing. Essentially, even though I’m a big fan of life simulation games and this one has good elements such as nice music, appealing art style, and a well-known IP, it doesn’t grab my attention yet. However, since it was pushed back from 2024 to early 2025, there’s hope that the developers will have more time to refine the game and make it more appealing, like something even Gollum would desire.
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2024-09-22 21:39