The agriculture and life sim literary genre is extraordinarily crowded as many developer endeavor to chase the success ofStardew ValleyandAnimal Crossing : New Horizons . Some are more successful than others . For example , August’sFields of Mistriaimpressed in early access by perplex to the genre ’s core conceit and creating a townsfolk full of villagers that you desire to get to know better . Now , Weta Workshop is seek to capitalise on this course with a video biz based onThe Lord of the Rings .
InTales of the shire horse : A The Lord of the Rings Game , histrion hold a Hobbit who Gandalf brings to the Hobbiton townspeople of Bywater . From there , it ’s up to instrumentalist to familiarize themselves with and prepare for the townsfolks , farm and forage for nutrient , and raise the standing of the Greenwich Village . After act its opening two hours , I ’m find some creative ideas inTales of the Shire , but a lot of workplace will necessitate to be done if it ’s going to rise to the top of a crowded genre .
A mixed stew
If you ’ve played a lifespan sim game before , the basics ofTales of the Shirewon’t be that shocking . I found its curtain raising hours to be more similar to a game likeFae Farmrather thanStardew ValleyorFields of Mistria . Most of the fourth dimension is spend on meeting the villagers of Bywater rather than getting into the farming routine . While players have control over customizing how they produce , Tales of the Shireseems more interested in having players search Bywater and cook for its occupant .
pilot Bywater immediately felt intuitive , and I loved unique navigational tactual sensation like bluebirds manoeuvre the role player to main objectives or butterflies guide players toward plants to scrounge . This early frame ’s bod rate was inconsistent across carrying out and quality - focalise style , although I enjoyed how vibrant the man was . Tales of the Shirewill be a full - on cozy game , a far vociferation from the illusion action of most The Lord of the Rings biz .
Cooking also boast more astuteness here than is distinctive in the literary genre , as I needed to pay much more attention to what intellectual nourishment I made , how I cooked it , and who I service it to . The sweet berth for each dish is in a different place between politic , chunky , crisp , and tender , and I had to cook it accordingly . Sometimes , I needed to only chop up up food a little scrap , rather than button - mash as soon as the cooking minigame command prompt pop up . I appreciate thatTales of the Shiremakes cooking and serving food a more involved unconscious process . Most life sims relegate these system to bore fare , but they ’re the crux ofTales of the Shire .
WhenTales of the Shireis experimenting with new ideas like that , it ’s at its best . It ’s great that the secret plan has those originative ideas , as it ’s lacklustre in other piazza so far . Most of its mission to this point have been fetch quests , and Bywater ’s inhabitants are n’t yet interesting enough to make up for that . Lesser life sims run to forget that the practical the great unwashed live in your township need to be memorable characters that are compelling enough to get players to stick around , andTales of the Shirewalks into that trap in its opening time of day .
Yes , this plot has the benefit of being lay out in a get it on universe , but characters like Gandalf and Frodo are n’t survive in your town ( at least in the other game ) . It ’s basically an original fantasy life sim like many of its competitors , with human race trade out for hobbits . I do n’t expect I ’ll lovingly remember these townspeople in the same way I do the villagers fromStardew Valley , Animal Crossing : New Horizons , or evenFields of Mistria .
Although cookery has a lot of depth , gameplay organisation like farming and fishing seem canonic by comparability . Once I ’ve fully explored every nook and cranny of Bywater , I ’m not sure howTales of the Shirewill keep me returning , especially if it continue to rely on fetch quest - based deputation design . story of the Shire’scamera also can be finical , which is frustrating considering how small and cramped building build by hobbits are .
If the approximation of a The Lord of the Rings cozy life sim plot excites you , you ’ll plausibly likeTales from the Shire . It ’s first two time of day do n’t put it ’s best , furred fundament frontwards though , with only a few clever design choices keeping me intrigued . I hope it improves between now and its release next class , as the secret plan ’s operation and the camera problem are certainly fixable . touch on the fundamentals in time might be a severe task , though .
Tales of the shire horse : A The Lord of the Rings Gamelaunches for PC , PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X / S , Nintendo Switch , and iOS and Android via Netflix on March 25 , 2025 .
