Real Women of Gaming

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria: An Epic Journey Back into Middle Earth

By: Kat Marsden (MartianKat)

What is it?: A survival-crafting, mining, beer-drinking, singing, orc-stomping good time!

When was it released?: October 24, 2023 (PC/Epic Games exclusive), December 5, 2023 (PS5), Coming Soon to Xbox Series X|S

How much does it cost?: $40

Who is the Developer?: Free Range Games

Who is the Publisher?: North Beach Games

What was it reviewed on?: PC- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB, AMD Ryzen 7 5800x 8-Core 3.8 GHz processor.

I was immediately interested when I saw the announcement trailer for Return to Moria. Even more so when I heard that the developers had gotten John Rhys-Davies, the actor who portrayed Gimli in the Peter Jackson trilogy of films, on board to reprise his role. I was wary, even as a fan of The Lord of the Rings films, as some of the more recently released games based in Middle Earth had not been well received, so I hesitated to purchase this title. 

Disappointing is the last thing I would call this game. In terms of gameplay, it doesn’t reinvent the survival genre. However, it does have some unique mechanics, such as regulating the amount of noise and light made to avoid summoning a horde to your location. With its lively songs written or inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien, and dwarven rituals, the buff system gives the world a more grounded feel, making it even more immersive. 

The game’s plot finds Gimli calling the dwarves back to Moria to reclaim it from the orcs and other creatures within its gem and resource-rich halls. We also get the opportunity to dig deeper into the lore of the dwarves and follow the path of The Fellowship from the novels. While the game can be played solo, the later battles and missions can become slightly too difficult to continue alone. Put together your company of up to 8 players with a direct connection. 

Some things on my wishlist for future improvements would be: 

• A visual representation of Durin’s Axe so the player knows exactly how many pieces they may have of the legendary item.
• Grander visuals for using the great forges. Basic forges have some animation. The Great Forge should have all of the fire and bluster of when it first roars to life. 
• A better organization of the lore. There are markers the player comes across that cannot be translated without digging deeply into the pages you’ve collected, and even then, it is slightly unclear as to what the message truly was. 

The story, stunning visuals, and cinema-quality soundtrack make for very satisfying gameplay. At this review, I have about 80+ hours invested in the game and have caught glimpses of the final boss. I still have a way to go before reclaiming Moria for my dwarf brethren, but I’m excited to continue the journey.