idk why everyone is so upset about tales of the shire 🤷🏻♀️ weta workshop set out to make a slice-of-life hobbit video game and that’s exactly what they did. anyone that knows anything abt hobbits knows that hobbits typically don’t go on grand adventures, so there is no reason for your hobbit character to throw hands with an orc or ride in barrels down rivers*.
*bilbo baggins is an outlier and thus should not be counted
almost every review i’ve seen calls it things ranging from a flop to a tragedy comparable to the gollum game. i honestly think the negativity is bc people are going into it expecting to play like bilbo, or sam and frodo, or merry and pippin & go on a wild life-or-death adventure with world-altering consequences. but that’s just not how the average hobbit lives; they plant their crops and invite their neighbors to tea and are never late for dinner.
plus, all the pleasant (and occasionally sad) callbacks to other bits of the tolkienverse were great to see. it conveys a strong love and respect for the universe on the part of the developers, which is a necessity for such an immersive game
are there some things weta can add or change in the future? of course there are (for one, i would love to see seasonal festivals/events), but it’s been less than a month since it released, give them time. i’m gonna just sit here and water my crops and worry about what to make for elevenses
(ps this is my hobbit, asphodel headstrong)