The Lord of the Rings: Gollum — Debunking the Bad Reviews and Finding the Good

By now, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has become shorthand for “bad licensed game.”

Clips of awkward animations, harsh review scores, and viral ridicule did most of the talking before many players ever touched a controller. The verdict was fast, loud, and largely unanimous: this game is a failure.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most reviews didn’t actually review what the game was trying to be. They reviewed what it wasn’t.

And that distinction matters.

This isn’t an argument that Gollum is secretly great. It’s an argument that the criticism aimed at it was often lazy, misaligned, and sometimes flat-out unfair.

1. The Expectations That Sank the Game Before Launch

A huge portion of Gollum’s backlash had nothing to do with how it plays.

It came from expectations.

Players saw:

• A Lord of the Rings license

• A modern release window

• A full-priced game

And assumed they were getting:

• Combat-heavy gameplay

• Epic battles

• Power fantasy moments

That assumption was wrong and the game told you that from the start.

Gollum was never marketed as an action RPG. It was pitched as a stealth-focused, narrative-driven character study centered on one of Tolkien’s most broken figures.

But instead of judging it on those terms, many reviews punished it for not delivering something it never promised.

That’s not criticism. That’s misalignment.

2. “Bad Gameplay” vs. Intentional Design

One of the most common complaints is that Gollum “isn’t fun to play.”

Translation:

It doesn’t empower the player.

And that’s intentional.

You are not Aragorn.

You are not Legolas.

You are not meant to dominate encounters.

You are Gollum.

The stealth, avoidance-based mechanics reinforce vulnerability. You’re meant to feel hunted, weak, and constantly at risk. The clunky feeling many players complained about is a direct result of playing a character who is physically limited and mentally fractured.

Is it always elegant? No.

Is it sometimes frustrating? Absolutely.

But frustration isn’t automatically bad design, especially when it serves character authenticity.

Many reviews treated discomfort as a flaw rather than a thematic choice.

3. The Storytelling Everyone Ignored

Here’s where Gollum quietly succeeds.

The internal dialogue between Gollum and Sméagol isn’t just flavor; it’s the spine of the game. Choices you make aren’t about morality in a traditional sense; they’re about which part of Gollum’s psyche you allow to dominate.

That internal conflict:

• Fits Tolkien’s portrayal

• Adds narrative weight to decisions

• Grounds the game emotionally

This is one of the few games that genuinely explores psychological fragmentation as a mechanic rather than a cutscene concept.

Most reviews barely engaged with this system, treating it as a novelty instead of the core narrative device it actually is.

4. Visuals, Animation, and the Internet Dogpile

Yes, some animations are rough.

Yes, facial expressions can be awkward.

Yes, the game lacks AAA polish.

All of that is true.

What isn’t true is the idea that the game is visually bankrupt.

Environmental design is strong. Locations feel grounded in Middle-earth’s darker corners, not its heroic landmarks. The tone is grimy, narrow, and oppressive—exactly where Gollum belongs.

The problem is that internet discourse rewards extremes. Once the meme clips circulated, the conversation shifted from critique to mockery. At that point, no amount of nuance was going to survive.

The game didn’t just get reviewed; it got performed on.

5. Who The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Is Actually For

This is the part most reviews failed to include.

This game is not for:

• Players who want combat

• Fans looking for epic hero moments

• Anyone expecting open-world freedom

But it is for:

• Tolkien fans interested in character lore

• Players who enjoy narrative-first experiences

• Those open to slower, stealth-heavy gameplay

• Gamers willing to meet a game on its own terms

When you approach Gollum expecting power and spectacle, it disappoints.

When you approach it as a character study wrapped in stealth mechanics, it makes far more sense.

Final Thoughts: A Flawed Game That Was Judged Too Harshly

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is not a hidden masterpiece.

It has technical issues.

It has pacing problems.

It has moments that feel undercooked.

But it also has:

• A clear creative vision

• Strong thematic consistency

• Respect for its central character

• A story that fits Tolkien’s world better than many louder adaptations

The real failure wasn’t that the game tried something different.

It’s that the conversation never allowed it to be anything but a punchline.

You don’t have to like Gollum.

But dismissing it as worthless says more about how we consume games than how this one was made.

And that’s exactly why it deserves a second look.