Tales of the Shirewill finally be giving Middle-earth fans the ability to simulate the cozy, comfy lives of one of Tolkien’s most endearing creations: the Hobbits. The game promises to bethe ultimate Hobbit simulator, finally letting fans step into the hairy feet of Middle-earth’s halflings. Anyone familiar with the series will already know exactly what that entails – verdant rolling pastures, lots of parties, and five meals a day at the bare minimum.
Aside from their diminutive size and love of good food, hobbits are perhaps most well-known for their affection for their homes and the creature comforts therein. Antique decor, generations-old family heirlooms, intricate doilies, and cozy furniture are more than common in hobbit holes; they’re practically mandatory. One of the most exciting features ofTales of the Shirewill see players customizing and building out their very own hobbit holes, but developers at Weta Workshop need to be careful that this anticipated feature doesn’t become an undue burden.
Weta Workshop Needs to Find a Balance With Hobbit Holes
Building out and decorating a custom hobbit hole should be a fun, relaxing experience for players, like something out of a fantasy version ofThe Sims. But despite how lovely they may seem on the surface, there’s no getting around what a hobbit hole actually is and that’s a hole in the ground. Now,hobbit holes may be some of the coziest homes in all fiction, but they’re still holes in the ground nonetheless. Their awkward nature presents an interesting challenge forTales of the Shire.
Hobbit holes are inevitably going to be excellent for player expression and customization, but Weta needs to make sure that the inherent nature of the structures doesn’t negatively impact visuals and/or player freedom. The team needs to strike a fair balance between letting the fully decked out homes be as warm and welcoming as possible and ensuring that their uneven, underground nature doesn’t get lost in translation.
Weta Should Take a Cue from The LotR Films When Designing Its Hobbit Holes
It’s impossible to talk about the visuals of Middle-earth without touching on theinfluence of the Peter JacksonLord of the Ringsfilms. Despite some deviations from Tolkien’s books, those films (including the oft-maligned trilogy based onThe Hobbit) have been indelibly implanted in the public consciousness. While the trailers seem to indicate thatTales of the Shireis setting itself aside from the films and pursuing its own visual style, it may do well to take some design cues from the films’ iconic portrayal of Bag End, the home of Bilbo Baggins and later his nephew Frodo.
Jackson’s vision of Bag Endis a cramped space with an incredibly unorthodox floor plan that never lets viewers forget that it’s a hole in the side of a hill. But its decor and interior design is what makes it feel like a home someone could actually live and relax in. The balance those films find in creating a realistic, believable space is something the game should strive to equal, if not surpass outright.
Weta should lean into the unevenness inherent in hobbit architecture by allowing players to fully decorate their virtual homes to the fullest extent they can. While this will inevitably play up the claustrophobia element within a hobbit hole, players will also be filling the space with comforting, picturesque decor to enjoy while theysit down to eat their hobbit’s second breakfast.
And even after all is said and done,multiple floor plan options for player hobbit holesseem very likely. That way, players can really make their virtual home live up to their ideal standards, regardless of whether they prefer something closer to the warm but enclosed spaces of the Jackson films, or a layout that leans more into the idea of one big, open room inside a hollowed out hill. Either way, customizing a unique hobbit-hole is going to be one of the main highlights whenTales of the Shirecomes out later this year.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic names in entertainment. The franchise started with novels from J. R. R. Tolkien before being adapted onto the big screen by Peter Jackson in one of the most critically-acclaimed film trilogies of all time. There have also been numerous The Lord of the Rings video games of varying quality.
