Summary
Tales of the Shiremay be one more game for cozy life sim fans to add to their already overflowing collection once it releases, but its well-established foundations are what make it unique when compared to all the rest.Tales of the Shireis, as its subtitle clearly states, aLord of the Ringsgame. This automatically makes it much different from any cozy game that has ever been on the market, providing it with a competitive edge against the vast sea of games with comparable gameplay. Whether it succeeds,Tales of the Shireis undoubtedly a trailblazer in the gaming industry as well as the franchise it is adapted from.
As the first of its kind,Tales of the Shirepaves the way for developers to experiment with other unconventional ideas involving theLord of the Ringsfranchise, as the vast majority of games from the IP are action-adventure titles. Furthermore, sinceTales of the Shirecenters around Hobbits, the door is also opened for moreLord of the Ringsgames to feature the other races of Middle-earth in a context that defies expectations and departs from the norm. No one expected acozy life sim featuring the Hobbits of the Shire, and that may very well be what leads to its success. In the same way, other races in Middle-earth could benefit from an unanticipated genre twist and a spotlight in the playableLord of the Ringsuniverse.
The Lord of the Rings Needs More Games Like Tales of the Shire
Middle-earth’s Dwarves Need Another Shot at Survival-crafting
Middle-earth’s Dwarvesare some of its most intriguing characters and therefore deserve their own game. Free Range Games and North Beach Games’The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moriawas released last year as a survival-crafting game featuring Dwarves, but it has largely failed to live up to expectations due to poor mechanics and the excellence of its competition in the genre. Arguably, survival-crafting is the right genre for a game featuring Dwarves, but with so many other polished survival-crafting games on the market, aLord of the Ringscompetitor needs to be almost perfect to garner a significant following.
Middle-earth’s Elves Would Be Perfect for a City Builder
Elves are another race in Middle-earththat is the perfect candidate for a city-building game. This is largely due to Elves' beautiful infrastructure and brilliant craftsmanship, which would be put on grand display in a city-buildingLord of the Ringsgame. It wouldn’t be the firstLord of the Ringscity builder, but it would be far from what players have experienced before if it centered solely around Elves and was developed with modern technology.
Tower Defense and Real-time Strategy Would Fit Middle-earth’s Orcs and Uruk-hai
While it might be a darkerLord of the Ringsexperience, a game featuringMiddle-earth’s Orcsand Uruk-hai would stand out as a real-time strategy game. Perhaps a game such as this would be set in an alternate version of Middle-earth where players work for the dark lord Sauron himself to raise an army of Orcs and Uruk-hai to invade and conquer the surrounding lands. When they aren’t on the march, players could work hard toward building Mordor to be the world’s most impenetrable fortress. Orcs and Uruk-hai would also work well in a tower defense game that might prevent the heroes of Middle-earth from breaching the gates of Mordor and destroying the Ring of Power.
Dwarves, Elves, and Orcs aren’t the only races inThe Lord of the Rings' Middle-earth, but theTales of the Shiretreatment would fit each of them really well while simultaneously giving players a wider variety ofLord of the Ringsgames to play outside the action-adventure genre. It remains to be seen whether more games likeTales of the Shirewill be developed, but surely it has at least opened the door.
