Summary
Private Division and Weta Workshop’sTales of the Shireis far from the first farm life sim to breach the surface of the gaming industry, with massively popular titles such asAnimal CrossingandStardew Valleycurrently dominating the cozy sphere. One would think thatTales of the Shire’s addition to the catalog might be a bit overkill at this point in the game, especially with even more similar titles likeConcernedApe’sHaunted Chocolatiercurrently in development. However, despite seemingly including almost everything that makes a cozy farm life sim what it is,Tales of the Shirestill has something that others in the genre lack, giving it a major advantage over its competition and arguably allowing it to set a precedent for the future.
Tales of the Shireoffers plenty of features common to cozy farm life sims — like cooking, farming, foraging, fishing, and home decoration — which seems to make it anything but an original idea. Nevertheless, it is original in one unique way: it is based onThe Lord of the Rings, an existing IP that previously had no connection whatsoever to the life sim genre of gaming. At the end of the day, this might be its secret weapon and help it rise above the overwhelming sea of games like it, all while inspiring other developers to experiment with existing IPs similarly.
Tales of the Shire’s Approach to Adaptation Could Set a Precedent
Tales of the Shire Is an Unexpected Lord of the Rings Adaptation
Adaptations of any kind are a tough nut to crack, as they are often simultaneously criticized for not being faithful enough to their source material and not being original enough to warrant being made in the first place. This is especially true offilm or book adaptations, as they have consistently proven just how difficult it is to perfect the formula. J. R. R. Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Ringsis one IP that is not lacking in adaptations, and nowTales of the Shirejoins that extensive library with yet another take on its fantastical world. That being said, it’s quite unlike any adaptation before it and comes with a major advantage over others as a result.
MostLord of the Ringsgames fall under the action-adventure genre, and rightly so considering the franchise’s premise.Tales of the Shire, on the other hand, is a farm life sim in which players live out their life as a Hobbit inthe village of Bywater. It is far from what anyone expected out of aLord of the Ringsgame, and a daring move by Private Division and Weta Workshop, but it could potentially help ensure its success. Even if it doesn’t earn the praise it undoubtedly aims to garner,Tales of the Shirecould still set a precedent for the gaming industry.
Future Games Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Experiment in Similar Ways to Tales of the Shire
Ultimately, whatTales of the Shireaccomplishes for the gaming industry is it paves the way for developers to be a bit more experimental and innovative with their games, as opposed to simply conforming to the standard of what’s expected. For example, most people likely expect aStar Warsgameto be an action-adventure title, but a space colonization game based in theStar Warsuniverse would break the mold and provideStar Warsgamers with a different form of gameplay than they’re used to.
WhetherTales of the Shireis as successful as its developer hopes it will be, at the very least, it will serve as an example of what is possible by encouraging other developers to explore outside their comfort zones for new ideas. Earlyhands-on previews ofTales of the Shirehave shown it to include several features uncommon to the cozy genre, so it may even be a trailblazer in more than one way.
