“A disappointing mess that fails to live up to the legacy of its source material"
PC | PS5 | XBOX SERIES
HOW I PLAYED: I purchased Gollum on deep discount via CDkeys.com for Steam. I played on my i7-11700f, RTX 3080 gaming PC. I was able to play the game on max settings at 1440p.
STORY — 8/20
INTRO - 3
The intro is okay, I guess. It sets up some interesting ideas about
Gollum’s tragic story, but it’s all downhill from there. The game tries
to make you care about Smeagol’s internal struggle, but it’s so poorly
delivered that it’s hard to feel anything. Brutal.
CUTSCENES -1
The cutscenes suck. They’re janky, poorly animated, and feel like they
were slapped together at the last minute. Instead of pulling you into
the story, they just remind you how unfinished this game is.
WORLD BUILDING -2
The world-building is half-baked at best. You get a few glimpses of
Middle-earth, but it’s all so bland and repetitive. It’s like they
forgot to add the details that make the Lord of the Rings universe feel
alive. Unpolished trash.
OVERALL STORY -2
The overall story is a missed opportunity. It had the potential to
explore Gollum’s complex psyche and his tragic journey, but it ends up
feeling shallow and unfinished. The narrative lacks cohesion, and the
emotional beats don’t land as they should.
GRAPHICS — 4/15
CHARACTER MODELS -1
The character models are rough, to put it kindly. Gollum himself looks
passable, but other characters range from mediocre to downright ugly.
The lack of detail and polish is glaring, making it hard to take the
game seriously.
ENVIRONMENTS -2
The environments are a mixed bag. Some areas have a decent aesthetic,
resembling pre-visualization renders with core elements in place but
lacking final polish. Others look outright unfinished, with bland
textures and repetitive designs. It’s like playing a beta version of a
game.
SPECIAL FX -1
The special effects are minimal and unimpressive. Whether it’s
explosions, lighting, or environmental effects, they all feel dated and
poorly implemented. There’s no sense of wonder or immersion, which is a
huge letdown for a Lord of the Rings title. It really felt like the studio straight up ran out of money mid way through development!
AUDIO — 3/15
AMBIENCE -1
The ambience is almost nonexistent. Large portions of the game are
filled with dead air, making the world feel lifeless and empty. When
there is ambient sound, it’s generic and forgettable.
BOSS MUSIC -1
The boss music is uninspired and fails to elevate the tension or
excitement of these encounters. It’s a far cry from the epic, memorable
scores of the films.
SOUND DESIGN -1
The sound design is barebones. From Gollum’s muttering to environmental
sounds, everything feels like the bare minimum. It’s clear that little
effort was put into creating an immersive audio experience.
PERFORMANCE — 4/10
FRAME RATE -2
The frame rate is inconsistent, with frequent stutters and drops. Even
on higher-end systems, the game struggles to maintain a smooth
experience, which is frustrating and immersion-breaking.
STABILITY -2
The game is plagued by glitches and crashes. From random freezes to
clipping issues, it’s clear that the game was released in an unfinished
state. Despite a few minor updates, the major performance issues remain
unresolved.
GAMEPLAY — 11/40
CONTROLS -2
The controls are clunky and unresponsive. Maneuvering Gollum feels
awkward, and the lack of precision makes even simple tasks frustrating. There are alot of climbing and jumping missions that amplify this.
MECHANICS -1
The gameplay mechanics are repetitive and uninspired. The majority of
the game revolves around sneaking, which quickly becomes tedious. The
mechanics lack depth and fail to evolve as the game progresses.
PACING -1
The pacing is sluggish. The game drags on with repetitive tasks and
filler content, making it hard to stay engaged. The story beats are
poorly spaced, further exacerbating the issue.
UI/UE -2
The user interface is functional but uninspired. It gets the job done
but lacks the polish and intuitiveness you’d expect from a modern game.
BOSS QUALITY -2
The boss encounters are forgettable and lack creativity. They feel like afterthoughts rather than meaningful challenges. There is ONE kinda real boss fight with a giant spider, when compared to the rest of the game actually felt good but you then realize that its just the bare minimum compared to hot garbage...
ENEMY VARIETY -1
Enemy variety is severely lacking. You’ll face the same types of enemies
over and over, making encounters feel repetitive and dull. Again... a sign that the studio just ran out of money...
GAMEPLAY VARIETY -1
The gameplay is monotonous. Whether you’re sneaking, collecting items,
or performing chores, it all feels like busywork rather than engaging
gameplay.
REPLAYABILITY -1
I will NEVER play Gollum ever again...
BONUS — 0/4
No bonus points here. There aren't even any accessibility options... 🤷🏼
OVERALL — 30/100
TERRIBLE
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a disappointing mess that fails to live up to the legacy of its
source material. While it hints at interesting ideas, the execution is
so poor that it’s hard to find any redeeming qualities. From its lacklustre story and terrible graphics to its clunky gameplay and
technical issues, this game feels like it was rushed out the door in an
unfinished state. A huge bummer for fans of the franchise. Even playing this game as a meme I instantly regretted my DEEP discounted purchase of this awful game.
PROS
✅ It's a game?
✅ Some of the environments showed potential
CONS
❌ Terrible unfinished graphics
❌ The entire game lacks polish
❌ NPC's look awful
❌Gameplay sucks
TLDR: 30/100 (TERRIBLE) The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is unpolished trash with janky
controls, terrible graphics, and repetitive, boring gameplay. The story
had potential but is ruined by poor execution, and the game feels rushed
and unfinished. From ugly character models and dead air audio to
constant glitches and monotonous sneaking missions, it’s a brutal
disappointment for fans of the franchise. Don’t waste your time—this
game is a dumpster fire.
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