There has been plenty of excitement surrounding the upcomingLord of the RingsTV show that’s currently being produced by Amazon. Despite very little concrete information being known about it,each new detail revealed surrounding theLord of the Ringsshow’s productionhas fans speculating about what parts of Middle Earth the show will cover.Diehard Tolkien fans are always looking for more lore surrounding the fictional world which is why anotherLord of the Rings: Conquestgame might go over really well alongside the release of the Amazon show.
The Lord of the Rings: Conquestis, unfortunately, not a very fondly rememberedLord of the Ringsvideo game. It was aLord of the Ringstake on theStar Wars: Battlefrontformula that Pandemic Studios had worked on previously, however, it just wasn’t very balanced and didn’t provide the same level of wonder and excitement that was present in theLord of the Ringsfilms. That said, if a studio were to get the rights to make a follow-up game, it could make some changes that would, hopefully, improve the experience and be among titles likeMiddle Earth: Shadow of Mordoras video games that live up to theLord of the Ringsname.
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Lord of the Rings Conquest Living Up to its Premise
Many studios have been able to properly capture the magic oftheStar Warsseries in video gamesas much of its aesthetic revolves around iconic imagery and sound design. When Pandemic Studios madeStar Wars: Battlefront, it really nailed those aspects making the games feel very much in line withStar Warsas a whole, despite being limited by the technology of the time.The Lord of the Ringsis similar in that way: iconic imagery and sound design are huge for the established aesthetic, but Pandemic wasn’t really able to capture the magic of the franchise inConquest.
Now that AAA studios are able to make games that run at high resolutions and include extremely detailed textures,Lord of the Rings: Conquestmight be able to more properly capture the series' aesthetic. Withmotion capture being as realistic as it isand games being as beautiful as they are, it seems likeThe Lord of the Rings: Conquestcould actually realistically portray the many lush, beautiful environments that each battle takes place in. Environments like the ominously lit halls of Minas Morgul to the stark white marble of Minas Tirith weren’t done justice due to the technology available at the time, so a new entry now could actually live up to its source material.
Expanding the History of Middle Earth
It seems like aLord of the Rings-themedStar Wars: Battlefrontwould go over really well with fans, but Pandemic Studios was missing something about what makes the franchise great. It’s not necessarily the battles that make fans loveLOTR, but the stories told within them. Sure, it’s fun to play as characters like Legolas and Aragorn. However, the stories many of the battles being told byConquesthad already been told, but better in the films themselves. That’s why it might be in a potential sequel’s interest to follow the lead of the upcoming Amazon series and not base the game onthe story of the One ring.
If a newLOTR: Conquestwere instead to focus on another aspect of Middle Earth’s history, it might be able to more properly tell stories set in the world. That way, the studio wouldn’t need to worry about being true to the film’s adaptation, and instead, could focus on making its own identity. It would do the studio behind the sequel well to look athow theShadow of Mordorgames have handled their storytellingas the two games also have nothing to do with the story told in the films.
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