Summary
Tales of the Shirehas plenty in store forLord of the Ringsand cozy life sim fans alike, as it takes familiar elements of popular cozy games likeStardew ValleyandAnimal Crossingand combines them withThe Lord of the Rings' Hobbits for a unique experience. Set in the growing village of Bywater,Tales of the Shiresees players building up the village and their own Hobbit hole in it by participating in a variety of cozy activities. While one of the main goals inTales of the Shirewill be helping Bywater reach village status, players will still be encouraged to establish their own life within the game by doing things like furnishing their home, fishing, cooking, foraging, and gardening — essentiallyliving the Hobbit’s dream within the Shire.
Tales of the Shiremay only be set in the Shire, but that doesn’t mean it has to be completely confined to the Shire. There are ways the cozyLord of the Ringslife sim could reach the often overlooked areas of Middle-earth without its Hobbits ever leaving the nest. Thanks toTales of the Shire’s many cozy features, players could potentially bring the farthest reaches of Middle-earth to Bywater rather than venturing off to explore them. Furthermore, those lands might even make their way over to Bywater voluntarily, all figuratively speaking.
How Tales of the Shire Can Involve Middle-earth’s Uncharted Territories
Tales of the Shire Could Let Players Craft Region-Themed Items
One of the best waysTales of the Shirecould bring otherregions of Middle-earthinto Bywater is by allowing players to craft region-themed furniture and other items like clothing and decorations. Regions like Far Harad, which is known for its exotic animals, and Dorwinion, which is known for its fine wines, could “visit” Bywater via themed furniture. Furthermore, other lands like Rhun and Khand could be featured on paintings players could hang on the walls of their Hobbit hole, complete with descriptions of their history to flesh out the lore of each of these regions a little more than even the books were able to accomplish.
It might also make sense forTales of the Shire’s shops to have a weekly rotation of goods based on certain themes, similar toAnimal Crossing’s seasonal rotation of furnitureand items. Perhaps players could inquire about the current theme to learn more about the featured region from the shopkeeper. This could helpTales of the Shirefeel like it’s taking place in Middle-earth rather than the Shire only.
Travelers From Distant Lands Could Regularly Visit Bywater
Another fairly obvious wayTales of the Shirecould travel outside of the Shire without leaving it is by having travelers from distant lands regularly visit Bywater, and perhaps even staying for a few nights at the Green Dragon Inn. Here, players could have conversations with them about their homelands, which adds even more depth to Tales of the Shire’s lore and helps it feel like an authentic depiction ofThe Lord of the Rings' Middle-earth.
It’s unclear just how farTales of the Shirewill go in terms of its lore, but based on what has been revealed so far, it seems to takeThe Lord of the Ringslore very seriously. As such, players can expect a genuineLord of the Ringsexperience, although it would help to see much more than the Shire represented inits version of Bywater. However, simply implementing different region-themed designs for furniture and items or adding interesting lore entries to them might help the game feel even bigger than it initially lets on.
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.
