Developer Free Range Games and publisher North Beach Games took to Summer Game Fest to debut the first The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria gameplay trailer. The co-op survival crafting game is set during Middle-earth’s Fourth Age, and tells the story of the Dwarves’ bid to reclaim their homeland of Moria.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is coming to PS5
As well as the gameplay trailer seen at Summer Game Fest, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria was also confirmed for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. These versions will arrive alongside the previously announced PC version in fall 2023. The game is not in development for last-gen consoles like PS4.
The game takes place after the books end, as Lord Gimli Lockbearer summons a company of Dwarves to the Misty Mountains. The Dwarves must venture underground to find the treasures hidden within the Mines of Moria, otherwise known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf. Each dwarf can be customized before they enter the procedurally-generated environments alone, or in a group of up to eight players.
To survive, resources need to be harvested for crafting and building a base. Long-dormant forges must be rekindled to create new tools, weapons, and armor. Players will also need to hunt and gather food, as well as manage sleep, temperature, and noise levels to keep the workforce happy. If too much noise is made, unspeakable evils and hordes of Orcs will come to investigate.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is not the only Middle-earth game in development. There’s also an MMO in progress at Amazon Games, while Daedalic Entertainment is rumored to already be working on a sequel to The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
