J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I scores 8/10 in the verdict of The Games Market editorial team.
Once Upon a Time
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I
by Simon Larocca·October 5, 2025
One ring to seize them and in the darkness bind them.
Termina così one of the most beautiful and famous lyric poems of all time, the Poem of the One Ring contained in the fantasy book par excellence and which for many readers, of every era and age, shares with the ring of the fearsome Sauron its most important characteristic: being truly Unique.
Il romanzo di J.R.R Tolkien, honorary father of literary fantasy, is a long journey that, between one page and the next, outlines the adventures of the Fellowship of the Ring in Middle-earth, whose purpose is to reach Mount Doom in Mordor, a decaying land dominated by what remains of the ultimate villain, Sauron, before whom, Potter fans forgive us, even Voldemort would probably have paled.
Numerous TV series, comics, and gamebooks have been produced and set in the Tolkien universe, including a successful film trilogy in the early 2000s, but a little over ten years earlier the world of video games had also received its official adaptation in RPG form: J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings Vol. I was released in 1990 for the DOS system and the following year on the never sufficiently praised Amiga.
I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is yes: this is neither yet another arcade cabinet adaptation nor a port derived from other consoles, but rather a debut work that arrived directly in enthusiasts’ homes on personal computers and, indeed, Amiga.
Sviluppato da Interplay Productions, che pochi anni dopo progettò l’immenso Baldur’s Gate, altra pietra miliare del fantasy videoludico, il gioco dedicato a Frodo e agli eroi multirazza della Compagnia segue proprio la prima parte del loro viaggio, un esempio di storytelling praticamente perfetto.
Essendo di fatto un role-playing game, dovremo imbarcarci in una serie di missioni attraverso i luoghi iconici tratteggiati dalla penna dell’autore, from the aforementioned Shire to the woods of Lothlorien, home of the determined and icy elves, for example.
The gameplay features a top-down view, typical of many games from the ‘90s and not just of the RPG genre, such as Grand Theft Auto, but to stay on the fantastical side, the comparison with the Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda is a must.
The exploration of areas devoted to battles against Sauron's emissaries is essential in order to discover items, secrets, and any alternative routes, while the tactical-strategic aspect, albeit minimal, turns out to be quite interesting, as does the alternation of night and day, which will affect some in-game stats of the various party characters.
Frodo is the main protagonist, the archetype of the Reluctant Hero at the beginning, but who then decides to embrace his own destiny: from time to time, however, the game will also allow us to take the reins of the other members of the formidable Fellowship, among them the viggo-roso (tell me you got it!) Aragorn and the quarrelsome Gimli.
Questo Vol. I is many things at once: shops where you can buy and sell items and chat to receive information about the world and what is happening in the city, battles where you can select the most suitable options to get the better of your enemies (complete with descriptions of the effects of your blows, narrated as if you were really reading a book!) and the possibility of typing questions with keywords to unlock new dialogue lines.
Practical, this, very popular in MUDs, the text-based multi-user dungeons so beloved by Zork fans.
An intriguing aspect concerns Sauron’s representation in the introductory film: unlike modern versions, where he has the stature of a warlike tyrant with sword and heavy armor, here a nearly fairy-tale guise is chosen, showing us a sorcerer with horns lined with the same fabric, black of course, as his magical robe.
[Sauron]
The Evil has many forms, then, but the purpose remains the same: to chain us in darkness.
Fortunately, Frodo marches toward the fiery jaws of Mount Doom; now it is up to us to accompany him in a RPG to rediscover and make our own.
8
Pro
Customization of interactions with NPCs original and stimulating, even if not always easy to master
We’re talking about a game that was also released on Amiga: this means that the sound design will engage both your heart and mind
Contro
The linearity of the main plot, having to draw from literary material that is practically untouchable, suggests gameplay that could become monotonous over time, despite the presence of some secondary side quests.
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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![[Sauron]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.thegamesmarket.com%2Fapi%2Fv1%2Ffile%2Fproxy%3Fkey%3Dstaging%252Fmagazine%252Fcontent%252Fjrr-tolkiens-the-lord-of-the-rings-vol-i-la-terra-di-mezzo-come-non-lavete-mai-vista-img-0.png&w=3840&q=75)
