The Lord of the Rings saga has been continuing in many ways as of late. You might have seen The Rings of Power over on Amazon and welcomed the return to Middle-Earth, albeit in a period of time previously unseen. The video game space is also helping expand the saga, as two games are set to tell unique stories within the realm. One of them, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, had a special hour-long sneak peek yesterday. The development teams at Free Range Games and North Beach Games helped break down the title and why this story was so important.

The game takes place after the trilogy and focuses on the Dwarves who wish to take back their homes in the Misty Mountains. Within the original books, the Dwarves had created Khazad-dûm in the Misty Mountains and mined it for its resources. The problem was that this awakened the Balrog of Morgoth, and the monster killed many dwarves. As a result, the kingdom was abandoned, leading to Orcs, Goblins, and Trolls taking it over. The Fellowship of the Ring barely escaped it with their lives, and the mountains remained under enemy control. But now, with Sauron gone, former fellowship member Gimli has called for the dwarves to rise up to take back their home. That’s where you come in.

The goal is simple, but the method to complete it is complex. First, you’ll descend into the mountains and try to collect resources to craft and build a new Dwarven kingdom while also ridding any enemies out of the caves:

“There are abundant resources, especially for Dwarves, but they are hard to get to. The players will have to be clever to navigate its steep drops, collapsed tunnels and rickety platforms,” game director Jon-Paul Dumont noted in the sneak peek.

It also must be said that the caves and tunnels you’ll go into are procedurally-generated. Thus, no two playthroughs will be alike in the game. However, there will be a few fixed points to visit, such as the aforementioned Khazad-dûm. You’ll be able to explore the fallen city’s ruins and others beneath the mountains.

As for the enemies, while they are numerous, they won’t be an army. Instead, they’re going to act more like factions. You’ll deal with them in small numbers, allowing you to fight them off alone or with your co-op partners. Survival is genuinely the name of the game here. You’ll need to stay healthy, and fed, keep your energy up, and more if you want to survive this place.

If this isn’t enough for you, you’ll be able to customize the look of your Dwarf from top to bottom. There is even “beard tech” that’ll let you have the beard that you desire to showcase your Dwarven heritage.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria will arrive next year.

Source: PC Gamer