The Lord of The Rings: Return to Moria reviewed by Travis Northup on PC. Also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
As a big fan of both The Lord of the Rings and survival games, I was enticed by the idea that I can dive into a genre I already know and love with the rich lore of Middle-earth to keep me company (as well as a party of friends), but it’s disappointing to see such a promising concept do little more than a barely passable impression of better games. Combat is dull and repetitive, owing to overused enemy types and braindead AI, and limited mining opportunities or freedom with settlement building throws a wet blanket over the creativity that’s typically a selling point for the genre. Throw in rough technical performance and it becomes difficult to recommend Return to Moria to even my fellow Tolkien stans. There’s a decent game in here somewhere, as the compelling progression loop and chaotic multiplayer capabilities can make for a really good time – I just can’t give you many reasons to pick this survival game over the plethora of better options when it’s only ever by-the-numbers at best.