Read, Watch or Listen

Weta Workshop's 'Tales of the Shire', a cozy Lord of the Rings game, falls short of expectations due to numerous bugs and performance issues. Players experience frequent crashes, texture glitches, and poor visuals on the Nintendo Switch. While the core gameplay loop of gardening, cooking, and home decorating offers some charm, the game's development was reportedly plagued by mismanagement, layoffs, and crunch, resulting in a subpar final product. Despite the charming concept, the technical issues and troubled development overshadow the positive aspects.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.