Tales of the Shire: More Like Tales of Disappointment, My Precious...
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Turns out *Tales of the Shire* is less a cozy hobbit adventure and more a buggy, grindy disappointment, leaving you wondering if maybe Mordor wouldn't be so bad after all. It's got a good premise, but the execution seems to have been lost in the Misty Mountains.
Right, so everyone's been frothing at the mouth for a chilled-out hobbit life sim, yeah? Living in the Shire, growing potatoes, avoiding adventures – sounds like bliss. But according to IGN South Africa's review of *Tales of the Shire*, it's less 'second breakfast' and more 'inedible lembas bread'.
I mean, fair dinkum, the premise is gold. Who *hasn't* wanted to kick back in a hobbit hole? But apparently, this game manages to make even that sound like a chore. IGN reckon it's a monotonous grind, filled with shallow mechanics and repetitive tasks. Think *Animal Crossing* but without the soul, or *Disney Dreamlight Valley* after a particularly nasty dragon attack.
The core loop? You're a new hobbit in Bywater, trying to get the village officially recognised. That means doing fetch quests, building relationships, and generally being a good little halfling. Sounds idyllic, doesn't it? But here's the kicker: there's no voice acting. Gandalf, Rosie Cotton, all silent. It's like watching a puppet show where the puppeteer forgot to bring their voice box. How can you get immersed when the characters who are so loved are mute?
IGN rightly points out the lack of depth. These life sims are meant to draw you in with layers. You're meant to get hooked on building up your virtual life. *Tales of the Shire*? Apparently, it just leaves you scratching your head, wondering what the point of all the busywork is. The best way to make money is foraging for goods on the map, only to sell them for a little bacon to use in cooking. So riveting.
The one saving grace, apparently, is the cooking minigame. All those chores – fishing, gardening, chicken-wrangling – are just a means to an end: creating culinary masterpieces to impress your hobbit neighbours. Level up those social links, unlock new recipes, and maybe, just maybe, get a short conversation as a reward. It's something that evolves, unlike the other activities that remain as basic as unseasoned potatoes.
And even the cooking isn't perfect. IGN notes it's overly simplistic, especially early on. You're still stuck doing the same boring chores to get ingredients, and you're time-gated. But, they point out, cooking and the social elements are a highlight in a game that is consistently underwhelming.
You can also upgrade your hobbit hole. But even that's a letdown. IGN rightly states that, while the Shire aesthetic is nailed, there's not much you can do with the extra space. Decorations are limited, functionality is non-existent, and the layout is static. Another missed opportunity.
But the real kicker? The performance. IGN reported constant framerate issues, pop-in, aliasing, and crashes. One poor soul had to repeat a day *five times* because of crashes! Imagine all that prep work of inviting the hobbits only to crash at the end of the day. They even tried the Switch version, which, according to IGN, is a whole other level of awful. Ouch!
While an update improved the framerate slightly, IGN still says it doesn't run great. A bummer because the painterly art style and iconic setting have so much potential. It's like buying a fancy wizard's staff only to find out it's made of cheap plastic and keeps short-circuiting.
So, what's the verdict? IGN reckon *Tales of the Shire* is the Grima Wormtongue of games – whispering sweet promises but delivering only disappointment. Shallow mechanics, terrible performance, and a lack of originality make this a trip to the Shire you might want to skip. As IGN rightly concludes, the hopes for a great cozy LOTR game are cast into the fires from whence they came. Bloody hell.
Tags: Tales of the Shire, Lord of the Rings, Life Sim, Game Review, PC Gaming
Original article: IGN South Africa