Following its announcement earlier this year, a first-look gameplay trailer for The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria dropped during Summer Game Fest today. The game still has a vague fall 2023 release window, though we’ve today learned that it will be available on Xbox and PlayStation platforms in addition to the previously announced PC (via Epic Games Store).
Narrated by Gimli himself, John Rhys-Davies, the trailer shows off how you and your merry band of dwarves will be able to explore, build, and defend the mines of Moria. It looks like you’ll be able to build a whole host of structures and rooms, including defensive towers and mead halls, all the while chasing off the threats that have invaded the mines. By the looks of the Return to Moria gameplay trailer, those threats will include the ever-present orcs, as well as giant spiders, cave trolls, and the Watcher in the Water.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is designed for co-op gameplay (though you can also play solo), where you’ll create a custom dwarf and set off to reclaim the mines, which will be procedurally generated for each run. The game also has survival elements, so you’ll be balancing food, sleep, temperature, and — in a novel twist — noise levels, lest you risk waking the nightmares of the deeps. Beyond that, you can expect to craft all manner of gear and uncover magical artifacts to help you survive.
It’s also set later in The Lord of the Rings canon than most other material, taking place in the Fourth Age following the destruction of the One Ring. At the very least, it’ll be a curio for fans (and hopefully better than The Lord of the Rings: Gollum).
