The Current Middle-Earth LEGO Games are a Mixed Bag
In 2012, Traveller’s Tales released its first Middle-Earth centric title, LEGO The Lord of the Rings. The game is the second LEGO title to use voice acting, and the first to utilize voices pulled directly from films. The title adapts the three Lord of the Rings movies over 18 levels in hilarious LEGO fashion and lets players explore a fully realized open-world version of Middle-Earth. They can walk all the way from the Shire to Mordor and gather collectables on their way. Each character also has their own personal inventory and players can collect various magical items to use on their adventures. Upon release, the game received positive reviews, and many Lord of the Rings fans flocked to it.
Two years later, Traveller’s Tales returned to Middle-Earth with LEGO The Hobbit. The game adapted the first two Hobbit movies with plans to adapt The Battle of the Five Armies as post-launch DLC. However, that DLC never came to fruition and was quietly canceled, which left LEGO The Hobbit incomplete. The game itself was fairly similar to LEGO The Lord of the Rings, as almost everything was carried over except for the main characters and the story. The game did not receive the same scores that its predecessor received, as it garnered criticism for its disjointed story and how it was too similar to the game before it.
In 2015, Traveller’s Tales released its toys-to-life LEGO game, LEGO Dimensions. The story followed characters from three separate franchises on a multiverse adventure through even more franchises. The three main characters were Batman, Wyldstyle, and Gandalf. Players were also able to freely explore a recreation of Middle-Earth in the Lord of the RIngs adventure world. While the story of the movies did not take center stage here, Middle-Earth was still recreated and updated for this entry in the series.
What LEGO Middle-Earth Could Look Like
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is set to adapt all nine main Star Wars films in one game. The saga of Middle-Earth spans six movies and one show, which is three fewer movies than Star Wars. Five of those movies have already been adapted by Traveller’s Tales, with the third Hobbit never seeing the LEGO treatment. If Traveller’s Tales wanted to, it could create an expansive LEGO title with all six movies and elements form the upcoming TV show.
A LEGO Middle-Earth game could reconstruct the lands of Middle-Earth once again for players to explore. Utilizing more advanced hardware and the brand-new engine that Traveller’s Tales created for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, the LEGO recreation of Middle-Earth could be far more advanced than it was in LEGO The Lord of the RIngs. It could be much larger, more detailed, and filled to the brim with even more collectables to gather.
A LEGO Middle-Earth title seems like a must after LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga hits store shelves, as it could be a celebration of the franchise and enthrall fantasy fans for hours. If Traveller’s Tales wanted, it could even include characters from Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor or The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, making it a must-buy for fans of The Lord of the Rings.
