Tales of the Shire: Why Gollum Shouldn’t Make an Appearance

by

In the vast and intricate world of Middle-earth, its history stretches over immense periods, with each Age lasting for thousands of years. However, at certain junctures in this timeline, Middle-earth can appear surprisingly compact as popular character clusters often reside quite close to each other. It’s possible that the stories we know as Tales of the Shire unfold during such a condensed timeframe.

Positioned during the Third Age, presumably around the timeframe between the stories of “The Hobbit” and “The Fellowship of the Ring,” “Tales of the Shire” offers an excellent opportunity for numerous appearances by cherished characters from “The Lord of the Rings.” While Gandalf is already confirmed for the comfortable life-sim in the Shire, many other beloved “LotR” figures could logically appear. However, there’s one well-known character from “The Lord of the Rings” that “Tales of the Shire” should avoid introducing.

Tales of the Shire Should Avoid Gollum At All Costs

A Gollum Cameo In Tales of the Shire Wouldn’t Make Much Sense

One reason for excluding Gollum from the storyline of “Tales of the Shire” is that it doesn’t align well with the game’s position within the franchise timeline. If “Tales of the Shire” takes place after the occurrences in “The Hobbit“, then Bilbo Baggins has already taken the One Ring away from Gollum during their encounter in the Misty Mountains, making it unlikely for Gollum to appear.

For a spell, Gollum chases after Bilbo Baggins, but ultimately loses his trail and unwittingly enters Mordor. Over several decades, Gollum serves under Shelob before eventually falling into Sauron’s clutches, where he is brutally interrogated multiple times. By the time of the stories in Tales of the Shire, poor Gollum isn’t anywhere close to Bywater.

Gollum Wouldn’t Suit a Cozy Game

Although Stoor-transformed-monster figures are now adorable toys, Gollum remains a villainous and grotesque character with a tragic backstory, making him ill-suited for the warm, friendly tone and appearance of “Tales of the Shire.” It’s challenging to envision Gollum’s cracked, gray skin contrasting with the lush green fields and cheerful Hobbit homes found in “Tales of the Shire.

Gollum Doesn’t Have The Best Reputation in Gaming

In more casual terms, you could say that The Lord of the Rings hasn’t exactly shone in the video game industry, particularly over the past few years. The 2023 release, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, was unfortunately a notable flop. Its stealth mechanics were plagued by significant technical problems, its narrative was unimpressive, and the graphics, much like the titular character himself, left players feeling uneasy.

Although it was launched about two years back, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum remains vividly remembered among gaming enthusiasts, largely due to its notoriously unfavorable reception that’s hard to shake off. It would be beneficial for Tales of the Shire to distance itself as much as possible from Gollum, and this could potentially involve excluding the character altogether from the game.

In summary, should Tales of the Shire choose to reference Gollum, it can be done subtly without a major appearance. For example, Gandalf might casually bring up the creature in conversation, or Bilbo could hint at an encounter with him within the game if he’s included.

Read More

2025-03-30 20:34