J.R.R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings - volume one
Developed By:
Published by:- Interplay Productions
- Interplay Productions
- Charles Deenen
- SNES
Release dates:
The story begins with Frodo getting the Ring and promising Gandalf that he will destroy it at all costs. The game begins when you get control of Frodo inside the Shire and get tasked with finding your friends Merry, Pippin and Sam. To gain there companionship you must complete the tasks that are given to you by either them or someone else in the shire.
As a player you can control Frodo or your chosen character on screen using the d-pad and when needed you have attack/defend buttons and a menu. The game is played by talking to characters which unlocks the story and often gives you a goal to complete. The quests/goals usually require the player to kill a monster, find an item, find a person or travel to a mentioned location.
Each location is broken into a set of screens that make up the path for the current adventure. Some locations have cave systems or other mazes that you must explore to find key items for story progress. Enemies are scattered around each screen and move freely and independently to the player. You fight enemies in real time and are required to move, defend and attack until you defeat the threat. Each party member moves independently unless controlled by a player. Party members will try to assist you in battle but if they take to much damage they die permanently.
Once you progress through the story by completing the missions you will enter the Mines of Moria and battle The Balrog. This is the final battle and once completed will reward the player with the end sequence.
J.R.R Tolkien created a fantasy master piece with the release of The Lord of The rings series. This game is inspired by the popularity of the novel in the 1995 and should not be confused with the Peter Jackson films. The stories are rather similar but this game does not have the same feel as Jackson's vision and is not as exciting as I thought it was going to be.
The story is the main component of the game and begins to be told as soon you power on the game with a large intro sequence that runs for a good few minutes. The introduction is composed of a book that turns it's pages and displays iconic writings that all fans would appreciate. Along with this exciting writing you are given a quick look into the characters as they discuss Bilbo's birthday and Gandalf's request before a faceless man in grey walks away leaving you at the main menu.
As a single player you begin with Frodo and set off on a really long and boring quest made up of travelling and fetching items for people who are way to lazy to even go where you find the item. Prepare for a lot of back and forward if you want to progress and be warned that some items don't appear unless you talk to certain characters which is also a bit weird since you can visit the area in the first place.
As the story continued I felt my feet beginning to drag between battles as I was getting really bored of the one animation attack and poor defend skills you are equipped with. You can win most fights by standing still and spamming the attack button at the right time which makes the battles lame and avoided if possible.
The RPG elements that are included feel pointless because of the lack of details you have displayed on your request. It's also pointless to try and move your companions to safety if you're playing by yourself because they barely help in fights and also die permanently making them become onscreen pests.
The game does feature the ability to play with multiple players as a single player and also if you use the appropriate accessories. This is some what of a redeeming factor as the rest of the game feels a little undeveloped with it's features.
- NA: October 1994
- EU: May 1995
Modes:
- Single player and Multiplayer
- Super Nes multi player adaptor
- Super Nes mouse
Genre:
- Role Playing Game
Check pricing here:
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Box Synopsis
Adventure comes alive in 16-bit fantasy with the swords and sorcery of J.R.R Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." Prepare yourself as this treasured Tolkien tale takes you on an epic quest to destroy the One Ring that has the power to enslave Middle-earth. But beware, the evil Lord Sauron and his mighty forces will fight you at every turn in your quest to conquer Balrog and destroy the One Ring of Power.
- Thousands of frames of rotoscoped animation - the largest use of rotoscoping in any Super Nes game ever - brings the story to life
- Exciting play uses the optional Super Nes mouse
- The first use of real-time combat in a party-based adventure game
- All characters move realistically with fluid animation
- Characters have their own unique personality and decision-making skills
- Utilizes start of the art A.R.D.I sound for realistic medieval music
- An adventure/RPG game that faithfully follows the epic fantasy of J.R.R Tolkien's Middle-earth
- Super Nes Multi-player adapter - allows up to 5 players
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Gameplay
J.R.R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings - volume one is a role playing game that follows the events of the first Lord of the Rings book. The game is a single player adventure but as you progress and gather your team, you can add more players by adding additional controllers. With the correct accessories you can have up to 4 players on screen at once.
The story begins with Frodo getting the Ring and promising Gandalf that he will destroy it at all costs. The game begins when you get control of Frodo inside the Shire and get tasked with finding your friends Merry, Pippin and Sam. To gain there companionship you must complete the tasks that are given to you by either them or someone else in the shire.
As a player you can control Frodo or your chosen character on screen using the d-pad and when needed you have attack/defend buttons and a menu. The game is played by talking to characters which unlocks the story and often gives you a goal to complete. The quests/goals usually require the player to kill a monster, find an item, find a person or travel to a mentioned location.
Each location is broken into a set of screens that make up the path for the current adventure. Some locations have cave systems or other mazes that you must explore to find key items for story progress. Enemies are scattered around each screen and move freely and independently to the player. You fight enemies in real time and are required to move, defend and attack until you defeat the threat. Each party member moves independently unless controlled by a player. Party members will try to assist you in battle but if they take to much damage they die permanently.
Once you progress through the story by completing the missions you will enter the Mines of Moria and battle The Balrog. This is the final battle and once completed will reward the player with the end sequence.
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Controls
*Default layout
Directional pad up - Moves character
L - Control other party member
R - Control other party member
L+R - Show current password
Y - Attack
X - Show health bar on screen
B - Defend
A - Use equipped item
Select - Access menu
Start - Pause
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Game Videos
Introduction video
Gameplay Sample
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Shanwow's Review
Story and Gameplay: 2 point
J.R.R Tolkien created a fantasy master piece with the release of The Lord of The rings series. This game is inspired by the popularity of the novel in the 1995 and should not be confused with the Peter Jackson films. The stories are rather similar but this game does not have the same feel as Jackson's vision and is not as exciting as I thought it was going to be.
The story is the main component of the game and begins to be told as soon you power on the game with a large intro sequence that runs for a good few minutes. The introduction is composed of a book that turns it's pages and displays iconic writings that all fans would appreciate. Along with this exciting writing you are given a quick look into the characters as they discuss Bilbo's birthday and Gandalf's request before a faceless man in grey walks away leaving you at the main menu.
As a single player you begin with Frodo and set off on a really long and boring quest made up of travelling and fetching items for people who are way to lazy to even go where you find the item. Prepare for a lot of back and forward if you want to progress and be warned that some items don't appear unless you talk to certain characters which is also a bit weird since you can visit the area in the first place.
As the story continued I felt my feet beginning to drag between battles as I was getting really bored of the one animation attack and poor defend skills you are equipped with. You can win most fights by standing still and spamming the attack button at the right time which makes the battles lame and avoided if possible.
The RPG elements that are included feel pointless because of the lack of details you have displayed on your request. It's also pointless to try and move your companions to safety if you're playing by yourself because they barely help in fights and also die permanently making them become onscreen pests.
Controls and Features: 1 point
The quest you undertake is a dangerous one and that isn't just because of Lord Sauron but more the fact that you limited training and have one stab attack and a defend move which is useless. The characters may move realistically on screen but the built in animations make them vulnerable to all threats.
It is easy to control your chosen team member but I feel the developers put more focus on how many players can join and less on actually playing the game because it is very boring and slow. Your life is basically left to your skills in timing your attacks and defends and is not a fun way to play.
The game does feature the ability to play with multiple players as a single player and also if you use the appropriate accessories. This is some what of a redeeming factor as the rest of the game feels a little undeveloped with it's features.
Design and Difficulty: 1 point
This Lord of the Rings is really slow and boring just like the first part of the adventure in the series. Unfortunately that is not because of it's story content but the way the game is designed and how it unfolds for the player.
It's a shame that your companions can die because the adventure is about a fellowship which usually means you don't leave someone behind. This game is totally opposite and I found myself not caring about my companions because they were great enemy attractors while I snuck past the battles.
The quest line is grand in terms of the story but it's overall design feels undeveloped and very lazy based on the amount of fetch missions that you a required to complete. Quests are also hard to understand with the limited information you receive from those you speak to. This makes the game feel like it is intentionally confusing and stretched out for length.
The fights in this game are terribly choregraphed and difficult because the enemies usually move faster than you do. The real time combat is slow and feels robotic. This makes cave systems extremely tiring as you fumble around without a map, compass or any idea of where you are or what you have to find.
It's a shame that your companions can die because the adventure is about a fellowship which usually means you don't leave someone behind. This game is totally opposite and I found myself not caring about my companions because they were great enemy attractors while I snuck past the battles.
The quest line is grand in terms of the story but it's overall design feels undeveloped and very lazy based on the amount of fetch missions that you a required to complete. Quests are also hard to understand with the limited information you receive from those you speak to. This makes the game feel like it is intentionally confusing and stretched out for length.
The fights in this game are terribly choregraphed and difficult because the enemies usually move faster than you do. The real time combat is slow and feels robotic. This makes cave systems extremely tiring as you fumble around without a map, compass or any idea of where you are or what you have to find.
Fun and Summary: 👎
It's hard to be let down by this game because I really enjoy the story but if you are like me, it is best to avoid this game. It does have a great story but the rest of the game feels very undeveloped and hastily made to gain profit based on the stories popularity.
The game is just very slow and has to many simplistic quests that are made intentionally hard by the map designs and limited information. The epic fantasy adventure that many of us know and love is not a part of this game, just like all the characters faces.
The game is just very slow and has to many simplistic quests that are made intentionally hard by the map designs and limited information. The epic fantasy adventure that many of us know and love is not a part of this game, just like all the characters faces.
- No faces
- Hard to navigate questline
- Boring combat systems
- 1-5 players
- Great story
RetroRating: 4 / 10
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