The early reviews for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum have begun to surface, giving readers a first look at the game across major outlets and data trackers.
At launch, the PlayStation 5 edition carried a Metacritic score of 36 out of 100, drawn from 16 assessments, while the PC version showed a marginally better result of 46 out of 100 based on four reviews. These numbers place Gollum among the more poorly received titles of the year, according to Metacritic’s aggregation. Competing games with similarly low impressions include Clive N Wrench, Crime Boss: Rockay City, The Last Worker, and the high-profile Xbox exclusive Redfall, which sits near the same spectrum in this early tally.
Across the critic community, the reception centers on several recurring criticisms: visuals that feel dated for the hardware they run on, animation and combat systems that fall short of player expectations, and mechanics that struggle to feel fresh or responsive. Some observers acknowledge glimpses of fresh ideas or narrative moments that show promise, yet those sparks tend to fade against the overall technical and design execution present at release.
Gollum is described as a stealth action title set within the broader Lord of the Rings universe, developed by Daedalic Entertainment. The central character is a troubled hobbit who has become known simply as Gollum, guiding players through a world steeped in familiar lore while focusing on sneaking and problem-solving rather than traditional combat.
In broader industry chatter, there is a sense that Microsoft’s approach to showcasing PlayStation projects during some events has drawn attention, highlighting the competitive landscape in which this game appears. The conversation around Gollum, however, stays firmly rooted in its performance, design choices, and how well it translates the high fantasy setting into playable moments on screen.