Return to Moria is currently one of the most anticipated games for MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus. At gamescom 2023, he was finally able to see live gameplay of the new game based on “The Lord of the Rings”.
When Return to Moria was announced, I was absolutely thrilled within a minute of gameplay. As a die-hard survival and Tolkien fan, the game has pretty much everything I could wish for:
- authentic environments of Moria and other areas of the Misty Mountains
- connections to well-known “The Lord of the Rings” characters from the book and film
- classic survival elements, but also new ideas and mechanics
- Dwarves as protagonists, with their building and blacksmithing as special visual features
Unfortunately, there has been quite a long silence about the game. Some fans compared Return to Moria to the successful Deep Rock Galactic, and I can see where that comparison comes from.
Now the developers, three middle-aged gentlemen, demonstrated their game to me in a “hands-off” manner. I was only allowed to watch and talk to them. But the conversation felt more like a Tolkien fan meeting.
Whenever we talked about the game, the world, and The Lord of the Rings, the eyes of the three sparkled with excitement, like children whose dreams are coming true. And my interest in the game as well as in The Lord of the Rings only fueled the shared fire.
This is the latest trailer for Return to Moria, but I can tell you: The game looks much better now:
Our mission: to restore Moria to its former glory
The game begins with the premise that King Gimli personally sends us back to Moria. The mission is to clear the mines and re-establish the Dwarven presence there. 70 years after “The Return of the King,” many Orcs and more have settled down there.
The bosses explain to me: Gimli promised Aragorn the ore Mithril. He wants to deliver it now, and we are to ensure that it works. Return to Moria relies on familiar features in the modern sandbox survival genre.
- the Dwarves dig through the mines, where (almost) everything is destructible, except for some particularly sturdy structures – otherwise, you can tear down everything
- as a dwarf, you can recognize important ores from a great distance
- various weapons and combat styles help you to defeat enemies
- without regular food and rest, exhaustion sets in
According to the developers, it is important that as much as possible is player-friendly and not unnecessarily annoying. Building and crafting use all items that are on the ground and that you carry with you or have stored in chests. No annoying sorting anymore.
There is also no such thing as “carrying capacity”. The inventory is limited by the size of your backpack, but you will not move slower if you pick up another rope. Dwarves are strong!
The older the recipe, the better the product
A major feature is the actual world. The path through the mountains is procedurally generated, so each map or “seed” looks different. There are biomes like wet caves, “something darker,” and even cities.
This is where it gets exciting: The cities are what remains of the Dwarves from the past. Ancient buildings, temples, and huge caverns with beautiful Dwarven craftsmanship that you can plunder or just rebuild.
This is also the crux of the game. With your hammer, you can rebuild and inhabit ruins if you want – or tear them down and rebuild anew. New recipes are also available: all the way back to the First Age. The older the recipe, the stronger the resulting weapon or armor.
In general, you roughly follow a story through hints and hack and build your way through the mines. You also discover important locations like Balin’s tomb (keyword: “Foolish Took!”) and can even trace the entire path of the Fellowship to the fateful bridge.
“… and then you hear the drums from the depths”
Two important mechanics fundamentally distinguish Return to Moria from other survival games: light and sounds. Light is, after all, something like the mission of the Dwarves; they are to illuminate the darkness beneath the mountains.
With torches and glowstones, you ensure that the area is illuminated. If you stay too long in the dark, you will slowly go insane. More important than the light are the volume and sounds in general:
- when you work or are in a good mood, your dwarf begins to sing
- if you play in co-op with up to 8 people, other dwarves join in
- singing dwarves do not consume stamina while working
- but if you are too loud – with pickaxe or singing – you can attract enemies
- too loud sounds cause a horde to emerge, announced by the famous drums from the depths
In terms of enemies, you will mostly encounter Orcs, Uruks, and the occasional Troll. What really excited me: Trolls actually turn to stone in certain light sources, just like in the book. Best feature!
There are also supposed to be some friendly NPCs. Who they will be, the three developers did not want to reveal to me yet.
Finally, I was surprised at how good Return to Moria looks visually. Although so many buildings and objects are lying around in the area, the game is built on high-resolution details and the truly beautiful craftsmanship of the Dwarves.
Return to Moria will be released on October 24 for PC (Epic Games Store) and PS5, and early 2024 for Xbox Series X and S. You can play either alone or in co-op with up to 8 players in a session.
For me, the game has a similar appeal to Valheim, perhaps even a little more due to the “The Lord of the Rings” license behind it. I am already certain that Return to Moria will very soon land on our list of the best survival games:
