Is Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Worth Playing In 2024?

[@xTwoShoes]

7:27 absolutely broke me to the point I nearly p*ssed myself. Genuinely. Such a good vid. So well researched and awesome info. Love this style! Please do more!

[@SpookyDeer]

I appreciate you so much dude. Hearing you gasping for breath when I showed you that scene was such a boost to get this done!

[@brendanmoon3416]

Keeping the rough takes in is so funny, your reviews are great, boyo

[@SpookyDeer]

Appreciate you my friend - glad you liked the bloopers left in! I feel like if I have to watch them all 1,000 times you all can enjoy the best of the worst takes lolololol

[@aswordbear]

Love the new style! Cant wait to see what else is cooking!

[@SpookyDeer]

You're an ingredient in a few of 'em so stay tuned! 🖤

[@n0nder]

Freaky Deaky Doblins indeed. I love this video. I felt really similar about this game. I thought we would reBUILD Moria not just walk around it.

[@SpookyDeer]

I had such a hard time editing this video because SO MUCH gameplay was just me walking in straight lines back and forth and back and forth

[@LiveFromMyBasement]

As a HUGE lotr fan I’ve been eagerly waiting for this to drop on Steam with the “golden update” later this month. Great video btw! Very informative and entertaining. Looking forward to seeing your thoughts on the game post update.

[@SpookyDeer]

The Steam release is really exciting! Hopefully having the wider player base will give the boost to keep making updates! I plan to check out sandbox mode (maybe with some friends this time) and see if it changes my feelings on the game at all! Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed!

[@StorybooksInn]

hate that we can't pre-order

[@DirtyCivilian14]

I'm with you, I'm hoping it's great after the update

[@SpookyDeer]

@@DirtyCivilian14 we’ll see tomorrow! 🤞

[@KhufuhK]

They missed big by not adding a Durry song to the soundtrack

[@SpookyDeer]

@@KhufuhK we love an observant viewer 💛🖤

[@MarcusFenix291]

Progression was my main problem with it. I was expecting a “build your big dwarven base”, and instead is was more of a “build a little camp to craft better gear and go build another camp further down”. If you stick with one base, you’ll have to run miles forward and backward to constantly stash resources, repair an so on

[@SpookyDeer]

Exactly! So frustrating! There's no motivation to actually rebuild anything because the hallway gameplay gets so cumbersome

[@PolarBear084]

Great video mate! Loved the new style and the inter-cutting between movie moments and gameplay to emphasize your thoughts. And I think you offered great points as to why this game seemed so... disappointing. Oh and the video KZbin recommended was your Shadows of Doubt review, which is apt because I'm a little worried that Freeform Game's current approach to fix their game is... to make an entirely different one inside of it. Fingers crossed though. I really, really want this to grow into another survival craft staple.

[@SpookyDeer]

Hey Polar! Thanks for watching my friend, glad you enjoyed the format change and that’s very cheeky of KZbin to shill for me without my intent! I appreciate you buddy and I also hope Freeform can…REform Moria into something closer to what I dreamed of

[@DowaHawkiin]

You might want to revisit Moria on the 27th of August when the Golden Update drops: Sandbox mode drops for consoles, many new weapons and armour and building items and crossplay and Xbox Series X and Steam!

[@SpookyDeer]

I've been keeping my eye on that! The full crossplay and release of sandbox mode is definitely a step in the right direction. I might just have to!

[@jamesgreen2058]

Valid critiques, but remember there’s more to valheim than just building. I’d have to say this game is way more fun with friends

[@SpookyDeer]

@@jamesgreen2058 very true - but I guess in my experience it’s just the system I like to engage with the most. I do plan to give it another rip with some friends now that the new sandbox update has dropped Thanks for watching 🍻

[@Alexander.Harrdarrzarr.]

For me, I was very excited for this game to launch because I love the genre and the universe of the Lord of the Rings. So when it launched I instantly bought it, started it up and looked through the menu where I can set up or select a server in order for me to play with my friends. It was then where I felt an immense dissapointment, because there were no servers and I knew what that meant. It would be a hassle to play together, sharing worlds whenever someone is online. The game is amazing by itself but because I can't enjoy it alongside others, it quickly lost its appeal. Every few weeks I check any news about this game to see if they added them but nothing so far.

[@SpookyDeer]

@@Alexander.Harrdarrzarr. this is super valid and the overall disappointment a lot of us are feeling really just comes back to “this should be an easy home run in this sub genre” It just shouldn’t be so hard to nail a LoTR game

[@juliogonzalez9751]

Este es el video que necesitaba ver, continúa con el buen trabajo!👌

[@SpookyDeer]

¡Muchas gracias! 🙏

[@ark_os_v1]

not me goin in for a rewatch and seein me talkin bout Pokemon Community Game in the Twitch chat lmao. Oh, and YT recommended I watch the Shadows of Doubt vid

[@SpookyDeer]

@@ark_os_v1 Epic Free Games go brrrrrr

[@maxwellkraus382]

Dudes throwing shade at milk and eggs, people.

[@SpookyDeer]

Milk and eggs was the bar! And we fell below it!

[@LootsMcGoots]

Wait, you play Valheim??

[@SpookyDeer]

Sir 😭

[@StorybooksInn]

do you play lotro?

[@SpookyDeer]

I've had it in my Steam library for YEARS but I just never really click with MMOs sadly

[@StorybooksInn]

@@SpookyDeer thats definitely fair! its the only mmo ive clicked with :)

[@fantasywind3923]

This only further shows that what truly should be a proper game set in Tolkien universe...would be to finally have an open world RPG of high quality....because basically this is what the fans have been waiting for....since forever :)...and the potential for Lord of the Rings games is ENORMOUS....but that's the problem...this game...is not that :) and wasn't supposed to be....it's shortcomings are of course real, indeed combat is repetitive and very bare bones basic (one charge attack, and normal swipes...sometimes you can try to combine movements and the attacks...like with using the hammer/maul like weapons and jumping to make the slam the ground attack) and it's all about just getting better gear (I need a better weapon for this may be the most overused phrase in the game heheheheheh)...there's no doubt that this game has a LOT in it that makes it surprisingly good in some way.....certainly it's graphical side was a bit better than initially thought...the trailers certainly didn't gave justice to how the game actually looks (though again it's still not yet there that we always hope...a truly high quality graphic lotr game that would just awe with the beauty of the world of Arda :) hell the 'ideal would be to have a good looking game....like hell graphically like.....Red Dead Redemption 2 and whatnot or even Witche 3 style...truly we need a good lotr game with hyperrealsitic graphics, good animations and physics....a free roam sandbox that woudl be truly immersive....that would be ideal approach hehe). Obviously things changed a bit with the update....adding a sandbox mode which truly uses the random generation into full potential....truly making a more free procedurally generated setting....while the main game has this predestined path.... The Return to Moria of course is mostly made with thought of multiplayer coop style game....which is a shame that there's no NPC's to talk to (hell even if it was only like....in the War in the North style...that game was a more linear hack and slash but still allowed to talk to NPC's in the peaceful hubs where one could get quests, get services and trade, buying and seling gear and loot, also explore lore through some interesting conversations...in comparison Return to Moria has....well only Aric the raven.....in itself a nice nod to the lore....since the ravesn of Erebor are important piece of lore straight from The Hobbit...and I like that they get a bit of love and use in the book accurate manner...as talking bird that are friends of the dwarves, their messengers and helpers “But the ravens are different. There used to be great friendship between them and the people of Thror; and they often brought us secret news, and were rewarded with such bright things as they coveted to hide in their dwellings. “They live many a year, and their memories are long, and they hand on their wisdom to their children. I knew many among the ravens of the rocks when I was a dwarf- lad. This very height was once named Ravenhill, because there was a wise and famous pair, old Carc and his wife, that lived here above the guard-chamber.”) The survival crafting is well...exactly that...more focus on crafting part :)....though one would think there is a room for enjoyable combat there too! Especially with the variety of weapons and creatures to fight! Lotr has great potential for all sorts of games....hell one would imagine that there can be many things done...from a Dragon Age style game where you form your own little fellowships or more narrative driven Witcher 3 approach or open world game in style of Elder Scrolls....or even using the Assassin's Creed formula to have open world stuff in similar vein to....AC Black Flag mixed with Odyssey, Valhalla elements and have that naval combat and sailing in free roam on the Great Sea Belegaer!!! :) Imagine sea battles with ships of Corsairs of Umbar hehe...but I digress the limitations of the setting and premise don't encourage a greatly different expectation than a simple type of game...I mean nobody really expected more from it.....though I guess even for a survival crafting with comparisons to Valheim it's still not the thing that it could be. I guess for a true more Valheim like game one would need a different location for that heheh. Moria is and should be constrained more...though the base building CAN get pretty in depth in this game!!! I've seen amazing bases that players build.....some are truly impressive on the endgame state! And with the update new elements to build, allow for bigger variety of making the base, down to even simple adornments and mundane stuff to make it cozy...like furniture (added with the update of course). The general consensus though is defintiely that the lotr games so far are not using the full potential of that franchise!! And the future of lotr in gaming doesn't seem bright....well the next upcoming title is well....more like animal crossing in lotr style....Tales of the Shire..which is not exactly an answer.

[@SpookyDeer]

I agree even if I’m not willing to dream as big!

[@LagunaFox]

Rather than the game being like Valheim I felt watching the live stream that it was like someone had a check list of the features of Valheim and were just checking them off as Return to Moria is being developed without any attention to why those features were there, what was good about them. They understood how to make a survival crafting game but they didn't understand what makes a survival crafting game good.

[@SpookyDeer]

I fully agree with that. I feel some hope like I said with the future updates promising to lean more into the “survival crafting” but it’s also like…..wasn’t that what you were making from the start?

[@DirtyCivilian14]

Rock and Stone

[@SpookyDeer]

@@DirtyCivilian14 To the Bone! ⛏️

[@Swingmesideways]

Did we play the same game? I been playing that game nonstop with friends and its very fun. Why build many small bases when you can build a big castle like we did and then just moving around with the teleportbuilding? Looks like you just running pass everything, do you play alot of cod? Running out of resources? We have so much so we can swim in it. Dont know where you find thoes goblins but last time I did fight alone it was against +20 orc and goblins with poison weapons and armour and they added a troll also, that was not a boring fight. I will go back again today have alot to do. And to look at game clips that is 30% covered by the KZbinr realy sucks, I am here to look at the game not a random person.

[@SpookyDeer]

@@Swingmesideways different strokes for different folks! I’m glad you’re enjoying the game. I didn’t 🤷‍♂️ so it goes!

[@LtCaveman]

Hold up, so this game STILL isn't out but you list it as a 2023 game? Lost

[@SpookyDeer]

It’s out and available for purchase - it’s not on Steam yet. It was an Epic exclusive first.

[@olaf5929]

Dwarves have many facial piercings and goofy hairstyles. Thumbs down. Next to no freedom in regards to base-building. Thumbs down. Combat is stiff and tends to throw a bunch of brain-dead enemies your way to give you a sense of threat. Thumbs down. You can go with Valheim, Enshrouded or Core Keeper for a much better experience.

[@SpookyDeer]

@@olaf5929 yup I agree

[@Kororocket]

FIRST

[@SpookyDeer]

Right on the minute too 🖤

[@bigbobrossa8524]

No i will not Share the video too people i know when you have been a real downer about the game. I want my friends to play this with me haha

[@SpookyDeer]

FWIW I’m also sorry I don’t like it! Meet me in the middle and sender them this “downer” video if they bounce off the game like I did 😂

[@sopadurso]

This mofo went mic on us.

[@SpookyDeer]

@@sopadurso 👉🏼🎤

[@peterplful6342]

You used a lot of words to say the game is bad. It's a bad game and there is simply no 2 ways to put it. It's not a fun sandbox base builder and it's not a good multiplayer or cooperative experience. The only thing they nailed was the title and the IP, it's a disaster everywhere else save the graphics department and that is mostly assets. Also they seem to want to turn it into some sort of dungeon crawler....where you have to invest a significant time into crafting and base building....so now it will also be a bad progressive experience....