Electronic Arts’ first Lord of the Rings-themed game is an action game with classic beat-them-up gameplay. Despite the title, it covers both the first and second installments of the trilogy.
Players must battle the evil forces of the Dark Lord Sauron while controlling Aragorn, Legolas, or Gimli to protect the Ring of Power and restore peace to Middle-earth.
The player character progresses through the levels, fighting hordes of Orcs, Goblins, and other creatures with various attack and parry moves. The more varied the attacks and the fewer hits the player takes, the more points are awarded for each kill. Kill points are accumulated at the end of each level and can be used to unlock new abilities. Most of these are new attack moves that various button combinations can activate, and others boost health or improve the power or speed of existing attacks. Each of the three characters has its own set of upgrades and moves.
Several levels feature boss battles with characters such as the Watcher of Moria and Lurtz, the Uruk leader. Hai’s To defeat each boss, you must employ a distinct strategy.
Most combat scenes from the films have been turned into levels for the game, ranging from the first film’s confrontation with the Ringwraiths at the Weathertop and battle in the Mines of Moria to the second film’s fights with Warg-riders and other enemies on the plains of Rohan. The game culminates in defense of Helm’s Deep, even though the game’s depiction of the battle differs significantly from the film’s.
Cutscenes tell the story between levels. These scenes combine actual film footage with game engine-rendered footage.
