Long-awaited remake of The Lord of the Rings game is now playable

At this time the franchise The Lord of the rings in video games has not been the one with the best quality in the world of video games, since quite bad titles came out, such as the one dedicated to Dwarfs with a style of Minecraft and not to mention Gollumwhich was rated among the worst games of 2023. However, there is still a glimmer of hope for those who like old products, and they are currently reviving a project that was much loved 20 years ago.

This title is named The Battle for Middle-Earthwhich in 2004 fans of this franchise really liked because it was a fairly good RTS in playability, but due to licensing issues it had to end no matter what. Electronic Arts, who published it at that time. However, there are modders who want to give it new life, and that leads us to a remastering they are doing called Reforged.

What they are looking for with the project is to recreate the title with photorealistic textures, polished game mechanics and compatibility with modern computer systems. For its part, 4K resolution and elimination of the 30 FPS limit are being sought so that the experience is even better than what was already seen in the original. The best thing is that it wants to put the most significant of both worlds, we are talking about both the first release and its sequel, which was also acclaimed.

Here are some details mentioned by its creators:

We are about 50 or 60 people, but the commitment of each one varies since we work on it in our free time, and although we are talking about a fan project, the team is as divided as a formal studio. I am developing the main game systems and coordinating the work of the programmers. My most recent work included multiplayer units and buildings.

I'll never complain about how slow or tedious development can be when it's a project run by passionate people who don't make a dime from it. Any fan project of this scale will inevitably encounter hiccups, but we've moved on and the game is technically playable.

Here is a description of the originals:

It is a series of real-time strategy video games based on the universe of “The Lord of the Rings”, created by JRR Tolkien. The games were developed by EA Los Angeles and published by Electronic Arts.

The series consists of two main games:

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth (2004): This was the first game in the series and was released for Microsoft Windows. Allows players to control armies of the forces of Light (including Elves, Dwarves, and Men) or forces of Darkness (including Orcs, Uruk-hai, and Trolls) in large-scale strategic battles. scale. In addition to the main campaign, the game also offers online multiplayer.

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II (2006): This is the second game in the series and was also released for Microsoft Windows, as well as the Xbox 360. It introduces new playable factions, such as the Dark Elves and the Easterlings, and expands the gameplay with new units and powers. The game also includes a standalone sequel called “The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II – The Rise of the Witch-king,” which focuses on the expansion of the universe and the story of the Witch-king of Angmar.

It goes without saying that technically the project is playable, and that has been seen with its beta testers. However, there is no estimated release date for users to return to the adventure.

Via: Gamestar

Author's note: These games were definitely very popular at the time, and the interest in having them back is evident. However, it will probably take a long time for the final version to arrive, since this is a hobby after all.