Tales of the Shire Preview: Middle-earth has never been so lovely

The Lord of the Rings and Middle-earth has seen a massive resurgence as of late. The Rings of Power show will return this August, a new feature length film revolving around Gollum is on its way, an animated The War of the Rohirrim movie will debut in December, Free Range Games delivered its survival-crafting title Return to Moria last year, shortly after Daedalic Entertainment dropped the shambolic Gollum adventure game. Needless to say, Middle-earth fans have been eating well as of late, and soon we'll be scranning down another meal with a life-simulation theme.

I'm of course talking about Tales of the Shire. Unlike the other The Lord of the Rings projects that I mentioned above, this game trends away from the usual gritty and dark fantasy theme that Middle-earth has mostly been founded on, and instead puts a spotlight on the beauty, tranquillity, and simplicity of the Shire and the Hobbits that call the region home. I've had a chance to check out a very brief portion of this upcoming project all during Summer Game Fest, and now I can't wait to see more.

Tales of the Shire is a pure life-sim experience. You create a Hobbit and then have to define your place in the blissful rolling hills of the Shire by upgrading and improving a house, meeting and helping the locals, growing produce and cooking it into delicious meals, fishing for fresh protein, developing relationships and ultimately settling down, and all while having a The Lord of the Rings flair that pays homage and taps into the wider lore of Middle-earth. If you've played Disney Dreamlight Valley or Fae Farm lately, the My Time at series, Animal Crossing, even Stardew Valley, then you'll be familiar with what this game is bringing to the table.

That's not to say that the familiarity is a concern because quite frankly it seems as though developer Wētā Workshop has struck gold with the combination of a relaxing and charming, stress-free life-sim all set in one of the most idyllic and peaceful parts of Middle-earth. The world that has been crafted here, which mostly revolves around the area of Bywater, is colourful and rich in detail, and presented with an art style that is best described as infallibly adorable.

As this game is purely about living life as a Hobbit, there's no action or combat. Your biggest daily stresses revolve around which meals to cook for second breakfast and how to cook them. While there's no wrong way, and Wētā Workshop has prioritised ensuring that there's no correct or incorrect ways to go about most things in this game, the cooking minigame does allow you to develop dishes that differ on a salty-sweet, tender-tough scale. This is important as one Hobbit might have alternative preferences to another meaning if you want to get into a certain character's good books you will need to cook them a dish that properly resonates with their taste.

But there's more than just cooking to occupy your time here. You can help the local Hobbits with tasks to raise the standing of Bywater and unlock rewards that will open the way to new abilities and gameplay mechanics. You can trade for new clothes to develop a signature style, and can generally explore the world to uncover secrets, all by using a waypoint system that ditches traditional map markers and arrows for butterflies that guide you to your destination. This game is truly relentlessly cute and that is a factor that remains regardless of the time of year.

Tales of the Shire features a seasonal system that means the crops you plant and can grow and your daily routines will change depending on whether the summer sun is beating down or if the winter snows are falling. It's not just the weather that will keep you on your toes however, as there will also be visits from some The Lord of the Rings icons, including a certain grey wandering wizard. And this is on top of being able to actually meet a few famous Hobbits that you either may recognise from the movies/books or from wider Middle-earth lore, be it Samwise Gamgee or Rosie Cotton. There will be many other famed faces referenced too, but the one that stands out is of course Bilbo Baggins, who for the purpose of this game will serve as a narrator that guides your Hobbit through their life.

Wētā Workshop did tell me during my preview session that while there are plenty of ways to continue the Tales of the Shire experience and to continue thriving in this lovely world, the main storyline does have a firm ending to reach.

While I only got to experience a brief snippet of Tales of the Shire, it was clear to me that Wētā Workshop has something very promising on their hands. This seems like a perfect way to blend the fantastical and amazing world of Middle-earth together with the relaxing and blissful nature of a life-sim title. Being able to take a load off, catch a fish, grow some plants, explore the wilderness, and all without worrying about starving to death or being skewered by an orc sounds like the perfect way to wind down after a busy day at work, and even after only 20 minutes of gameplay I'm absolutely eager to return to this world to continue shedding light on its secrets.