The Lord of The Ringshas been a massive fantasy franchise ever since its publication in 1954. Part of the draw for readers isthe vast world of Middle-earthdescribed in the novels. Each area of this fictional continent is varied and offers fans something new to explore. Some of these locations were even brought to life in Peter Jackson’sLord of the Rings’movie trilogy.
However, some aspects of Middle-earth were left unexplored in these epic blockbusters. Recent games likeGollumandReturn to Moriahave both allowed gamers to roam around both Mordor and Mora, respectively. As such, other games could surely shine a spotlight onto other parts of Middle-earth.
7The Shire
Almost everyone is aware that The Shire is a prominent part of Tolkien’s world. It is where some of his most popular stories got their start, after all. Despite this, fans of his work would give anything to return there in a video game.
As the peaceful home to the hobbits, there isn’t much that goes onin the borders of The Shire. However, the endless rolling hills and fields in this part of Middle-earth could lend itself to some kind of crafting/resource management game. If a developer wanted to tie in the game to the movies, they could even set it during the time Bilbo or Frodo were on one of their adventures.
6Mirkwood
The forest of Mirkwood was once called Greenwood and is the home ofone of Frodo’s companions, Legolas.Sadly, this vast forest is slowly becoming corrupted by the dark lord Sauron in the Third Age, forcing the elves who call the forest home into regular combat.
Such a dichotomy of inhabitants makes Mirkwood one of the more interesting places in Middle-earth. Having a forest as an open-world in a video game is nothing new, but the good and evil creatures that live here could provide gamers with two unique campaigns in one Middle-earth based game.
5Rohan
The horse lords of Rohan have a huge presence in two parts of theLord of the Ringstrilogy. Despite this, readers spend very little in the country itself. Fans know that Rohan ishome to some of the last free people in Middle-earth,and that makes them a target of both Sauron and Saruman, but that is it.
Rohan has a long and storied history that is detailed within the book. Readers even get to learn about past kings from the region, such as Eorl and Helm Hammerhand. This could leave Rohan open to a great military strategy game similar to theMount and Bladeseries. Players could take command of a captain and try to rally troops under their banner while fighting off the influence of the dark lord.
4Harad
Harad is the desert land of the south of Middle-earth who is a firm ally of Sauron. Their troops make a huge appearance at the Battle of Pelennor fields, with the oliphaunts of the regionmaking the biggest impression among film-goers.
None of Tolkien’s works actually take place in Harad, which makes the region perfect for adaptation. All that is known is that this part of the continent was once under control of Gondor until Sauron managed to sway the cruel Haradrim to his side. Such a history and aesthetic would be perfect for anAssassin’s Creedstyle game with political intrigue and stealth-based combat.
3Gondor
One of the major cities in Gondor, Minis Tirith, is where Gandalf and the rest of the free people choose to make their final stand against Sauron inThe Return of the King. As a result, fans of the series are quite familiar with this part of Middle-earth. However, Gondor is amuch bigger region than this,and is made up of several different fiefdoms.
Each fiefdom of the country lives and acts completely different from each other. Therefore, Gondor could provide the perfect backdrop for an interesting open-world game set at the heart of the War of the Ring. This story could also have players run into a few recognizable names like Boromir, Angbor the Fearless, or Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth.
2The Northern Waste
The northernmost part on the map of Middle-earth is a mountainous region that is simply labeled The Northern Waste. Such a mysterious region has provided fans with a blank slate to create many of their own stories set in Middle-earth, and the region is looselyexplored inThe War in the Northgame from 2011.
Little is known about this part of Middle-earth other than it is a desolate wasteland that has become the home of many dragons and other foul creatures. Therefore, a location like this could really showcase some of the beasts in Middle-earth in a game that plays similar to Monster Hunter and other similar titles.
1Numenor
The island of Numenor had long since passed into legend by the time ofThe Lord of the Rings.However, this island nation was still a huge part of Middle-earth in the second age and was depicted in the first season ofThe Rings of Power. Manytales of the drowned island are still told throughout Tolkien’s legendarium.
Since Numenor is an island, the ships available to its people could serve as the focus of a video game. Sailing around inAssassin’s Creed 4: Black FlagandSea of Thievesis endless fun, so why not add these types of mechanics to a game set in Middle-earth? What’s more, setting a game in Numenor gives the developer’s the freedom to avoid any major narrative beats fromThe Lord of the Rings.
MORE:The Lord Of The Rings: 10 Middle-earth Events The Games Could Explore
