'Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age': A Retrospective
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age promotional artwork
Image source: YouTube
The Lord of the Rings has had some pretty solid video games over the years. From the game version of the trilogy to the Battle for Middle Earth games and the Shadow of War series, Tolkien fans have it pretty good. One overlooked gem is one that doesn’t deserve to be as obscure as it is. It has a great story, engaging gameplay, awesome combat, and is all around just fun. I’m talking of course about The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age.
Released in 2004 for PS2, Xbox and Gamecube, TTA takes a sort of Lion King 1 1/2 approach to its story. It centers around Berethor, a banished Gondorian soldier who is looking for Boromir. He is rescued from some Nazgul by the elf Idrial, and from there you fight and explore across Middle Earth, following the plot of the movie trilogy. You’re often one step behind the Fellowship, especially in the beginning, but you’re there for all of the main story beats, including helping Gandalf fight the Balrog, Helms Deep and Minas Tirith. Along the way you pick up more allies, powers, and better weapons and armor, culminating on a fight on top of Barad-Dur against the Eye of Sauron. How’d you get up there, and how did you get down? Don’t know.
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The combat is turn based in the manner of a Final Fantasy game. This adds a level of strategy to combat that you don’t see in the button mashing of the other games. You can either do a primary attack with your main weapon, or a secondary attack that adds more power, casts spells, steals items, or other bonuses depending on the character.
The Balrog from Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
Image source: Rose Tinted Reset
An issue with the combat is that by the end of the game, you have six characters to play as, but only three can be used during any given combat encounter. By about halfway through the game, you’ve chosen your core three, and the others are kind of just in the background, only used when your core trio is low on health or if the story takes one of them out for a bit. Considering how much you have to grind to get some of the really good powers, this can bring the game to a grinding halt.
The characters in the game are a bit of a mixed bag. Berethor is a pretty decent protagonist, and his interactions with Idrial are good, especially when the full scope of why she’s there with him are revealed. The ranger Elegost and his dwarf friend Hadhod make for a fun pair in the beginning, but get kind of forgotten as the story goes along. Shieldmaiden Morwen is decent, but kind of half baked, and king’s guard Eaoden seems to be there to just fill the roster out. If you cut him out of the game, nothing is lost story-wise, and I’ve almost never had him as one of the core three. His spirit powers aren’t that great.
A Troll from Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
Image source: Game Pass Compare
But beyond that, the game is still worth playing. And it’s no short game either. Depending on how much you want to grind and complete, it takes about twenty five hours to complete, so it’s not a “play it in one day and be done” kind of game. The developers did a great job bringing Middle Earth to life, and you really do feel like you’re playing in the movies. There is a ton to explore, and there are always enemies around every corner as you traverse the land, fighting alongside heroes from the films and looting treasure boxes that are scattered around the land.
While the characters are a bit mixed, the story is engaging for the most part, and the combat is a fun challenge. I’ve played through this game several times, and I’m sure I’ll pick it up again. If you haven’t and still have an older game system around that can play it, definitely give it a look. I’m hoping that it gets a remaster someday. Unlikely, but you never know.
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