"Unlocking Rare Resources in LOTR: Return to Moria"
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, an open-world survival game set in the famous underground labyrinth, disappoints with its restrictive linear exploration and frustrating mechanics. The game lacks the freedom to explore and make mistakes, hindering the sense of intrigue and discovery. The tile-based system adds suffocating linearity to a genre that thrives on open-endedness, and the back-and-forth traveling is made more painful by lackluster combat. While there is enjoyment to be found with friends, solo play is slow and progress is hindered. With some patches, the game could improve, but as it stands, it falls short compared to other survival games in the genre.