Here’s another look at The Lord of The Rings: Gollum

With several delays now behind it, a release is finally in sight for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum – and ahead of its arrival later this year, developer Daedelic Entertainment has shared a fresh look at its stealthy action in a new gameplay trailer.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is, if you’re unaware, forging something of a unusual path through Middle-earth, taking its wide-eyed protagonist on an adventure that promises moments of both “subtle tactical stealth” and “fast-paced parkour action” across a mixture of open levels and more linear missions.

It’s a journey – one set before the events of The Lord of the Rings, chronology fans – that’ll span some familiar locales, ranging from the the mountains of Mordor to Mirkwood Forest. And it’s all shot through with an intriguing branching narrative element that’ll affect gameplay situations, dialogue, even animations and sound, depending on whether players give prominence to Gollum or the Sméagol side of his personality.

We’ve had various glimpses of The Lord of Rings: Gollum since its announcement back in 2019 – plus, Eurogamer’s Victoria Kennedy got to witness a larger chunk of the game in May last year – and Daedelic’s latest trailer offers a blend of both old and new. Pleasingly, though, it does (to my eyes at least) look considerably more polished this time around.

How it’ll all come together is anyone’s guess, but I’m hopeful the unusual approach Daedelic (a studio best known for its point-and-click adventures) is taking to Tolkein’s universe – and one of its most intriguing characters – will pay off. All will be revealed when The Lord of the Rings: Gollum launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch later this year.