The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

Summary
• The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria launches on August 27 for Xbox Series X|S.
• The same day marks the release of “version 2.0” – featuring Sandbox Mode on all platforms, new systems and content, as well as all patches and updates previously released.
• The game will support full Crossplay between Xbox and PC
• Developer: Free Range Games and North Beach Games
• The game will be updated to version 2.0, The Golden Update, with a brand-new Sandbox mode included

The story of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria takes players beyond the books and into the Fourth Age of Middle-Earth, the fantastical world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Summoned to the Misty Mountains by Lord Gimli Lockbearer (voiced in-game by actor John Rhys-Davies), players band together as a company of Dwarves tasked to reclaim the lost spoils from the Dwarven homeland of Moria — known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf — in the depths below their very feet.

Open world survival crafting games generally lean towards sandbox and non-linear gameplay, where players have the freedom to explore and create their own stories. However, the world of The Lord of the Rings thrives on epic journeys and well-defined narratives. In creating Return to Moria, there are two distinct world types: Campaign and Sandbox.

Campaign mode delivers a rich, story-driven experience. This mode is designed to be linear, providing a structured journey with a clear beginning, middle, and end. It’s crafted to give players a traditional adventure that aligns with the grand narratives found in Tolkien’s works. Players are part of a team of Dwarves who are trying to enter the familiar gates of Moria but are blocked by some kind of evil magic that prevents the doors from opening.

Following a mishap, the players become trapped in the ruins of the Westgate region of Moria, and must use their craft, wits, and mighty weapons to navigate the perilous dark halls to find the exit far to the Eastern end. Featuring both solo and co-operative play, Campaign mode gives players a procedurally generated experience, connected with epic story moments and terrible bosses that must be defeated, in order to rejoin Gimli and the dwarves trapped outside.

The release of Sandbox Mode on Xbox represents a whole new way to play. This non-linear mode unleashes the full potential of the procedural generation system, and the game world is generated with a wide variety of random seeds, meaning each playthrough can vary significantly in layout and difficulty. The dynamics here are vastly different: there’s no handholding.

From the moment you start, you make all the choices, and can face dangers that don’t necessarily match your skill level. This mode doesn’t push you forward; it lets you move at your own pace, encouraging exploration and experimentation. Players familiar with Campaign mode will immediately be delighted as the procedurally generated map in Sandbox sends them in completely different directions, often in a much more vertical direction. Navigating the many halls of Moria is never easy, but now players will face more challenges in finding the best path through (sometimes to go down, you must first go up!)

While in Campaign mode, the player knows that they always progress from Westgate to the Elven Quarter, that is not necessarily true in Sandbox. So, they may take a familiar turn and face a new vista or end up squared off with a powerful foe in an unexpected place. Sandbox mode features unique unlockable weapons and armor, which can be taken back into any game mode once discovered in a Sandbox game.

Whether you choose the guided journey of the Campaign or the unpredictable adventure of the Sandbox, you’re in for an immersive experience that celebrates both the lore of Middle-earth and the thrill of survival gaming.

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