The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

GamingTrendAdam Moreno

85/100

Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a great time exploring, mining, drinking, singing, and more with friends on multiplayer than is steady with crossplay while also providing a solo mode for those wanting to handle things on their own and explore the mysteries of the Mines of Moria on their terms. With moments from John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, to lore drops in-game from characters such as Gandalf; Return to Moria will be a game any Lord of the Rings fan should have a fun time putting hours into.

Playstation UniverseZahid Ahmed

8.5/10

The Lord of The Rings: Return To Moria is a valiant attempt of crafting a great survival game, keeping players engaged and memories to be made. The gameplay may seem difficult and takes some time to adjust to, but just enjoy the experience for what it is and you will find youself entering the depths of Moria more than you anticipated.

But Why ThoKyle Foley

6/10

Return to Moria has a decent core that could have used a little bit more time in the tank to reach its full potential. Hopefully, community feedback will be taken into account and post-launch support will focus on improving some of the basic mechanics. If they do that, it has real potential to be one of the better survival crafting games in recent memory.

TheSixthAxisSteve C

6/10

Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria has the potential to be a challenging and enjoyable multiplayer experience. The loop of mining, crafting, and exploring is a satisfying one when overwhelming hordes of goblins aren’t haranguing you. There doesn’t seem to be any real optimisation for solo players so I’d probably stay clear unless you can get a band of dwarves together to brave the darkness of the mines.

EurogamerEmma Kent

Though it doesn't stray far from the standard survival game formula and often lacks polish, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria offers a moody, atmospheric descent through Tolkien's world - with plenty of lighter moments to be found along the way.

MMORPGEmily Byrnes

6/10

In the shadowy depths of Middle-earth, a new epic tale unfolds: Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, developed by Free Range Games and published by North Beach Games, beckons brave dwarves to rediscover the ancient mysteries and face the challenges lurking beneath the mountains. Also, there are female dwarves. With beards.

TechRaptorRobert N Adams

5.5/10

Despite deep respect for the lore and bold ambitions, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria falls short of greatness due to questionable design choices and aggravating bugs.

WayTooManyGamesThomas Medina

5/10

The year 2023 has been a real monkey’s paw for Lord of the Rings fans. As a huge Middle-Earth fan, I’m always wanting more games utilizing the legendary IP. We’ve gotten some genuinely fantastic games from it, well beyond usual IP cash grabs. Lord of the Rings Online, Battle for Middle-Earth, The Third Age, Shadow of War are all exceptional titles that showed the flexibility of the IP in skilled hands. So 2023 should have been a cause for celebration. Two Middle-Earth games this year,...

TheGamerBen Sledge

Mithril mining has never been so lore accurate, or so mind-numbingly repetitive

GameTyrant Noah Cochrane

5/10

LotR: Return to Moria is a survival base-building game based in the mines of Moria where you play as a Dwarf(s) that gets separated from their crew because of a nasty cave-in. In true LotR fashion you take a long trek to try and regroup with them. Along the way you learn more about what has happe

Checkpoint GamingBree Maybe

4.5/10

After accomplishing the utterly daunting task of reviewing The Lord of the Rings: Gollum earlier this year, I was itching to play a game set in the universe of Middle Earth that isn’t a potential contender for the worst game of the year. The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria was already on my radar, so it seemed like the best bet.

PolygonFord James

Unscored

Return to Moria isn’t the worst offender in a sea of bad survival games, and there’s certainly enjoyment to be found exploring Khazad-dûm’s depths if you’re with friends — but as a mainly solo dwarf, progress is slow, combat is frustrating, and exploration features far too much backtracking in the linear world you’re in. There’s a certain satisfaction in upgrading my gear and taking out tougher enemies, and ultimately, I still want to get back to Lord Gimli. But the structure of the game is at odds with the mechanics, and the disappointing combat doesn’t help. A few patches could see this beco...