Tales of the Shire's Meals Shouldn't Be the Only Thing…

Upcoming indie simulation game Tales of the Shire has given players a sneak peek at its gameplay, not just through its early access, but with press releases and interviews from its developers. It’s been confirmed that Tales of the Shire will feature the standard fare of the simulation genre: fishing, cooking, farming, and so forth, are all parts of Tales of the Shire’s gameplay. However, developer Weta Workshop has confirmed that Tales of the Shire will put its own unique twist on this classic gameplay.

Tales of the Shire’s early access began in September 2024 for PC and received mixed reviews from simulation gamers and critics alike. This response explains the game’s pushback until July 29, the third delay of the indie simulation game. Weta Workshop initially slated Tales of the Shire for a 2024 release when the game was announced in 2023, but it seems that this initial release date was a bit overzealous.

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By LB Beistad

Shared Meals Represent Tales of the Shire's Main Theme

One of Tales of the Shire’s confirmed features is shared meals. Considering hobbits’ affinity towards food, it’s no surprise that a game about the Shire would include this as a feature. According to Stephen Lambert, Tales of the Shire’s creative director, sharing meals will be crucial to developing relationships with the Shire’s various Villagers. It seems that these shared meals could increase Friendship Levels with these characters, yet another standard gameplay feature of many simulation games.

Tales of the Shire also places a heavy emphasis on community. Lambert continued in his reveal of this shared meal gameplay that knowing the tastes of specific hobbits will be incredibly important to developing friendships with them. Therefore, learning about the interests of Tales of the Shire’s various Villagers will be integral to progressing gameplay and building community. Cooking itself also seems to be fairly involved and intricate, as players not only cook recipes, but must shop, grow, or forage for ingredients, find ingredients, and follow recipes to a T, whether that’s by following specific amounts of ingredients and seasonings or stirring for the correct length of time.

Other Tales of the Shire Gameplay Tasks Should Feature NPCs

If Weta Workshop wants to go all in on Tales of the Shire’s communal theme, shared meals shouldn’t be the only form of shared gameplay. As mentioned, features like fishing and farming have been confirmed for Tales of the Shire. It would make perfect sense for the Shire’s hobbits to also participate in these activities, though they may be more fond of cooking and eating.

A great example of a simulation game where gameplay involves both players and Villagers is Disney Dreamlight Valley. Though some players may find this gameplay annoying, Disney Dreamlight Valley’s Villagers follow players around as they collect resources, mine, fish, and so forth. Notably, specific Disney Dreamlight Valley Villagers will give players specific bonuses, making certain Villagers the perfect companion for some activities over others. This would be a great feature for Tales of the Shire to incorporate, as it makes the game’s hobbits more involved with players and strengthens its supposed theme of community.

While most of Tales of the Shire’s NPCs have yet to be revealed, it’s clear that many of the game’s NPCs will be named. Since the game is set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tales of the Shire may take the time to introduce characters from less well-known properties in the Tolkien canon. It would be unsurprising to see lots of new original hobbits as well. Given these parameters, Tales of the Shire could easily make certain hobbits better at certain tasks than others. This would provide an in-game explanation for why specific hobbits will travel with the player during various tasks. Ultimately, shared meals are the right direction for Tales of the Shire, but whether this gameplay will lead to expansion remains to be seen.

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