The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
A turn-based RPG set alongside the events of the film trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is a 2004 turn-based role-playing game developed by EA Redwood Shores for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube, with a separate turn-based tactics version for the Game Boy Advance by Griptonite Games. Published by Electronic Arts, it loosely adapts Peter Jackson's film trilogy, following an original party on a parallel journey to the Fellowship. The game is notable for its use of the film license rather than J. R. R. Tolkien's novel, due to separate rights held by Vivendi Universal Games and Electronic Arts.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- EA Redwood Shores
- Publisher
- EA Games
- Producer
- Todd Arnold
- Designer
- Chris Tremmel
- Programmer
- Dom Regan
- Writer
- Michael Becker
- Platforms
- PlayStation 2
- Xbox
- GameCube
- Genre
- Role-playing
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The game alternates between third-person exploration in a 3D overworld and turn-based combat. Progression is structured around quests; each area has required quests to advance and optional side quests that offer rewards. The HUD displays a map with current objectives. Two icons indicate encounter types: the Eye of Sauron signals random battle probability (darker means more likely), and a blue Palantír marks approaching story battles (darker means closer), though not all scripted battles are preceded by this icon. The combat system resembles Final Fantasy X's Conditional Turn-Based (CTB) system, where time pauses during command selection, unlike the Active Time Battle system used in earlier Final Fantasy games. A battle queue shows turn order for party and enemies, which can be altered by abilities that slow, stun, or speed up characters. Up to three active party members are allowed in battle, with the option to swap members in and out; occasionally a fourth, film-based character joins for limited battles.
Synopsis
The narrative runs parallel to the film trilogy but is not intended as canonical to the films. The party appears in battles that were solo fights in the films, such as Gandalf versus the Balrog and Éowyn versus the Witch-king. It also includes events not in the films, like a battle with Gríma Wormtongue in Snowbourne and one against the Eye of Sauron atop Barad-dûr. Gandalf communicates with the protagonist Berethor through 'Epic Scenes'—collectible film clips with original narration that provide plot context and advice. The backstory covers the Second Age: after Morgoth's defeat, elves forged Rings of Power, unaware that Sauron, in disguise, taught the smiths and secretly made the One Ring in Mount Doom. When Sauron put on the Ring, the elves hid their Three Rings. Sauron conquered much of Middle-earth, killed Celebrimbor, and gave seven rings to dwarves (who became greedy) and nine to men (who became Nazgûl, led by the Witch-king).
Development
Electronic Arts first mentioned the game on October 4, 2002, shortly before the PlayStation 2 launch of The Two Towers, announcing an untitled RPG based on all three films for Fall 2004. On April 27, 2004, EA officially revealed the title The Third Age for GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance, describing it as a turn-based RPG similar to Final Fantasy X and X-2, with new characters and familiar film events seen from a new perspective, plus original missions and characters. An option to fight for Sauron was included. Development began in mid-2002, while The Two Towers was still in development, and intensified in late 2003 with the release of The Return of the King. Executive producer Steve Gray, who worked on Final Fantasy VII and Parasite Eve, had wanted to make a Lord of the Rings RPG since the 1990s but only got the chance after EA acquired the film rights.
Reception
The game received 'mixed or average reviews' on most platforms, with the Xbox version receiving 'generally favorable reviews' per Metacritic. Graphics and visuals were widely praised. Eurogamer's Patrick Garratt scored the Xbox version 7 out of 10, noting the combat system was similar to Final Fantasy X but lacked depth, while praising the combat sequences and story as fresh for LOTR fans. He called it an enjoyable but shallow entry-level RPG. GameSpy's Raymond Padilla gave it 3.5 out of 5, criticizing the plot and characters as uninteresting compared to the film counterparts, but describing the recreation of Middle-earth as phenomenal. He concluded that better RPGs and better Lord of the Rings games exist, but recommended it for those who have exhausted those options.
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