Free Range Games and North Beach Games have been developing another installment in the expanded universe of Middle Earth in a very interesting way. The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a co-op survival crafting game set in the abandoned ruins of the once great dwarven kingdom of Moria. This will be the first survival crafting game under The Lord of The Rings franchise which could open the door for different game genres in that universe down the line.

The trailer from Summer Game Fest is narrated by John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in the classic Peter Jackson film trilogy. The player starts off by creating their own dwarf and then teams up with a group of friends or alone. The player(s) will then traverse into Moria and reclaim the dwarven homeland by crafting weapons and armor and clearing the mines of the dark lord’s remnants. The environments are procedurally generated so ores and materials will need to be rediscovered on every new playthrough to maintain the feel of discovery and progression no matter what.

Food, sleep, resources, temperature, and even sound levels will need to be managed to ensure survival. Bases can be built on ruins or from scratch and special items can be found like glowing swords, armor, and mithril veins which can be harvested through the establishment of mines. Dwarves are crafters too so armor and weapons can be crafted by finding minerals and reigniting forges that have long been snuffed out.

The story steps outside of the book’s timeline and into the fourth age after Sauron has been defeated. The player and their dwarf did not choose to return to Moria on a whim, however. Gimli Lockbearer, a member of the Fellowship, summons the player to return and help rebuild the glory of Moria. Despite taking place after the films, there are still shadows lurking in the depths like orcs and goblins. One false move could turn the expedition sour, so be careful when inevitably delving further into the caverns.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria will launch in the fall of 2023 for PC via the Epic Game Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.