The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a brand-new game set to be released in spring 2023 that is billed as "the only survival crafting game set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth."
This new game based on J.R.R. Tolkien's work was revealed during the Epic Games Summer Showcase and comes from independent developer Free Range Games and publisher North Beach Games.
Return to Moria will follows the Dwarves of Middle-earth as they "embark on an original adventure to reclaim and restore their Dwarven homeland of Moria." At launch, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria will be available exclusively on PC via the Epic Games Store.
"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," the official description reads. "Summoned to the Misty Mountains by Lord Gimli Lockbearer, players take control of 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.
"Their quest will require fortitude, delving deep into the Mines of Moria to recover its treasures. Players will join forces to survive, craft, build and explore the iconic, sprawling mines. Courageous expeditioners will need to be vigilant as mysterious dangers await."
The game will be procedurally generated, meaning every adventure players embark on either by themselves or with friends will be new and unknown. Throughout each playthrough, players will need to mine while being conscious of the amount of noise they are making alongside monitoring hunger, sleep, temperature, resources, and more.
Base building will play a huge part in Return to Moria, and players will also have the chance to recover Dwarven landmarks as the story progresses. This is all on top of uncovering magic artifacts like "swords that glow when Orcs are near, maps of long-dormant Mithril veins, books with forgotten crafting plans and amulets that give strength or wisdom."
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria takes place in the Fourth Age, which is the age after the events of the films/books and two ages past the timeline where Amazon's The Lord of the Rings series will take place.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch