What is Return to Moria, the dwarven crafting game?

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a survival crafting game developed by Free Range Games and published by North Beach Games. It was released for Windows on October 24, 2023, sold exclusively through the Epic Games Store at first, then for PlayStation 5 on December 5, 2023, and for Xbox Series X/S on August 27, 2024, the same day it arrived on Steam.

It is set in the Fourth Age, after the events of The Lord of the Rings, and it follows a company of dwarves trying to retake their homeland and restore the long lost ancient kingdom of Khazad-dum. The opening cinematic has Gimli leading a company of dwarves to the Doors of Durin, and then losing contact with them. Gimli is voiced by John Rhys-Davies, who played him in the films of the 2000s.

The Moria you reclaim is procedurally generated, so its layout differs between games, and it is usually dark. You mine iron, gold, quartz, gemstones and mithril to make tools, weapons, armour and structures, rebuild ancient dwarven buildings, and manage hunger, sleep, body temperature, willpower and noise while orcs, cave trolls and worse move in the deep. It can be played alone, or in online co-operative multiplayer, where one host can invite up to eight other players into their version of Moria.

Critics were divided, and the page should say so plainly. Metacritic summarised the PC and PlayStation 5 versions as mixed or average, at 59 and 51 out of 100, while the later Xbox version was rated generally favourable at 83. Eurogamer called it a moody, atmospheric descent that lacked polish, GameStar said it tickled the Middle-earth nerve of every fan while overstretching patience, IGN scored it 40, and PC Gamer called it an authentic and authentically gruelling game. A survival game about dwarves was never going to be gentle, and the reviews suggest this one took that literally.