[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"similar-games-the-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria":3,"game-the-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria":5},{"similarGames":4},[],{"game":6,"hasUserReviewed":23},{"id":7,"name":8,"summary":9,"cover_image":10,"header_image":11,"trailer_url":12,"release_date":13,"avg_score":14,"igdb_id":15,"slug":16,"steam_app_id":17,"companies":18,"genres":27,"platforms":30,"reviews":34,"coverImage":10,"headerImage":11,"trailerUrl":12,"releaseDate":13,"criticReviewCount":277,"userReviewCount":278,"previewCount":278,"publishers":279,"developers":280,"userReviews":281,"hasUserReviewed":23,"steamAppId":17},105722,"The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria","The only survival crafting game set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the iconic fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien.","105722\u002FThe Lord of the Rings Return to Moria Cover.webp","105722\u002FThe Lord of the Rings Return to Moria Header.webp","https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002Fh9Pa9kN65X0","2023-10-24",61.13,204460,"the-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria",2933130,[19,24],{"company":20,"developed":22,"published":23},{"name":21},"Free Range Games",true,false,{"company":25,"developed":23,"published":22},{"name":26},"North Beach Games",[28,29],"Role-playing (RPG)","Adventure",[31,32,33],"PC (Microsoft Windows)","PlayStation 5","Xbox Series X|S",[35,51,67,82,97,113,128,142,155,169,183,198,212,226,240,254,265],{"id":36,"author":37,"outlet":40,"summary":46,"review_url":47,"review_date":48,"original_score":49,"normalized_score":50},50,{"id":38,"name":39},25,"Robert N Adams",{"id":41,"logo":42,"name":43,"website_url":44,"score_format":45},1,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FTechRaptor%20Logo.png","TechRaptor","https:\u002F\u002Ftechraptor.net","10","Despite deep respect for the lore and bold ambitions, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria falls short of greatness due to questionable design choices and aggravating bugs.","https:\u002F\u002Ftechraptor.net\u002Fgaming\u002Freviews\u002Flord-of-rings-return-to-moria-review-even-darkness-must-pass","2023-11-01","5.5",55,{"id":52,"author":53,"outlet":56,"summary":62,"review_url":63,"review_date":64,"original_score":65,"normalized_score":66},17321,{"id":54,"name":55},1020,"Emma Kent",{"id":57,"logo":58,"name":59,"website_url":60,"score_format":61},8,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FEuroGamer-Logo.png","Eurogamer","https:\u002F\u002Feurogamer.net","5","Though it doesn't stray far from the standard survival game formula and often lacks polish, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria offers a moody, atmospheric descent through Tolkien's world - with plenty of lighter moments to be found along the way.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.eurogamer.net\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review","2023-11-03","3\u002F5",60,{"id":68,"author":69,"outlet":72,"summary":77,"review_url":78,"review_date":79,"original_score":80,"normalized_score":81},22497,{"id":70,"name":71},193,"Ashley Erickson",{"id":73,"logo":74,"name":75,"website_url":76,"score_format":45},26,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameSkinny-logo.png","Game Skinny","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gameskinny.com","If you've ever wanted to explore Moria more than was done in the Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is for you.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gameskinny.com\u002Freviews\u002Flord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review-speak-friend-and-rebuild-an-empire\u002F","2023-10-28","8\u002F10",80,{"id":83,"author":84,"outlet":87,"summary":92,"review_url":93,"review_date":94,"original_score":95,"normalized_score":96},44903,{"id":85,"name":86},3952,"Zahid Ahmed",{"id":88,"logo":89,"name":90,"website_url":91,"score_format":45},62,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FPlaystation-Universe-Logo.jpg","Playstation Universe","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.psu.com\u002F","The Lord of The Rings: Return To Moria is a valiant attempt of crafting a great survival game, keeping players engaged and memories to be made. The gameplay may seem difficult and takes some time to adjust to, but just enjoy the experience for what it is and you will find youself entering the depths of Moria more than you anticipated.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.psu.com\u002Freviews\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-ps5-review\u002F","2023-12-18","8.5",85,{"id":98,"author":99,"outlet":102,"summary":108,"review_url":109,"review_date":110,"original_score":111,"normalized_score":112},30860,{"id":100,"name":101},2283,"Tom Sykes",{"id":103,"logo":104,"name":105,"website_url":106,"score_format":107},35,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FPCGamer-Logo.jpg","PC Gamer","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcgamer.com\u002F","100","Surviving in the long dark of Khazad-dûm is atmospheric and authentic, but too rough around the edges to be satisfying.\n","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcgamer.com\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review\u002F","2023-10-27","58",58,{"id":114,"author":115,"outlet":118,"summary":124,"review_url":125,"review_date":126,"original_score":127,"normalized_score":127},31393,{"id":116,"name":117},2221,"Ford James",{"id":119,"logo":120,"name":121,"website_url":122,"score_format":123},36,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fpolygon-logo.png","Polygon","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.polygon.com\u002F","unscored","Return to Moria isn’t the worst offender in a sea of bad survival games, and there’s certainly enjoyment to be found exploring Khazad-dûm’s depths if you’re with friends — but as a mainly solo dwarf, progress is slow, combat is frustrating, and exploration features far too much backtracking in the linear world you’re in. There’s a certain satisfaction in upgrading my gear and taking out tougher enemies, and ultimately, I still want to get back to Lord Gimli. But the structure of the game is at odds with the mechanics, and the disappointing combat doesn’t help. A few patches could see this become a survival game that can hold its own against the more popular entries in the genre, but as it stands, perhaps the dwarves should’ve let the orcs claim Moria and built their new kingdom somewhere else.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.polygon.com\u002Freviews\u002F23945521\u002Flord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-game-review","2023-11-04",null,{"id":129,"author":130,"outlet":133,"summary":138,"review_url":139,"review_date":140,"original_score":141,"normalized_score":66},78883,{"id":131,"name":132},5837,"Steve C",{"id":134,"logo":135,"name":136,"website_url":137,"score_format":45},56,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FTheSixthAxis-Logo.jpg","TheSixthAxis","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thesixthaxis.com\u002F","Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria has the potential to be a challenging and enjoyable multiplayer experience. The loop of mining, crafting, and exploring is a satisfying one when overwhelming hordes of goblins aren’t haranguing you. There doesn’t seem to be any real optimisation for solo players so I’d probably stay clear unless you can get a band of dwarves together to brave the darkness of the mines.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thesixthaxis.com\u002F2023\u002F12\u002F03\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review\u002F","2023-12-03","6.0",{"id":143,"author":144,"outlet":147,"summary":152,"review_url":153,"review_date":48,"original_score":154,"normalized_score":36},64763,{"id":145,"name":146},3201,"Ben Sledge",{"id":148,"logo":149,"name":150,"website_url":151,"score_format":61},83,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FTheGamer-Logo.png","TheGamer","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thegamer.com\u002F","Mithril mining has never been so lore accurate, or so mind-numbingly repetitive","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thegamer.com\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review\u002F","2.5",{"id":156,"author":157,"outlet":160,"summary":165,"review_url":166,"review_date":167,"original_score":168,"normalized_score":66},68423,{"id":158,"name":159},4699,"Kyle Foley",{"id":161,"logo":162,"name":163,"website_url":164,"score_format":45},38,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FBut-Why-Tho-Logo.jpg","But Why Tho","https:\u002F\u002Fbutwhytho.net\u002F","Return to Moria has a decent core that could have used a little bit more time in the tank to reach its full potential. Hopefully, community feedback will be taken into account and post-launch support will focus on improving some of the basic mechanics. If they do that, it has real potential to be one of the better survival crafting games in recent memory.","https:\u002F\u002Fbutwhytho.net\u002F2023\u002F10\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review\u002F","2025-01-24","6\u002F10",{"id":170,"author":171,"outlet":174,"summary":179,"review_url":180,"review_date":13,"original_score":181,"normalized_score":182},54825,{"id":172,"name":173},4534,"Tina Vatore",{"id":175,"logo":176,"name":177,"website_url":178,"score_format":45},45,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameGrin%20Logo.png","GameGrin","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamegrin.com\u002F","The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a decently fun time. While not perfect, it’s a unique take on a sandbox survival game.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamegrin.com\u002Freviews\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review\u002F","6.50",65,{"id":184,"author":185,"outlet":188,"summary":193,"review_url":194,"review_date":195,"original_score":196,"normalized_score":197},76052,{"id":186,"name":187},2717,"Josh Broadwell",{"id":189,"logo":190,"name":191,"website_url":192,"score_format":45},70,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FShackNews-Logo.jpg","ShackNews","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.shacknews.com\u002F","This is an awful lot of complaining, but once I stockpiled enough stuff, I did enjoy actually building with it. Return to Moria makes putting things together simple and enjoyable, as long as you meet a few basic requirements. Free Range uses logic in the best possible ways. It’s important if you’re building something top-heavy that would and should collapse without the right supports. It’s out the window completely for other things. Wanna stick a tiny wooden platform in a sheer stone wall so you can climb around? Do it! Does it make physical sense? No! But it does make exploring and building more fun.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.shacknews.com\u002Farticle\u002F137572\u002Flord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review-score","2023-10-30","4\u002F10",40,{"id":199,"author":200,"outlet":203,"summary":208,"review_url":209,"review_date":210,"original_score":211,"normalized_score":96},91303,{"id":201,"name":202},7731,"Adam Moreno",{"id":204,"logo":205,"name":206,"website_url":207,"score_format":107},130,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGamingTrend-Logo.jpg","GamingTrend","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingtrend.com","Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a great time exploring, mining, drinking, singing, and more with friends on multiplayer than is steady with crossplay while also providing a solo mode for those wanting to handle things on their own and explore the mysteries of the Mines of Moria on their terms. With moments from John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, to lore drops in-game from characters such as Gandalf; Return to Moria will be a game any Lord of the Rings fan should have a fun time putting hours into.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingtrend.com\u002Freviews\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review-cook-adventure-mine-repeat\u002F","2024-09-20","85",{"id":213,"author":214,"outlet":217,"summary":222,"review_url":223,"review_date":110,"original_score":224,"normalized_score":225},97224,{"id":215,"name":216},8852,"Aidan Lambourne",{"id":218,"logo":219,"name":220,"website_url":221,"score_format":45},136,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FPCInvasion.jpg","PC Invasion","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcinvasion.com\u002F","Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria blends survival adventure and sandbox together fantastically. A very satisfying and rewarding experience all around.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcinvasion.com\u002Flord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review-form-your-own-stubby-fellowship\u002F","7.5",75,{"id":227,"author":228,"outlet":231,"summary":236,"review_url":237,"review_date":238,"original_score":239,"normalized_score":36},100309,{"id":229,"name":230},8966,"Thomas Medina",{"id":232,"logo":233,"name":234,"website_url":235,"score_format":45},138,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FWayTooManyGames.png","WayTooManyGames","https:\u002F\u002Fwaytoomany.games\u002F","The year 2023 has been a real monkey’s paw for Lord of the Rings fans. As a huge Middle-Earth fan, I’m always wanting more games utilizing the legendary IP. We’ve gotten some genuinely fantastic games from it, well beyond usual IP cash grabs. Lord of the Rings Online, Battle for Middle-Earth, The Third Age, Shadow of War are all exceptional titles that showed the flexibility of the IP in skilled hands. So 2023 should have been a cause for celebration. Two Middle-Earth games this year,...","https:\u002F\u002Fwaytoomany.games\u002F2023\u002F11\u002F20\u002Freview-the-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria\u002F","2023-11-20","5.0",{"id":241,"author":242,"outlet":245,"summary":250,"review_url":251,"review_date":252,"original_score":253,"normalized_score":175},102324,{"id":243,"name":244},8993,"Bree Maybe",{"id":246,"logo":247,"name":248,"website_url":249,"score_format":45},140,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fcheckpoint-gaming.jpg","Checkpoint Gaming","https:\u002F\u002Fcheckpointgaming.net\u002F","After accomplishing the utterly daunting task of reviewing The Lord of the Rings: Gollum earlier this year, I was itching to play a game set in the universe of Middle Earth that isn’t a potential contender for the worst game of the year. The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria was already on my radar, so it seemed like the best bet.","https:\u002F\u002Fcheckpointgaming.net\u002Freviews\u002F2023\u002F11\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review-delved-too-greedily-and-too-deep\u002F","2023-11-13","4.5",{"id":255,"author":256,"outlet":259,"summary":263,"review_url":264,"review_date":48,"original_score":141,"normalized_score":66},66238,{"id":257,"name":258},5130,"Emily Byrnes",{"id":197,"logo":260,"name":261,"website_url":262,"score_format":45},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FMMORPG%20Logo.png","MMORPG","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mmorpg.com\u002F","In the shadowy depths of Middle-earth, a new epic tale unfolds: Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, developed by Free Range Games and published by North Beach Games, beckons brave dwarves to rediscover the ancient mysteries and face the challenges lurking beneath the mountains. Also, there are female dwarves. With beards.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mmorpg.com\u002Freviews\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review-2000129306",{"id":266,"author":267,"outlet":270,"summary":275,"review_url":276,"review_date":48,"original_score":61,"normalized_score":36},2239316,{"id":268,"name":269},17874,"Noah Cochrane",{"id":271,"logo":272,"name":273,"website_url":274,"score_format":45},159,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fgametyrant.webp","Game Tyrant ","https:\u002F\u002Fgametyrant.com\u002F","LotR: Return to Moria  is a survival base-building game based in the mines of Moria where you play as a Dwarf(s) that gets separated from their crew because of a nasty cave-in. In true  LotR  fashion you take a long trek to try and regroup with them. Along the way you learn more about what has happe","https:\u002F\u002Fgametyrant.com\u002Fnews\u002Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-return-to-moria-review-return-to-bore-ia",17,0,[26],[21],[]]