How Tales of the Shire Can Shed Light on the Farthest Reaches of Middle-earth

Highlights

• Tales of the Shire combines cozy life sim features with Lord of the Rings elements in Bywater village.
• Players can help Bywater grow while living out the Hobbit’s dream through activities like fishing and gardening.
• The game can expand beyond the Shire by introducing region-themed items and having travelers visit Bywater.

Tales of the Shire has plenty in store for Lord of the Rings and cozy life sim fans alike, as it takes familiar elements of popular cozy games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing and combines them with The Lord of the Rings‘ Hobbits for a unique experience. Set in the growing village of Bywater, Tales of the Shire sees players building up the village and their own Hobbit hole in it by participating in a variety of cozy activities. While one of the main goals in Tales of the Shire will be helping Bywater reach village status, players will still be encouraged to establish their own life within the game by doing things like furnishing their home, fishing, cooking, foraging, and gardening — essentially living the Hobbit’s dream within the Shire.

Tales of the Shire may only be set in the Shire, but that doesn’t mean it has to be completely confined to the Shire. There are ways the cozy Lord of the Rings life sim could reach the often overlooked areas of Middle-earth without its Hobbits ever leaving the nest. Thanks to Tales of the Shire‘s many cozy features, players could potentially bring the farthest reaches of Middle-earth to Bywater rather than venturing off to explore them. Furthermore, those lands might even make their way over to Bywater voluntarily, all figuratively speaking.

How Tales of the Shire Can Involve Middle-earth’s Uncharted Territories

Tales of the Shire Could Let Players Craft Region-Themed Items

One of the best ways Tales of the Shire could bring other regions of Middle-earth into Bywater is by allowing players to craft region-themed furniture and other items like clothing and decorations. Regions like Far Harad, which is known for its exotic animals, and Dorwinion, which is known for its fine wines, could “visit” Bywater via themed furniture. Furthermore, other lands like Rhun and Khand could be featured on paintings players could hang on the walls of their Hobbit hole, complete with descriptions of their history to flesh out the lore of each of these regions a little more than even the books were able to accomplish.

It might also make sense for Tales of the Shire‘s shops to have a weekly rotation of goods based on certain themes, similar to Animal Crossing‘s seasonal rotation of furniture and items. Perhaps players could inquire about the current theme to learn more about the featured region from the shopkeeper. This could help Tales of the Shire feel like it’s taking place in Middle-earth rather than the Shire only.

Travelers From Distant Lands Could Regularly Visit Bywater

Another fairly obvious way Tales of the Shire could travel outside of the Shire without leaving it is by having travelers from distant lands regularly visit Bywater, and perhaps even staying for a few nights at the Green Dragon Inn. Here, players could have conversations with them about their homelands, which adds even more depth to Tales of the Shire’s lore and helps it feel like an authentic depiction of The Lord of the Rings‘ Middle-earth.

It’s unclear just how far Tales of the Shire will go in terms of its lore, but based on what has been revealed so far, it seems to take The Lord of the Rings lore very seriously. As such, players can expect a genuine Lord of the Rings experience, although it would help to see much more than the Shire represented in its version of Bywater. However, simply implementing different region-themed designs for furniture and items or adding interesting lore entries to them might help the game feel even bigger than it initially lets on.