Tales of the Shirehas an inherently strong premise. Traditional cozy life-sim gameplay mechanics like fishing, gardening, foraging, and cooking all fit the life of a Hobbit perfectly, and based on the pre-release trailers, it seems as thoughdeveloper Weta Workshopis making the most out ofTales of the Shire’s eponymous setting as well.
Set in the Third Age, reportedly between the events ofThe HobbitandFellowship of the Ring,Tales of the Shiretakes place in the calm before the storm. The dark forces of Mordor are growing in power, but that’s far away from the idyllic fields and rivers of Bywater. But ifTales of the Shireever gets a sequel, a later setting could be just as cozy, albeit in a different way.
A Sequel to Tales of the Shire Already Has The Perfect Possible Setting
A Tales of the Shire Sequel Set in The Fourth Age Could Be Great
The Fourth Age of Middle-earth begins pretty much as soon asThe Lord of the Ringsends, with Frodo, Gandalf, and Bilbo heading off to the Undying Lands while Samwise returns home to the Shire. When the Fourth Age begins, the world is still very much reeling from the War of the Ring. The kingdoms of men have been decimated, thrones are changing hands, the elves are leaving Middle-earth, and even the Shire is recovering from Saruman’s brief but brutal rule over it.
TheHobbit village of Bywater– whereTales of the Shireis set – is in ruins by the end of the Third Age, with it being the site of the final battle of the War of the Ring, where Saruman is finally killed at the hands of Grima Wormtongue. IfTales of the Shireever receives a sequel, it would make a lot of sense for it to be set right at the start of the Fourth Age, where players need to rebuild their destroyed home of Bywater, and restore light to a world that was just plunged into darkness.
A New Setting Could Give Tales of the Shire More Room To Expand
ATales of the Shiresequel set in the Fourth Agewould also have the opportunity to expand further afield. Along with the ability to explore and rebuild more of the Shire than just Bywater, aTales of the Shiresequel could let players journey to other iconicLord of the Ringslocations.
On the frontlines of the war, Rohan and Gondor suffered the worst of Sauron’s evil. These kingdoms would need all the help they could get to restore villages back to their former glory, and that’s whereTales of the Shire 2’s player-character could come in. These new settings would pave the way for some new character cameos, includingthe new kings of Rohan and Gondor, Eomer and Aragorn, along with any other returningLord of the Ringscharacters who may be lending a hand in the clean-up process.
Once unlocked, players could then swap between these locations at will, establishing homes in the Shire, Rohan, and Gondor simultaneously. Each area would also provide unique resources that could be used to craft new customization items that could be used across all three homes. This setting might initially be a tad darker thanTales of the Shire’s Third Age setting, but the process of gradually restoring a world piece-by-piece could be very satisfying and cozy in its own regard.
