Play JRR Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings - Volume 1 Online

Interplay released The Lord of the Rings, Volume 1 for the Super Nintendo in 1994, a time when licensed games were often simple platformers or beat 'em ups. This one stood out by trying to capture the scope of the books, at least as much as the hardware would allow. It felt ambitious for a 16-bit cartridge, even if the execution was sometimes rough.

You control Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf, switching between them to use their unique skills. Frodo relies on stealth to avoid enemies, Aragorn fights with his sword, and Gandalf casts spells. The goal is to move the Fellowship from Bree to Rivendell, navigating screen by screen through forests, caves, and enemy camps. You collect items, solve simple environmental puzzles, and manage a limited inventory. The game is methodical, even slow, and the difficulty can spike unexpectedly during boss encounters. It feels like a thoughtful, sometimes clumsy, attempt to translate a dense story into an action-adventure mold.