We all know and have observed that MMORPGs share a lot of common DNA. It’s what makes comparisons possible and adaptation between games easy. I absolutely wouldn’t argue with anyone who said that Lord of the Rings Online displays many features and design elements that we see elsewhere in the genre, especially among the so-called “WoW clones.”
However, it’s always the divergent trends that fascinate me about LOTRO. There are many ways that this game jukes away from your typical MMO — some big, some small. Today, I want to talk about four genre trends that Lord of the Rings Online actually avoided over its two decades of operation and what that makes this game all the more special.
Oversexualizing its characters
In an industry where “jiggle physics” is a thing that serious reporters write up in pieces about eastern MMOs and where chainmail bikinis are the hottest fashion of 2004, it’s interesting to note that LOTRO never really tries to sex up its characters.
Seriously, try this experiment: Take off all your character’s gear and clothes. In most MMOs, you’d be standing there in skimpy Victoria’s Secret silky lingerie or briefs. In LOTRO, you actually look more modest than if you had your clothes on.
The male and female gaze isn’t really a thing in this game. Characters can be beautiful and graceful, but the artists clearly drew the line at plunging necklines and wiggling tushies. And I can respect that because it makes characters less of a virtual plaything. Modesty is an underrated virtue in the gaming world, and it’s refreshing to be in one title where it’s embraced.
Adding flying mounts
Eagle Transport Ltd. aside, flying isn’t much of a mode of transportation in Tolkien’s books, and so it makes sense from a lore perspective that it’s never been added to the game. It makes even more sense from a technical standpoint, because this title was not designed for flight. Remember that even World of Warcraft had to rework its entire landmass to allow for flight in Cataclysm — that’s the kind of effort that would have to be poured into this game, and it’s not just feasible.
In any case, I’m glad it’s not. Flying is fun, but it fundamentally changes how you explore and encounter a game’s world. LOTRO feels big and sprawling and wild for those of us clinging to its surface, and I don’t ever want that to change.
Reinventing its core gameplay loop
There have been many changes to LOTRO over the years — some significant, some good, some ill-advised — but I’d argue that the fundamental gameplay loop that was in place for launch day in 2007 is the same one we’re encountering today. And that’s pretty impressive.
LOTRO is still a game of linear questing through zones, of vertical progression through levels, and of storytelling through epic volumes. It’s a long journey of a million steps, and that’s remained pretty constant. While some MMOs try to reinvent themselves to varying effect, this game’s been sure in its skin. That’s very comforting from a player perspective. If you like what you experience in the first few hours, you’re going to like what you get for the rest of your time. That’s not going to abruptly change at a level or at a future date.
Betraying its source material
For this last category, I’m not going to throw shade at other MMOs so much as giving a side-eye to the many, many Lord of the Rings games out there that claim to be “inspired” by the books but trampled all over the source material. There have been some great and some terrible games that all but use Tolkien’s characters and settings as skins for a format that doesn’t make sense or a story that goes against the books.
Not LOTRO. I’ve long admired how SSG’s mantra of “this is the game of the books” remained intact. We may quibble about Rune-keepers or the post-war adventures, but if you’re fair, you’ll admit that LOTRO’s bent over backward to be faithful to Tolkien’s writings in as much detail as possible — and if not possible in detail, than in spirit. I play WoW and have no idea what the lore is in that game because it’s been retconned so many times. But adhering to the framework of the Lord of the Rings novels kept LOTRO from rewriting and recontextualizing Tolkien’s work in an embarrassing manner. For that, Amazon TV seems to be doing just fine.
Every two weeks, the LOTRO Legendarium goes on an adventure (horrid things, those) through the wondrous, terrifying, inspiring, and, well, legendary online world of Middle-earth. Justin has been playing LOTRO since its launch in 2007! If you have a topic for the column, send it to him at justin@massivelyop.com.