I like litter. Simply tons and tons of crap stacked precariously on a shelf—all of it mismatched, sorted into asymmetrical piles, and serving no clear objective. I like houses that look lived in. Clear, however not sanitized of persona. That is why I dig the hobbit design philosophy (or lack thereof), and have saved my eye on Tales of the Shire since its 2024 reveal. I am wound means too tight to stay a peaceable life within the shire, however their sentimental piles of mess resonate with my actual life strategy to adorning.
So after a couple of minutes of opening cutscenes and questing throughout a Summer time Recreation Fest demo over the weekend, I requested Wētā Workshop if I might spend the remainder of my Tales of the Shire demo time simply… transferring furnishings round again at my hobbit gap. Fortunately I used to be met with enthusiastic approval. Apparently rearranging all day is a wonderfully acceptable approach to strategy life in Bywater.
And that is how I spent a majority of it—obsessively choosing up every little thing from one room and bringing it into one other to make piles of ornamental litter. My closest in-universe relative might be Smaug, although as a substitute of gold, I am sitting on a pile of colourful bottles, fraying pillows, and thrift retailer trinkets. Tales of the Shire is kind of laid again; it is extra akin to Animal Crossing than the rest, at the least how I performed it. My largest concern was, “Can I make it cluttered and cute?” And the reply was at all times sure.
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My demo started the identical means gamers will begin Tales of the Shire subsequent month, by assembly Gandalf and being thrown into a couple of quests round Bywater. Honestly, I did not have sufficient time to develop a robust impression, however I am not so certain I dig the character designs or personalities. It is a part of why I used to be so simply derailed from the primary quest, and with my time being so restricted, I opted to go all in on cooking and adorning. Since hobbits measure their days by after they’ll eat subsequent, I assumed Tales of the Shire would nail that recipe.
For now, I’ll have to carry off on awarding any Michelin stars. The precise means of boil’em, mash’em, stick’em in a stew was… advantageous. I appreciated rummaging round and foraging for substances and determine that may solely enhance the extra I will discover, however I am unable to see the precise cooking mechanics rising on me. The prep work did not really feel as satisfying as the top product appeared.
Since hobbits all have their very own tastes, Tales of the Shire tries to provide you management over the little particulars, like making an ingredient clean, tender, crisp, or chunky. You’ll be able to season dishes too, swinging the flavour profile towards candy or bitter. It is just a little too tedious to really feel rewarding, but when the UI noticed a little bit of clean-up, I feel Wētā Workshop could be on to one thing. Relegating these recipe particulars to UI parts within the nook of the display did not do a lot to specific that my hobbit’s knife method mattered. The menus appear like they’re an afterthought, somewhat than complementing the cutesy kitchen decor.
Setting the desk, surprisingly, was far more enjoyable. You get to maneuver dishes round and get inventive with easy methods to current the unfold. It is a chore I completely hate at Thanksgiving however beloved in my miniature Tolkien residence.
That is once I leaned into the I am-going-to-make-a-mess strategy. It solely took a couple of minutes of enjoying round to comprehend adorning my hobbit residence was surprisingly free. There have been hardly any restrictions on dragging issues from inside to the surface or vice versa, so I took a bunch of cups open air to cozy up my backyard as makeshift vases. It was additionally fairly simple to maneuver round backyard beds and equipment, with no penalties for setting one thing down and choosing it proper again up.
By the point I used to be performed with my demo I might uprooted the entire rattling backyard and confined every little thing to a nook. It left the remainder of the yard pathetically barren, however with extra time, I might’ve performed no matter quest or chore the opposite hobbits requested of me to get extra furnishings and crops. My inevitable jungle of a yard would violate a novel’s price of HOA guidelines wherever else, however I am delighted the hobbits let me get away with it.
This actually is the life sim for disgusting maximalists. Very like the quantity I did within the backyard, I spent the rest of my time piling home goods collectively within the eating room. To my disappointment there have been a couple of non-decorable surfaces just like the eating desk, however since you will usually place tasty spreads there, I get it. As a substitute I centered on stacking pillows, bowls, books, and potatoes in a cabinet. I perceive the mix is not sensible, however that is the place Tales of the Shire and I are in sync.
It is a bummer I wasn’t extra endeared by passing interactions with the villagers, although. There’s not a lot that units them other than one another, and their banter is not fairly as fascinating as their environment. In Animal Crossing, the putting designs and personalities of the townsfolk are the sport’s largest energy; these little guys carry the entire thing. On the flip aspect, really adorning your grid-based house is limiting to the purpose I lose curiosity quick. Tales of the Shire theoretically meets my largest want. It has all the adorning options I lengthy for in its closest mainstream cozy cousin, however I am just a little nervous the persona I can create in my residence will not prolong to the precise NPCs, and even the UI. However I am going to take heed to any of the little gossips if they offer me extra stuff to feed my charming piles of mess.
