ScreenRantis excited to reveal a brand-new character fromTales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Gameahead of its release later this month. Following a delay earlier this year, the life simulation title is now slated to arrive July 29.Tales of the Shirecomes from Wētā Workshop, the multimedia creative company that previously worked on Peter Jackson’sLotRandHobbittrilogies alongside many other projects.
Tales of the Shiretakes place between the events ofThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Rings, a time in which much of the Shire still lived in relative peace. ThoughTales of the Shirewill include charactersplayers know, there are also many new ones, including Nefi. Serving as the village of Bywater’s resident iron crafter,her backstory is one that fans of the series will certainly recognize.
All About Tales Of The Shire Character Nefi
An Iron Crafter With A Storied Past
Prior to her time in Bywater, Nefi was residing in the Blue Mountains. She comes from a lineage of Moria dwarves, and because of this,she initially wanted to join Balin on his quest to reclaim the area. However, she was deemed too young to be up to the task. Instead, she traveled to the game’s village to pursue iron work, though she often wonders about Balin’s fate and longs to return home.
Despite not going with them, she wonders about Balin and her fellow dwarves often. Fans will, of course, recognize the tragedy in her optimism based on the discoveries made inThe Fellowship of the Ring,where readers and viewers of Peter Jackson’s film alike learn of Balin’s fate (as well as those of the other dwarves who went with him to Moria). Being too young to go with them is what spared Nefi from a similar fate.
Our Take: Nefi’s Fellowship Of The Ring Connection Bodes Well
Her Ties To Existing Lore Signify Strong Characters
Nefi’s ties to existingLotRlore are an incredibly good sign for the title as a whole, especially because of the nature of its gameplay.Tales of the Shireprioritizes social simulationelements more so than a lot of other games in the cozy genre, with much of it centering more around building relationships through cooking and dinner parties than things like farming or fishing. Because of this,intricately crafted characters are essentialfor an engaging experience.
Though a large segment of the village’s overall population has yet to be revealed, considering Nefi’s ties to the existing story, there’s a good chance many more of them will be similar in background. Whether it’s villagers related to other beloved characters, more like Nefi with links to the overall narrative, or other methods of incorporation, there are a lot of ways to weave in lore. With only a few weeks left untilTales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Gamereleases, this reveal has left me eager to see who else is living in Bywater.
Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Gamewill release July 29 for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch consoles, and PC.
