The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum - Riddles, Theories and Personalities

To start discussing Daedalic Entertainment's upcoming game, The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum, we must put ourselves into Gollum's shoes. We must know his motivation to travel and leave his home of over 400 years, to brave being captured by goblins, his worst fear.

We will all experience Gollum's journey in this game, releasing in 2022 for the PS5, XBOX Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC. His adventure starts with an unexpected visitor.

Riddle Game

Bilbo Baggins was not a welcome guest inside Gollum's subterranean lake home. Upon discovering Bilbo's presence, Gollum decided to toy with this new stranger. Gollum promised Bilbo to show him the way out of the mountain if he could defeat Gollum in a riddle game. However, if Gollum won the contest, Bilbo would be eaten.

Twice Bilbo was saved by his habit of muttering to himself. The first time he was panicked and asking for more time. Luckily "time" was the answer to Gollum's riddle.

The second stroke of luck happened when it was Bilbo's turn to supply the final riddle that would determine the winner. He simply asked Gollum, "What have I got in my pocket?" Gollum took this as Bilbo's riddle and got angry that it wasn't fair. When Bilbo realized that it would be nearly impossible for the creature to guess correctly, he chose to roll with it.

Unbeknownst to Gollum, Bilbo had picked up a ring. A ring that Gollum had not realized he had lost. Or the ring that he had not realized had escaped. The ring was on its own journey to find its way back to Sauron, its proper owner. Nevertheless, the ring was now in Bilbo's pocket.

Gollum could not answer Bilbo's riddle, not even after being allowed three tries. Agreeing to help Bilbo after his defeat, which Gollum had no intention to do, he snuck away to get his magic ring and kill Bilbo.

Upon returning to his dwelling, Gollum discovered that his ring was missing and guessed at the true answer to Bilbo's riddle. The conniving Hobbit had it in his pocket!

Gollum became enraged and started chasing after Bilbo to kill him for stealing his "birthday present." Gollum lost sight of Bilbo when Bilbo's hand slipped into his pocket, and the ring slipped onto his finger. Gollum did not see the Hobbit disappear and spoke to himself about what must have happened and how Bilbo at least didn't know what the ring could do and couldn't have gone far.

Overhearing this, Bilbo realized the ring made him invisible to the wretch. With Gollum off to hunt him down, Bilbo secretly followed to learn the way out of the mountain.

After considering killing Gollum, Bilbo decided to take pity on his wretched soul. As Gollum carefully guarded the exit, Bilbo ran and jumped over him to leave the cave. Gollum realized what had just happened and felt the ring's power moving away. He cried out, "Thief! Thief, Baggins! Curse it and crush it! We hates it forever!"

Gollum was lost. Gollum lived in those caves under the Misty Mountains for over 400 years. Now, he had lost his birthday present, his precious, his reason for living. Gollum must track down his prize. He will put himself through many dangers to regain the ring's power again.

This is where I believe The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum begins.

The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum – Theories

The most recent sneak peek trailer from Daedalic Entertainment reveals some clues that support my theory on where the player will start their experience in The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum.

In the trailer, Gollum is shown sneaking under the Dark Tower, presumably around the time he was held and tortured by Sauron. Listening to what Gollum is saying during the trailer, I believe his words apply to the Dark Tower setting.

The first quote from Gollum in the trailer is, "It mustn't see us." This could pertain to Gollum trying to sneak past the guards in the Dark Tower. When he says, "It mustn't see us," Gollum knows that if he is found, nothing good will come of it. Sauron knows that Gollum once held the ring.

Gollum's second quote in the trailer, "No, don't look at us. The precious is gone," most likely applies to the same situation. No longer having the ring's invisibility power, Gollum worries out loud that he will be discovered.

Another interesting tidbit from the trailer is the spider scene. Any hardcore Lord Of The Rings fan will know that this scene foreshadows Shelob's appearance in the game. Shelob captured Gollum upon his release from Mordor. He became her servant after he convinced her he would bring her tastier meats than he.

This part of the game has the potential to be very interesting as the player will most likely be tasked to find those tastier meats and lure them to their death in Shelob's lair.

Slinker or Stinker?

Samwise Gamgee famously described Gollum's two personalities as "slinker" and "stinker." The slinker, or more pitiable personality, had a more friendly approach and was a people pleaser seeking approval. The stinker, or dark personality, would slit your throat for a ring of power.

According to Daedalic's description, The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum will allow the player to make these personality decisions for Gollum. This is an exciting dynamic. When it comes to the situations Gollum will find himself in on his journey, choosing to be a slinker (Smeagol) or a stinker (Gollum) will definitely be a tough choice. Gollum exploring Mordor is not going to allow for a nice decision to always be the correct one.

The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum is set to release sometime in 2022 due to a recent delay by Daedalic Entertainment. Check out the teaser trailer for the game below, and let us know your thoughts and theories about Gollum's new adventure!

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