⚔️ ‘War of the Rohirrim’ Is A Brilliant LOTR Standalone

Plus: See a full list of winners from the 2024 Game Awards.
Inverse Daily
Don't worry too much about the lore or the timeline,  'The War of the Rohirrim' is a great standalone 'Lord of the Rings' movie.
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Review
‘The War of the Rohirrim’ Is A Moody, Brilliant Lord of the Rings Standalone

The first thing you should know about the new Lord of the Rings animated feature film, The War of the Rohirrim, is that it’s nothing like The Rings of Power.

Yes, both are prequels to the more well-known core stories from J.R.R. Tolkien. And yes, both introduce brand-new characters into the lore of Middle-earth. But the difference with the protagonist of The War of the Rohirrim, hitherto unknown Hèra (Gaia Wise), is that we’re told, right away, that we’re not supposed to know about her.

In a moving voiceover narration that pervades the entire movie, Miranda Otto (reprising her role as Éowyn from the Lord of the Rings movies) tells us, “Don’t look for her in old songs.” Hèra is very specifically a hidden character on a hidden adventure, and that’s okay.

In this way, The War of the Rohirrim avoids dot-connecting fan service, despite being deep in the Tolkien canon weeds by the very nature of its existence. And because it’s so well-crafted, this anime feature becomes a stand-alone Middle-earth adventure that is refreshing in both its simplicity and beauty. Tolkien fans may not have been clamoring for this movie, but they will love it now that it’s here.

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‘Split Fiction’ Takes Josef Fares’ Wild Imagination To The Next Level

Playing It Takes Two with a buddy is a true test of your relationship. If you lag behind frightfully or your partner does, it can be a source of resentment. That’s why I began sweating once I realized my game demo of the upcoming and just announced EA Original Split Fiction involved me having to jump on the couch with the game developer himself Josef Fares.

“It’s intimidating playing with the game developer, huh?” He asks cheekily, as we use Xbox controllers to nudge our characters forward.

“I just don’t want you to have to wait on me,” I say, while managing the double jump, dash, and then right bumper to grapple hook across an otherwise unreachable platform in a cyberpunk metropolis. “Phew.”

At times encouraging, and other times boisterous and confident, Fares presents his new game to me — a couch co-op, split screen just like It Takes Two, but instead of being about family and divorce, it’s about friendship.

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