Review of “Tales of the Shire”

Alright, so here’s the deal. You think cozy, and bam! Hobbits. Tolkien basically wrote the book on comfy with those little guys, didn’t he? Anyway, this game, Tales of the Shire, has kinda nailed the hobbit vibe — or tried to, at least. Name could be snappier, though. Rolling it around in my head feels like chewing on a mouthful of dry crackers.

Imagine yourself wandering into Bywater, this tiny pocket of quiet somewhere between Bilbo’s rambles and Frodo’s big adventure. You bump into Gandalf early on. Nice touch, right? Might spot a few familiar nods to the books. You get to play as your own hobbit creation, fresh outta the tavern. The quest? Make Bywater an official hoo-ha in Hobbiton. So off you go, chatting up locals and — surprise! — meddling in some cooking chaos. This village, it’s like a maze, constantly sending you zigzagging back and forth till you hardly know which hobbit is which. But the writing’s got charm, so you kinda wanna see it through? Or maybe that’s just me.

Cooking’s the star here, no doubt. Get this: you’re gardening, foraging, and then breaking bread with the whole hobbit gang. Love that as a concept ‘cause food is basically hobbit culture 101. But, here’s the kicker — your hobbit never feels hungry. Odd, right? The gameplay could use more spice. Everything leads to the same kinda dinner party. Makes you wonder if there’s more they could’ve added, you know? Like, it’s chill, but maybe too chill?

Tales runs on this day cycle thing — sorta like those farming simulators. You do the rounds: cook, fish, chat. Hobbits got their routines, shops open and close. But what’s the rush? I ended up fishing half the time just to wait it out. Sometimes it’s like having too much time and not knowing what to fill it with. Ever feel that way?

Played this on my Switch, right? Graphics, well, didn’t exactly dazzle my socks off. Hobbit characters looked kinda off, though, even if they get props for a bearded lady dwarf. The frame rate? Let’s just say it’s delicate on the first Switch and not exactly smooth sailing on the second. Once, the sky went all red. Weird, huh? Crashes? Oh ya — frequent. Felt like saving every other moment was a second job. Imagine losing progress like, every night. Oh boy.

Big ideas here, don’t get me wrong. A few updates down the line and who knows? Might be something special. But until then, it’s like peeking through a keyhole. You sense there’s more, but you’re stuck waiting for the door to open. I’m holding onto hope for those possible patches, though. Fingers crossed.