Charm is an incredibly important aspect of most cozy games, and a title’s color palette, character models, environmental textures, and in-game architecture can all play a surprisingly large role in how much charm a game has. Tales of the Shire is the most recent example of this cozy genre phenomenon.
When Tales of the Shire‘s gameplay was first revealed back in April 2024, its art style was an immediate point of controversy among would-be fans. A good portion of players believed Tales of the Shire‘s stylized character and environmental designs looked rather ugly in motion. Tales of the Shire‘s art style hasn’t changed all that much since its initial reveal over a year ago, and though many players are still going to be put off by it, there are some elements that are worth praising.
In Defense of Tales of the Shire’s Controversial Art Direction
Tales of the Shire Shows J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fantasy World in a New Light
The vast majority of Lord of the Rings games in the last two decades have tried to capture the same general look of the Peter Jackson-directed movie trilogy. Games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and even LEGO The Lord of the Rings feature the same muted grays, greens, and browns of the beloved movie trilogy, giving the games a somewhat grounded and gritty look, even when some of their worlds are populated by LEGO minifigures.
Tales of the Shire takes the completely opposite approach. The village of Bywater is covered in bright colors, from lush green fields to tall, dark trees to deep blue rivers. These vibrant colors are given several refreshes throughout Tales of the Shire‘s runtime, with each in-game season bringing new foliage and weather effects that alter the look of Bywater. Tales of the Shire waives its predecessors’ gritty and grounded art style, and in the process delivers a version of the Hobbit countryside that looks and feels truly idyllic.
Tales of the Shire’s Character Models Inject Life Into Bywater’s Residents
Probably the most controversial aspect of Tales of the Shire‘s art direction is its exaggerated character models, but they serve an important purpose as well. Every Hobbit the player meets in Tales of the Shire boasts gigantic feet, an oversized head, and a suite of cartoonish expressions. These character designs might feel a little too overemphasized to some, but they go a long way in giving each Hobbit a sense of personality.
This is particularly helpful as Tales of the Shire lacks any voiced dialogue. The dramatic facial expressions and movements NPCs make during conversations and cutscenes help to keep the game feeling lively.
Tales of the Shire’s Art Style Is Routinely Held Back From Greatness
Developer Weta Workshop was trying something new and distinct with Tales of the Shire‘s art style, and that effort should be commended. But it’s hard to defend Tales of the Shire‘s art direction too passionately when it’s held back at every turn by poor execution.
Tales of the Shire may feature an assortment of vibrant colors, but most players won’t notice, as they look disappointingly muted on most platforms. And though Tales of the Shire‘s expressive character models may do most of the heavy lifting during dialogue sequences, their unpolished textures and the game’s blurry resolution certainly doesn’t do them any favors.
These issues are especially apparent in Tales of the Shire‘s Nintendo Switch version, which looks simply unfinished in its current state. Though its art style occasionally shines through, Tales of the Shire‘s poor technical performance hampers the game’s visuals constantly and that’ll be hard to look past for many.
