This Middle-earth feels like it's been reconstructed on a bedroom floor, an open-world that's manageably sized because it's designed for children rather than unemployed adults-surely the only human beings with enough spare time to 100% any modern RPG. You stand in Osgiliath and in one direction see the White City of Minas Tirith, then look over your shoulder and see Minas Morgul, home of the Nazgul. The road goes ever on and on, but all you have to do is walk round the corner to arrive at another iconic place. Part of the reason it doesn't get boring is that the scale's perfect. Sure, there are dopey jumping puzzles and other bits of filler, but at least there aren't 50 towers to climb or smuggler's caches hidden in every stretch of water. In the Shire you can race on a pig, and out behind Bree there are skeletons waiting to be assembled so they can burst into dance. Wander up to the right river bend and you can take control of a tiny sailing ship and blow apart pirates with your cannon. This was 2012, before we got sick of maps full of icons, but even today it remains a nice open world to journey across, with plenty of color and incident. This Middle-earth feels like it's been reconstructed on a bedroom floor.
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