Mucky wet gremlin simulator Lord of the Rings: Gollum is set to release on 1 September, developer Daedalic has announced.

The unlikely stealth adventure spin-off stars the ring-thirsty little oik himself, and will appear on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. And a Nintendo Switch version is due to follow later.

Pitched as a refreshing alternative to the usual action-rammed sword-slashing and epic fantasy battles found elsewhere in the legendary franchise, Lord of the Rings: Gollum will focus instead on the protagonist’s quiet cunning as he sneaks around avoiding combat, sticking to the shadows and outwitting his enemies.

On his big day out in Middle-earth, Gollum will leave behind the dank caves of the Misty Mountains to embark on “a perilous journey that leads him from the dungeons of Barad-dûr to the realm of the Wood-elves in Mirkwood”, according to the developer.

Along the way you’ll have to contend with Gollum’s infamous dual-personality, as his old Hobbit-self and alter-ego Sméagol comes to the fore to try to influence important moral decisions. It’s basically a good cop, bad cop scenario, but with a wretched grey dweeb instead of a cop.

Lord of the Rings: Gollum has a release date of 1 September 2022. It will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. A Nintendo Switch version will follow later in 2022. A physical, boxed edition will be available for consoles.

As part of Daedalic’s announcement, a cinematic trailer was released alongside some new screenshots and details about how the latest game in Tolkein’s world will play out.

We’re pleased to see games taking a greater interest in the more peculiar characters of Middle-earth, so it’ll be interesting to see if Gollum can handle the pressure of a starring role. More information is expected to arrive in the lead up to game’s launch so we’ll keep you posted.

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