Tales of the Shire can't ignore an underrated aspect of the Lord of the Rings franchise

The life simulation game Tales of the Shire it already plans to include many aspects of JRR Tolkien's iconic hobbit community: shared meals, cottage decorations, lovingly tended gardens and much more. But there is another area where Tales of the Shire it could pay homage to the original The Hobbit AND The Lord of the Rings novels: humor. Although Tolkien's books are not often considered funny, they contain many often unrecognized moments of humor, especially in scenes where hobbit characters predominate.

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Hobbits are often a source of humor

THE The Lord of the Rings the books are intended as epic fantasy, full of memorable characters and action-packed battles, not necessarily humor. But the books are fun, especially when hobbits are involved. Pippin Took is never free from jokes, calling Gandalf's proclamations of doom “merry” or boasting that he is “peculiarly large and strong” – as the hobbits say, at least. At least some readers probably chuckled when Merry Brandybuck awakens from near-death in the House of Healing and immediately loudly announces that she's hungry. And Sam Gamgee, though typically resolute and noble, is quite funny when he gossips so much that almost everyone in Hobbiton becomes aware of Frodo's impending departure with the Ring.

Bilbo's birthday party is one of Tolkien's funniest scenes

Without a doubt, one of the funniest scenes The Lord of the Rings it's Bilbo Baggins' “long-awaited birthday party” at the beginning The Fellowship of the Ring. Bilbo proudly declares that he is “eleven-one”, tells his guests that “he likes it[s] less than half of [them] half as well as [they] deserve”, and then dramatically disappears with the help of the One Ring.

The gifts he leaves for the people of the Shire are a masterpiece of passive aggression: a man who doesn't return borrowed books gets a bookcase, a woman obsessed with her appearance gets a mirror, and Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, the spoon thief, gets the silverware. desired while also being called out for her thieving ways. Tolkien commenting that Lobelia “got the point straight away, but also took the spoons”, is sure to make at least some readers laugh.

Tales Of The Shire may include humorous dialogue and quests

Tales of the Shire it may reflect Tolkien's dry, witty humor in the dialogue between his many hobbit characters. Much of the game will involve the player making friends with their neighbors, leaving plenty of opportunities for pranks and jokes. Since players can host shared meals and feasts with other hobbits, they might even have the opportunity to give a memorable Bilbo Baggins-inspired celebratory speech.

Mission design is also an area where Tales of the Shire might inject some humor. It might be fun to see hobbits treat relatively minor requests, like asking for a specific fish or crop, as equivalent to epic, life-changing quests. After all, hobbits take food and cooking very seriously. Other potentially fun missions include searching for trivial missing items, eavesdropping on gossiping neighbors, or recreating the iconic “second breakfast” meme by preparing that particular meal – or simply offering an apple, as Merry and Pippin had to make do in the films.

While the hobbits themselves could easily be the game's main source of humor, the wizard Gandalf, should he appear, is also potentially quite funny. Gandalf's grumpy character, especially when surrounded by cheerful hobbits, might cause some laughter. Tolkien's most famous wizard is prone to blunt, ironic statements, such as “I was there, and now I'm back,” and could easily have similar lines with Tales of the Shire player character.

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