Play J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: Volume 1 Online

Summary

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (often called Lord of the Rings: Volume 1) is an action‑role‑playing title for the Super Nintendo that translates the Fellowship of the Ring into a pixel‑filled adventure. The game lets you start as Frodo and gradually recruit Sam, Pippin, Merry, Aragorn, Gimli and even Gandalf, with the odd appearance of Boromir, while the Super Multitap and extra controllers open the door to four‑player co‑op and, with cheats, up to eight participants moving around the map.

Play revolves around a string of fetch quests: you wander expansive areas, locate misplaced trinkets for NPCs, and hope your companions survive, because death is permanent and the AI takes over any character you don’t control. The AI’s support is notoriously weak, and the quests can feel endless and repetitive.

Critics were harsh; 1Up.com gave it a 2/10, citing sluggish pacing, tiny sprites and boring objectives, while EGM offered a modest 6.6/10 for its deliberate style. A planned Volume II never materialized, the sequel cancelled after the first game’s poor sales.

Storyline

Lord of the Rings: Volume 1 drops you in as Frodo Baggins, and as you progress you recruit the rest of the Fellowship – Samwise, Pippin, Merry, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and even Gandalf, while Boromir only flashes on screen briefly. The game supports multiplayer via the Super Multitap, allowing up to four players to control Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, Gimli and Aragorn, and with cheats or an emulator the roster can be stretched to eight, though Legolas and Gandalf become non‑combatants who can only move and take damage. Gameplay revolves around a string of fetch quests: you explore large areas, locate misplaced trinkets for NPCs, and bring them back to advance the story. The journey mirrors the book’s early locations – the Shire, Bree, Rivendell and the Mines of Moria – but the climax diverges, ending with a showdown against the Balrog in Moria rather than the book’s later events. Characters who die stay dead for the rest of the run, and although a Volume II was planned, poor sales meant the SNES sequel never materialized.