Summary
Tales of the Shireis an upcoming farm life sim by Weta Workshop and Private Division based on theLord of the Ringsseries of novels by J. R. R. Tolkien. Unlike most otherLord of the Ringsgames,Tales of the Shiresees players living out their life as a Hobbit in the village of Bywater, completing a variety of cozy tasks, with cooking and eating being of the utmost importance.
Since cooking and eating are at the core ofTales of the Shire’s gameplay, the perfect reward for completing major quest chains or reaching a certain relational milestone withthe other Hobbits of Bywaterwould undoubtedly be food. Hobbits obviously have quite an extensive history with food, so plenty of options are available as far as quest rewards go. However, one particularLord of the Ringsfood item might rule them all, thanks to the sustenance just one bite of it can provide: Lembas Bread.
Of all the foods in Middle-earth’s history, Lembas Bread takes the cake as one of the most popular and most valuable. Even those who are only familiar with theLord of the Ringsfilm series know what Lembas Bread is, as it sustainedFrodo and Sam on their journeyto and through Mordor. According toTheLord of the Ringslore, Lembas Bread, otherwise known as “waybread,” is made by the elves and is generally given as a gift to those esteemed by the elves. It is incredibly sought after, as it is one of the most nutritious foods in Middle-earth, with one bite being enough to sustain a full-grown man for an entire day. As such, it would make the perfect reward and the perfect gift inTales of the Shire.
It’s unclear whether players will need to keep their Hobbits fed inTales of the Shire, and judging by the footage revealed so far for the game, there doesn’t seem to be any clear indicator of an energy or hunger level. However, ifTales of the Shireis anything likeAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, then their Hobbits will eventually run out of energy after performing a certain number of tasks. At that point, they would presumably be required to either consume something for energy or simply retire for the day. This is ultimately where Lembas Bread would come in, as it would energize players' Hobbits upon consumption and keep them awake and active for hours upon end.
If this were the case,Lembas Breadwould need to be a rare reward not easily obtainable, so as not to break the game by making it far too easy for players to progress. Players would then be encouraged to be more strategic with their use of it, only consuming it when absolutely necessary. Lembas Bread would also make the perfect gift inTales of the Shiresince Hobbits love to eat. IfTales of the Shireimplements affinity mechanics with the residents of Bywater, perhaps Lembas Bread would be used to increase a character’s affinity tremendously compared to any other gift.
The biggest issueTales of the Shirewould have in including Lembas Bread as a consumable is making it convincing from a lore standpoint. Canonically, elves weren’t frequent visitors of the Shire, although they did occasionally pass through on their way tothe Grey Havens. In light of that,Tales of the Shirewould need to somehow explain how and why some Lembas Bread ended up being left in Bywater. Fortunately, one of the writers forTales of the Shireis somewhat of aLord of the Ringsand Tolkien scholar, so there’s likely some inventive way they could convincingly include Lembas Bread in the game.
