The Hobbit (Vivendi Game)
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'The Hobbit' was a game published in 2003 by Vivendi Universal. It is very similar to the Legend of Zelda series. It is a platform game, though it also features solving puzzles and fighting enemies.
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[edit] Plot
It is mostly the same plot as The Hobbit book, but with the eternally used "video game adaptions", such as added monsters, expanded "chapters" (levels), boss fights, etc. Some of the odder changes, however, are the absence of Beorn the shapeshifter until The Battle of Five Armies, and on Riddles in the Dark, in which the player needs to fix various pieces of lift machinery to open a gate and free a dwarven prisoner. Also, instead of in among the trees, the fight with the spiders occurs in a big "spider hall" with cliffs that the bigger spiders can't climb. The game also adds on a character named Corwin, a man from lake-town, who you meet in Mirkwood.
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, is sitting at home one day, when who comes to his home, but a wizard, with a company of dwarves, no less. Bilbo must guide either himself or the dwarves as well safely through all the chapters.
[edit] Game Mechanics
Being a platformer, the game has a jump feature, plus rope swinging, ladder climbing, etc.
The game also features the use of the one ring, to sneak up on, away from, and past enemies. Unlike "The Fellowship of the Ring" game,your ring power regenerates, making it possible to use the ring more, a good thing, since this game features more sneaking and climbing around.
Each level gives you a series of quests, some of which may be optional, to fulfill. For instance, one of the optional quests in the Unexpected Party level is to find four children in a game of hide and seek. An example of a required quest would be to save the dwarves from the spiders.
[edit] Graphics
The graphics are very good in-game, and the game has stunning scenery, and top-knotch backgrounds. The end-of-level cinematics are even better, and actually of theater-movie quality! However, they share the level's end with narrated storyboards, in which the drawings are even more cartoonish than in the levels themselves.
[edit] Soundtrack
Most of the sound track has a rather Celtic sound to it,with a bit of Scottish and Irish influence as well. Most of the combat music is played with an acoustic guitar. Other tracks are just music that is relevant to the part. For example, when you're fighting the spiders sometimes the music is crazy and wild. Other times it sounds ghostly.
Each level has it's own theme song, though some parts have the same songs. Flies and Spiders and Barrels Out of Bond are both in Mirkwood, so they have the same songs. Except when Bilbo's in the Elven Hall. Riddles in the Dark and Inside Information also have the same music. The fighting music varies.
[edit] Trivia
- On the second level, An Unexpected Party, the "Green Dragon" inn's sign has a picture of a Lego dragon.[1]
- At one point in the game, Bombur says something that Bifur says, and with Bifur's voice, and in Riddles in the Dark, after fixing the wart-lift, when you go talk to Ugslap again, he will talk like Bard.
- The runes in the Lonely Mountain are Moria runes. This is incorrect. The Erebor version is only used on the sign that says "You must walk through Erebor to get to its heart".
- The game portrays Bard as already the captain of the town-guard. In the book he doesn't take command of the defence of Lake-town until the dragon comes. He also doesn't serve the Master of Lake-town until he escapes ashore after the destruction of Lake-town. But it would seem that the makers of the game wanted to make someone familiar give Bilbo important quests.
- There is a statue of a dwarf near the entrance to the water-room in The Gathering of the Clouds level that says "Erebor". There was no dwarf who was recorded to be named after the Lonely Mountain. It should have been Thrain I or Thorin I.
[edit] Bosses
- The first boss you meet is a big armadillo-fox, on the Troll Hole level.
- Riddles in the Dark has a Goblin Gate guard, Ugslap. It also has a Goblin-mage called Crugbit, but he's not exactly a boss because he's killed so easily. He just possesses something Bilbo needs.
- Then in Mirkwood, at the end there are three huge spiders who have hung the dwarves up. The first two are easy, but the last one's challenging. Only the first one is poisonous. Before this, however, Bilbo must fight a wight-lord, who some game-players incorrectly call the Necromancer, which is in fact Sauron's The Hobbit moniker. He is actually simply a larger Undead Soldier-type creature, who is ready to kill all who disturb is rest. He, like his Undead Archer servants, can shoot a powerful, sorcerous explosive attack from his hands.
To see how to defeat them, consult a walkthrough. But experienced players can figure it out.
[edit] Chapters
- Dreamworld: During the dwarves' visit to Bag End, Bilbo falls asleep and dreams he is at the Battle of Five Armies, it seems.
- An Unexpected Party: Bilbo is sent to the Green Dragon, but first he must collect provisions for Bombur and do different jobs for the Shire hobbits.
- Roast Mutton: Bilbo is sent to investigate a fire-light, and he ends up having to dodge trolls.
- Troll-hole: Bilbo must explore the troll cave and find the troll key.
- Over Hill and Under Hill: Bilbo ends up in a helter-skelter adventure trying to get back to the dwarves after an interesting fall.
- Riddles in the Dark: Bilbo is lost again and must find his way through a now goblinated dwarf mine, fix broken dwarf lifts, and rescue Balfor, a dwarf of the Iron Hills. In this level he finds the ring.
- Flies and Spiders: Bilbo is lost AGAIN and must find his way through a spider infested Mirkwood Forest (in which he has to fight hundreds of poisonous spiders). He also fights minions of the Necromancer and the Wight lord. He must rescue the dwarves from being eaten by the three giant spiders. This chapter features most of the game's bosses, including the three spiders and the wight lord. In most cases the spiders attack Bilbo when he cuts the webs (which he has to do a lot of).
- Barrels Out of Bond: Bilbo and the dwarves are not safe out of Mirkwood yet. The dwarves are captured and Bilbo finds a way to rescue them and find a way of escape, while avoiding being seen by Elves.
- A Warm Welcome: The dwarves and Bilbo escape to Lake-town, where they are highly welcomed. Bilbo performs numerous missions for the town guard which includes expelling the thieves and goblins from Lake-town.
- Inside Information: The highlight of the game; Bilbo must steal the golden cup of Thror right from under Smaug's nose while he's asleep. Then it gets harder. Smaug is awake so Bilbo must keep the ring on and hide when his ring power runs out while he finds Smaug's weakspot. When he does, he must avoid being killed by Smaug's fiery breath. When Smaug is gone, Bilbo must find numerous important jewels and help the dwarves bridge a cavern in order to enter the halls of Erebor.
- The Gathering of the Clouds: Bilbo must find the Arkenstone for Thorin. He must also power the rooms of Erebor. He must get the canals working, repair the gears, and active the forge so he can make the key that opens the treasury, which leads to the arkenstone. The only enemies in this level are spiders that lurk in the ruined passages.
- The Clouds Burst: This level is The Battle of Five Armies. Bilbo must fight or sneak his way through the battle to deliver a message to Bard of Lake-town, saying that the goblins of Bolg's army are coming at him from behind, as Bard is unaware of this. Bilbo also meets up with Corwin, and Lianna. Bilbo also meets Beorn and must help him. After Beorn kills Bolg, the goblin-king, the game is over.
[edit] Added Characters
- Lianna: An elf of Thranduil's Hall in Mirkwood, Bilbo must heal her in the Troll Cave. She also helps Bilbo escape from Thranduil's Hall.
- Corwin: A sad, heartbroken huntsman from Laketown. Bilbo meets him, and he says he is the only survivor of an attack of the spiders on his camp. He helps Bilbo get through an immensely thick web.
- Balfor: A dwarf of the Iron Hills who has been made a slave of the orcs. The orcs force him to work the dwarf-built mining contraptions. Bilbo rescues him and Balfor tells him how to escape.
[edit] Enemy Leaders
- Bolg: The goblin king, son and successor of Azog, who was killed by Dain Ironfoot. He leads the attack against the alliance of dwarves, elves,and men at the Battle of Five Armies. He was killed by Beorn, the shapeshifter and his army of orcs and wargs were utterly defeated. Bilbo gets a good sweeping view of him during the process of helping Beorn.
[edit] Important Good Characters
- Bilbo: The main character. Also the only playable character. His weapons include Sting, a walking/fighting stick, and collectible rocks. Bilbo's stick can be quite powerful against enemies that can't block. It is most affective against those blood-thirsty but vulnerable spiders. It can also be used to pole-vault across wide expanses. Throughout the game, Bilbo collects scrolls that give him new or improved attacks. He obviously appears in all levels.
- Gandalf: The Istari wizard, who organizes the Quest of Erebor with Thorin. He is not a playable character, but gives Bilbo different jobs and helps him against the goblins at the end of Over Hill and Under Hill. He doesn't appear in as much levels as Thorin.
- Thorin: An important dwarf. The heir of the King under the Mountain. He gives Bilbo some of the tasks, like investigating the mysterious fire-light. He gives Bilbo instructions on opening the doors to the great rooms of the Kingdom under the Mountain. He also tells Bilbo to retrieve the Arkenstone from the locked treasury. He appears in most levels.
- Bard: The Captain of the Town Guard. He appears in Lake-town and the Battle of Five Armies. In Lake-town he gives Bilbo jobs to perform in service of Lake-town. The main problem that he wants Bilbo to help fix is that there are thieves and goblins causing mischief and even plotting to take over Lake-town. Bard wants Bilbo to track their moves and eventually to find the thieves' hideout. In the Battle of Five Armies, Bilbo must warn Bard of a goblin attack that Bard doesn't know of that is advancing on him from behind.
[edit] Enemies
- Goblin Warrior: These enemies are first encountered in Dreamworld, along with the other Goblin types.
They carry a sword and shield, and some have helmets as well.
- Goblin Archer: Armed with a big bow that can fire explosive arrows. These cause a lot of damage. First seen in Dreamworld. They use a sword when Bilbo gets close.
- Goblin Miner: Armed with a pickaxe and small gunpowder bombs,these enemies are weak and easy to kill. They too are first seen in Dreamworld.
- Goblin Mage: Thse Goblins, divine sages it would seem, carry staffs that can create a damage inducing magic burst. They are first seen in the Dreamworld level.
- Carnivorous plant: These are encountered in the Roast Mutton level, and are living plant-creatures.
A tougher version is seen in the Flies and Spiders level, which can spit small exploding mucus blobs.
- Wolf: First seen in the Roast Mutton level. Their tougher versions are seen in
Over Hill, Under Hill, and can shoot lightning. Their more vicious counterparts, the Wargs, come later in the game, on the last level.
- Vile Creature: These are weird, armless, bipedal swamp creatures, first found in the Roast Mutton level. They appear to be frog-dinosaur hybrids. In later levels, they gain the ability to breathe poisonous gas at Bilbo. In Roast Mutton, they are fighting wolves in one area.
- Armadillo fox (or Gaurdian's Minions): These are first seen during the first Boss fight,(on the Troll Hole level)where Bilbo must kill them to get the "Gaurdian"(A much bigger armadillo fox) to show it's weak spot.
- Dire Worm: These large, fearsome worms live in underground dens with many entrances, which they can disappear into and pop out of. They are first seen after the Troll Hole boss fight. They look like caterpillars and when you kill one, another pops up in its place.
- Frog People. Tiny half frog, half human frog people first appear in Over Hill, Under Hill. They seem to hate the bigger froggish creatures, since an army of them teams up against one in Barrels out of Bond.
- Lesser Spider: The smallest spiders. Like all spiders(except the giant spiders), they can climb up cliffs and walls. They are first seen in Riddles in the Dark.
- Dread Spider: These are green, poisonous cousins of the Lesser Spiders.
The Riddles in the Dark level marks their first appearance. These are a nuisance and when their web is cut, they will zoom up to Bilbo, poison him, then dart away. The small ones will usually ambush Bilbo by scurrying up and down the walls.
- Red Dread Spider: Bigger, red, and more poisonous than Dread Spiders, these creatures first appear in Flies and Spiders.
- Giant spider: Larger versions of Greater Spiders, these monsters cannot climb walls. There are even larger versions as well, the largest being the three spider sister bosses
The last two are insanely huge. All 3 sizes are first found in Flies and Spiders.
- Undead Soldier: These are, in fact, undead soldiers. They join the game on Flies and Spiders. They as well as the last two on this page are described as minions of the Necromancer.(In fact, "The Necromancer" is what Sauron is known as in The Hobbit)
- Undead Archer: Range Attack versions of the Undead Soldiers, they sometimes have explosive arrow attacks, somewhat like their God of War likenesses.
When Bilbo gets to near, they, like the goblin archers, make use of a sword. They come in on Flies and Spiders.
- Lich: These are eyeless, purple-robed beings who are more skeleton than zombie. They shoot powerful, sorcerous, explosive range attacks from their hands. They use a sword for melee combat.
- Fire Bat: Only three of these appear in the entire game, in the Riddles in the Dark level. They are bright red and spit balls of flame at Bilbo. They are the only flying enemies in the game besides Smaug, and are quite easy. These should have been in Flies and Spiders, since in the book it says that the bats in the Battle of Five Armies were out of Mirkwood.
[edit] Unfightable Enemies
These are enemies that Bilbo can't fight. Bilbo must simply avoid being detected by them. Avoiding being seen by enemies, on the whole, significantly harder than fighting them. He cannot run into enemies, or they will get him.
- Three Trolls: These are three hungry mountain trolls named Bert, Tom, and William. They appear in Roast Mutton. Bert is the hardest since he walks around everywhere. Bilbo doesn't have the ring yet, so unfortunately he must hide, dash, or both. This is probably the first nerve-racking part in the game.
- Goblin Guards: These guards are guarding Balfor, the dwarf in Riddles in the Dark. They are too strong for Bilbo to fight, so he must dodge them.
- Mirkwood Elves: These aren't really Bilbo's sworn enemies, they just capture anyone who wanders in their realm without leave, in this case, the dwarves and Bilbo. But Bilbo is the sneaky one, and he must wear the ring almost the whole level (Barrels Out of Bond) when he is close to them. The Elves are Bilbo's friends in The Clouds Burst.
- Thieves and Goblins: They are trying to take over Lake-town. They have also stolen all the weapons in town. It is Bilbo's job in A Warm Welcome to thwart the thieves' and goblins' plans. At the end of the level, Bilbo must steal back Bard's black arrow and to do this must avoid being detected by the thieves and goblins. This part is challenging, especially if the player wants to get all the coins and courage points.
- Smaug: The big most important enemy. First he sleeps on his gold bed and Bilbo must simply stay as quiet as possible. Then Smaug is awake and Bilbo must wear the ring and dodge behind pillars (he only has limited ring power). Then Smaug is breathing fire at Bilbo and Bilbo must simply dash behind pillars. He doesn't need the ring. This part in the game is not too hard.
[edit] Sources & References
- Sources
Other Wikipedia articles
- References
The Hobbit game.