The game was rough but this soundtrack genuinely doesn't deserve to go down with the ship. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum's 2023 score brings real atmospheric tension to seventeen tracks that capture the split personality of its protagonist.
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"Gollum Theme" establishes this creeping, conflicted motif that "Inner Conflict" later tears apart. "Mines of Mordor" and "Slave Pits of Barad-dúr" are oppressively heavy, all crushing stone and industrial menace. Then "Mirkwood Theme" opens up into something ancient and tangled.
Almost beautiful. "A Garden Stroll" is this unexpected breath of peace in the middle of so much darkness, which makes it hit harder. If you skipped the game, fair enough, but the soundtrack earned better than guilt by association.