Since it arrived on PlayStation and Epic last year, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria from Free Range Games and North Beach Games has amassed a dedicated following among survival game enthusiasts. Return to Moria allows players to become dwarven warriors and craftsmen who must reclaim the ruined mines of Moria. At long last, the game will finally arrive on Xbox Series S|X and Steam on August 27. That same day, the "Golden Update" will deliver cross-play co-op to all versions of the game.
As men just mentioned, the "Golden Update" will be included at launch in the Xbox Series and Steam versions of Return to Moria, and the update will hit PlayStation 5 and Epic at the same time. Here's an abridged list of the Golden Update's features:
- Sandbox Mode: The full launch of Sandbox Mode allows players across all platforms to experience independent exploration and experimentation throughout the mountain. ... The game world is generated with a wide variety of random seeds, meaning each playthrough can vary significantly in layout and difficulty.
- Crossplay: Exploring the Mines of Moria with friends just got easier! Any player on PC via Steam or EGS, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 can now host games to be joined by any other player. Just like non-crossplay games, Steam players can host 8-player sessions, regardless of the platform the joining players are on.
- New Weapons and Armor: Sandbox Mode brings with it recipes for 14 new weapons and armor... Though only discoverable in Sandbox Mode, players can bring new objects into Campaign Mode as long as their Dwarf is equipped with them when transferring over.
Cross-play demonstration (The game is not split-screen.)
- New Building Parts and Decorations: Players can spruce up their bases with over 100 new building objects.
- Building Improvements: Restoring Moria is now easier than ever with the changes made to the stability system as well as improved object snapping.
- Single Player Pause: To improve the solo player experience, offline players can now pause the game by hitting “escape” on PC or by opening the settings menu.
- Ambient Music: Due to popular demand, there is now an ambient music soundtrack to accompany the Dwarves’ ventures through Moria.
As far as co-op goes, it looks like console can host 4-player games, and PC players can host 8-player games. All versions are fully cross-play, so Xbox and PlayStation gamers will be able to join larger games if a PC player acts as the host.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria sells for $24.99 on PlayStation 5 and Epic. The Xbox Series S|X and Steam versions will arrive on Tuesday, August 27, and will cost $19.99 for a limited time.