Weta Workshop is expected to release the Hobbit life simulatorTales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Gamesometime in early 2025 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Here, players will be able to live the relaxing lifestyle of a Hobbit in the emerging village of Bywater. While the game is single player, gamers can still take part in numerous fun activities to help build up Bywater, including decorating Hobbit Holes, trading with townsfolks, and hosting extravagant meals with neighbors. Players may also encounter some familiar, iconic faces in Bywater, but there’s one pair who may shine exceptionally well inTales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game: the trouble making cousins Merry and Pippin.
The Lord of the Rings’ Merry and Pippin Explained
BothThe Lord of the Ringsbook and film trilogy feature four Hobbits as primary protagonists in the war to defeat the Dark Lord Sauron. Fans of the books and films likely remember Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee as the duo that trekked across Middle-earth to Mount Doom and destroyed the One Ring. However, some fans might have forgotten two other Hobbits that helped Frodo and Sam on their quest:Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. All four Hobbits were childhood friends, but Merry and Pippin were the most troublesome of the bunch, even being recognized by the wizard Gandalf the Grey for their pranks and thievery.
It was Merry and Pippin’s fun-loving nature that got them entwined in Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring when they stole crops from a local farmer and ran into Frodo and Sam on the way to the Prancing Pony. Once they joined the Fellowship, their goofiness reduced slightly but still appeared throughout in times of celebration such as the aftermath of the Battles of Helm’s Deep and Isengard. However, their foolishness still showed at times of great peril, including whenPippin awoke the Goblins in the Mines of Moriaand when he later picked up Saruman’s Palantir. Merry was generally shown to be the smarter of the two cousins.
Merry and Pippin’s Feats and Legacy
Despite their fun-loving and often foolish personalities, both Merry and Pippin showed great bravery in the War of the Ring. The two were able to convince the tree-like Ents to fight the evil wizard Saruman and attack Isengard. Pippin journeyed with Gandalf to Gondor, helped defend the city from Orcs, and saved Faramir. Merry traveled with Eowyn to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and helpeddefeat the Witch-king of Angmar. Both of the Hobbits later helped fight Sauron’s final army at the Battle of the Black Gate and even led in the Battle of Bywater to free the Hobbit village from Saruman’s control in the books.
Both Merry and Pippin were buried alongside Aragorn when the three heroes died in Gondor decades after the War of the Ring.
Merry and Pippin’s Potential Roles in Tales of the Shire
Tales of the Shire’s exact place inThe Lord of the Ringstimeline is still relatively unknown, but there is still potential for Merry and Pippin to appear in the game. So far, only one main character fromThe Lord of the Ringshas shown up in the game’s marketing, Gandalf the Grey, settingTales of the ShirebeforeThe Fellowship of the Ring. While there’s a long stretch of time before theFellowship,Tales of the Shirecould be set afterThe Hobbitin order to allow Bilbo Baggins to offer some of his Dwarven treasure as possible decor and for young Merry and Pippin to appear in the game.
Merry and Pippin could serve as NPCs who can be seen occasionally pulling off pranks or stealing some things from the player’s neighbors in Bywater. This could provide some comedy and fun chaos to the relatively peaceful life in Bywater.Merry and Pippin could additionally act as NPCswho give players quests to retrieve items that are needed for some of their dastardly deeds. This could encourage players to explore more of the area around Bywater and offer players more of a chance to interact with some of the most famous Hobbits. In short, adding Merry and Pippin toTales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Gamecould help exemplify that this game is set in one of the most optimistic and jolly places in all of Middle-earth.
