Lego LOTR features openworld Middle-earth
One does not simply double jump into Mordor.
Is it secret? Is it safe? Gandalf can rest easy on the second count, but Lego Lord of the Rings just got a lot less secretive as Warner Bros has started trumpeting about the new gameplay features included in the game, the thirteenth in the hugely successful series of brick-based adventures.
Top of the list, the game will allow players to "explore all of the open-world of Middle-earth" although it's not clear at this point whether this means free-roaming interconnected areas, as in Lego Harry Potter, or a true openworld environment, as introduced in the sprawling Gotham City hub of Lego Batman 2.
The game will also introduce a new feature, in the shape of crafting. Blacksmith shops will enable you to combine and create items using the magical, mystical metal Mithril. Mmm.
Enemies will include such Tolkien favourites as orcs, Uruk-hai, the Balrog and the Witch-king. You'll also be able to use the One Ring to enter the creepy, misty netherworld of the Ringwraiths. 80 characters will be available to unlock, so best start brushing up on your obscure Elvish cameos.
Lego Lord of the Rings will set out from the Shire this Autumn.