The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Important: Game may not include original DLC, bonus-content, online-pass, season-pass, or other digital redemption codes. Any included codes may have already been redeemed or expired.
Preorder and launch bonuses, promotional or bonus inserts, and bundled bonus-game downloads are not guaranteed. Content supplied on the game disc or cartridge is unaffected.
About the Game
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King turns the final film’s battles into a close-range action campaign for Nintendo GameCube. The story opens at Helm’s Deep, then divides into the Path of the Wizard, Path of the King, and Path of the Hobbits. Gandalf defends Gondor, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli fight toward the Black Gate, and Sam carries the struggle through Shelob’s lair while Frodo moves closer to Mount Doom. The separate routes eventually converge on the same goal: breaking Sauron’s power by destroying the One Ring.
Combat & Hero Abilities
Combat is built around controlling crowds without losing track of stronger enemies. Fast attacks start combinations, fierce attacks hit harder, physical attacks knock opponents down or away, and killing moves finish vulnerable foes. A ranged action handles distant targets, while parrying protects against incoming blows. Context-sensitive objects add another layer: spears, catapults, torches, ballistas, and gates become useful when the battle demands more than a sword swing.
The heroes share a consistent control scheme, but their speed, attack style, ranged tools, and special abilities give each one a different flavor. That balance makes it easy to change characters without relearning the entire game while still rewarding you for understanding each hero’s strengths.
Experience, Upgrades & Replay
Performance during a level earns experience points, and cleaner combinations improve the reward. Between missions, those points buy new moves and character improvements. Hero upgrades strengthen one character, while Fellowship upgrades can make an ability available across the roster once each hero reaches the required level. Replaying a mission gives you another opportunity to develop a hero and practice the combat system.
Progress also opens bonus characters, hidden challenges, and the freedom to revisit cleared stages with heroes who were not originally assigned to them. That creates alternate matchups after the main paths are complete. Unlockable interviews, production material, and film-related extras sit inside the game as earned bonus content.
Single-Player & Local Co-op
The single-player campaign lets you choose among the three paths after the opening battle and develop heroes across their missions. Local two-player cooperative play lets two heroes face the campaign together. Teamwork matters when enemies arrive from several directions.
This North American GameCube release supports one or two players on the same console. Its cooperative mode is local. A GameCube Memory Card is used for saves. The back cover also identifies Game Boy Advance compatibility for unlocking special content, which requires the appropriate separate handheld and connection cable.
Film Presentation
Scenes and music from the films connect missions to Peter Jackson’s trilogy, and returning performers voice most of the principal heroes. Battles move from ruined fortifications and city streets to caverns and the approaches to Mordor, with large enemy groups keeping the pace urgent.
More game data: releases, identifiers & technical details
Regional release records and identifiers for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Nintendo GameCube.
Release and technical facts
| Fact | Value | Release / platform | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published by | Electronic Arts, Inc. | United States | MobyGames |
| Developed by | Electronic Arts Redwood Shores Studio | United States | MobyGames |
| Additional Development by | Arnson Communications, Inc. | United States | MobyGames |
| Ported by | Hypnos Entertainment, Inc. | United States | MobyGames |
| Publishing label | EA Games | United States | MobyGames |
| Cutscenes by | Palma VFX | United States | MobyGames |
| Package Design by | BLT & Associates Inc. | United States | MobyGames |
| Manual by | The Big Idea Group, Inc. | United States | MobyGames |
| Licensed by | New Line Cinema | United States | MobyGames |
| Published by | Electronic Arts, Inc. | Germany | MobyGames |
| Developed by | Electronic Arts Redwood Shores Studio | Germany | MobyGames |
| Additional Development by | Arnson Communications, Inc. | Germany | MobyGames |
| Ported by | Hypnos Entertainment, Inc. | Germany | MobyGames |
| Publishing label | EA Games | Germany | MobyGames |
| Distributed by | Electronic Arts Deutschland GmbH | Germany | MobyGames |
| Localized by | Coda Entertainment GmbH & Co. KG | Germany | MobyGames |
| Cutscenes by | Palma VFX | Germany | MobyGames |
| Package Design by | BLT & Associates Inc. | Germany | MobyGames |
| Manual by | The Big Idea Group, Inc. | Germany | MobyGames |
| Licensed by | New Line Cinema | Germany | MobyGames |
| Published by | Electronic Arts, Inc. | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Developed by | Electronic Arts Redwood Shores Studio | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Additional Development by | Arnson Communications, Inc. | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Ported by | Hypnos Entertainment, Inc. | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Publishing label | EA Games | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Distributed by | Electronic Arts Deutschland GmbH | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Localized by | Coda Entertainment GmbH & Co. KG | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Cutscenes by | Palma VFX | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Package Design by | BLT & Associates Inc. | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Manual by | The Big Idea Group, Inc. | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Licensed by | New Line Cinema | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
| Sound Capabilities | Dolby Pro Logic II | GameCube | MobyGames |
| Input Devices Supported/Optional | Game Boy Advance Compatible | GameCube | MobyGames |
| Multiplayer Options | Same/Split-Screen | GameCube | MobyGames |
| Multiplayer Game Modes | Co-Op | GameCube | MobyGames |
| Number of Offline Players | 1-2 Players | GameCube | MobyGames |
| Original game disc count | 1 | North America | MobyGames |
Regional releases
| Release date | Region / edition | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2003-11-05 | United States | MobyGames |
| 2003-11-14 | Germany | MobyGames |
| 2004-08-26 | Germany; Players Choice release | MobyGames |
Catalog identifiers by release
| Identifier | Code | Region / edition | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIN | B07S4GXTLK | United States | MobyGames |
| UPC-A | 014633146868 | United States | MobyGames |
| Nintendo Media PN | DL-DOL-GKLE-USA | United States | MobyGames |
| eBay Product ID | 10811 | United States | MobyGames |
| EAN-13 | 5030932035127 | Germany | MobyGames |
| Nintendo Media PN | DL-DOL-GKLD-NOE | Germany | MobyGames |
Data by MobyGames.com
