14 DAY TRIAL // A few weeks ago, I was writing about the cool new experiment coming from the Google Chrome team – a walk through Tolkien’s Middle Earth.
During the first batch, there were three available locations to visit – Trollshaw Forrest, Rivendell and Dol Guldur. Now, a couple more have been added – Thranduil’s Hall and Lake-Town, while Erebor remains to be opened at a later date.
Thranduil’s Hall, unlike some of the previous locations, doesn’t feature a game as an extra, but rather a story of dwarfs and elves. The second town, however, will have you testing out your aiming skills with a bow and arrow, as you need to hit various targets and compare your scores with other heroes.
The experiment comes ahead of the official release of the second movie from the “Hobbit” series, “The Desolation of Smaug,” which is, of course, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world.
“Journey through Middle-earth” makes use of a lot of new modern technologies while trying to bring to life various new locations and characters from the movies. It was created in collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures.
The entire journey features an interactive map of the Middle-Earth through which you can move around, zooming in, exploring and discovering more about the impressively intricate world woven by Tolkien in his books.
Aside from the 3D environment, the experiment comes with audio and visual effects, which are quite impressive, especially since this adds to the experience greatly. The narrating voice is also a much-appreciated bonus.
The Chrome experiment works via the Chrome desktop apps, but also via mobile devices, namely the web browser’s apps for Android, iPhone or iPad.
So, if you’re curious or if you particularly love the world built by Tolkien, you should really give this experiment a twirl and check out the newly added locations.
