The LOTR game The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War was celebrated with a hilarious low-cost Gandalf cosplay. Fans have recently returned to Middle-Earth in a free-to-play mobile game deemed a geo-strategic seasonal wargame with roleplaying elements. With a focus on developing armies, expanding territory, and constructing buildings and defenses, the NetEase Games-developed The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War is similar to other mobile games on the market. This one, however, offers Tolkein’s world of Middle-Earth as its playground, giving players the opportunity to control the One Ring as a wide variety of factions based on the fantasy novels.
The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War has had decent reception despite it being a free-to-play mobile game with all of the connotations attached. Some have claimed the game is surprisingly deep and well-presented for a mobile strategy game, staying faithful to the source material while simultaneously giving players unique avenues to explore and experience Middle-Earth. The depth of strategy may ensure the game’s longevity, even as it competes against other Lord of the Rings games. A recent announcement from EA revealed that The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-Earth will be a turn-based mobile RPG with multiple playable characters, which has sparked frustration from fans. Many expect EA’s game to be filled with microtransactions, presenting similarly to other titles like Raid: Shadow Legends where players spend loads of money to purchase additional characters. Lord of the Rings: Rise to War has strayed from overwhelming fans with pay-to-win mechanics, solidifying it as a decent representation of the IP.
Creative cosplayer Lowcostcosplay celebrated The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War with their low-cost Gandalf cosplay, recreating artwork from the LOTR game. The cosplay recreated the image of Gandalf, staff in hand, riding his white horse, though Lowcostcosplay used paint on their leg to create the image of the mare. After adding a white robe, a wig, and beard, as well as a low-budget staff, the hilarious outfit was complete.
Cosplayers take their love of gaming to new heights, like the World of Warcraft dwarf cosplay that used genius design to mimic the fantasy race’s stature. Using real-world design elements to bring video game characters to life is certainly a talent, and it’s interesting to see the many ways cosplayers accomplish this feat. Lowcostcosplay’s low-budget Gandalf cosplay is one such example, especially since all it took was a white robe and wig to complete the look. The hilarious part was the leg painting, which simulated Lowcostcosplay riding Gandalf’s white mare. It didn’t take intricate replicas or even a real-life horse to achieve, but it certainly got the job done.
It's not surprising that Lowcostcosplay chose to cosplay as Gandalf since the White Wizard is one of the most popular Lord of the Rings characters. It would be interesting to see Lowcostcosplay try out other LOTR characters with low-budget costuming, especially since the cosplayer has created many signature looks, some of which include cosplays of popular gaming characters.
Source: Lowcostcosplay/Twitter