MINOR SPOILAGE LAY AHEAD

Game of Thrones. To get started I should mention that I am a fan and avid watcher of the HBO series, but I have never read the books. I’ve been meaning to but just haven’t had the time. Being a gamer I have been waiting for someone to release a (good) video game based on the hit medieval series that is both engaging and delivers the authentic Game of Thrones experience. I think we just hit gold!

TellTale Games has been releasing hit “episodic”, “choose your own adventure” games for a decade now. The company was actually founded by a group of former LucasArts employees. This is an interesting fact, seeing that TellTale developed both a Sam and Max and a Monkey Island game, both of which originated at LucasArts. Game of Thrones TellTale Iron from Ice 01My only experience with TellTale, previous to Game of Thrones, was their Back to the Future game which I enjoyed a lot. I’ve been meaning to play Jurassic Park and The Walking Dead, but alas again with the no time thing. So imagine my excitement when I heard that we would be getting games based on Game of Thrones and Borderlands! My Geekly heart almost stopped! We will be getting to a Tales from the Borderlands review soon enough, so keep it tooned.

The important thing to know going into this kind of game is to understand that the choices you make will affect the outcome your story. One of the best mechanics of the game is having a timer that forces you to stay focused on the game and make that split-second decision.With a cinematic way of presenting the game, it is easy sometimes to become too engaged with what is happening and suddenly the game needs you to make a move. Sometimes you’ll get killed if you are caught napping, but hey “you live or you die”, right?! I played GOT on my laptop and I ended up using the keyboard and mouse control scheme. My controller is a little outdated and without a joystick it’s pretty futile. Most of the time you are required to just point and click, maybe drag. But there are some parts that require you to move your character so be prepared for that (there isn’t really a tutorial). Pretty simple, but just stay alert. Graphically the game is pretty decent and the characters that appear both in the show and in the game look pretty similar to their counterparts, so no complaints there. This isn’t that kind of graphic heavy game, it’s a character driven story that puts you in control of your character’s destiny.

Speaking of your character, or should I say characters; one of the great things about this game is that it feels like a Game of Thrones episode, right down to the opening title animation. You play a few different characters as you watch the story of the Forrester’s unravel in the Westeros. House Forrester is an honorable house who are loyal to the Starks and our story revolves around the importance of their location and resources, as one family struggles for survival. Game of Thrones TellTale Iron from Ice 02Without ruining too much, what I really liked about this game is that it feels really relevant to what happened on the show. It opens to a scene set in the courtyard of The Twins right before the events of the “Red Wedding”. I will assume that most of you know what happens during that, but for those of you who do not *SPOILAGE LAY AHEAD. Once the Starks are removed from the playing field by Walder Frey, it is a game of survival for the Forrester’s! Have fun with things but remember that politics are the true weapon when it comes to this Game. Combat is present and you are able to battle some bad guys, but don’t go into this thinking that it’s a hack and slash. I really appreciate that the real cast members, including Lena Headey and Peter Dinklage, were brought in to voice their characters, I won’t spoil all the cameos for you but they are all very well done. Something that really adds the the overall authenticity of the game.

I loved it. I was advised to play the game in one sitting, which I did. With a couple of breaks of course, but I do recommend that you play it this way as well. Prepare yourself for about 2 and a half hours of well spent time, as you embark on an adventure that spans the Westeros! I can’t wait for episode two, but I think I may take this one for another spin and see if I can get some different results!

Game of Thrones: A TellTale Series will be presented in six parts and Episode One: Iron from Ice is available now on Steam, Mac, PS4, & XBox platforms! The episode will be available for iOS tomorrow and PS3 next week!

Disclaimer: A review copy of the game was provided for this review