The Case

Telltale has come out with another adventure after the success of their Walking Dead series and The Wolf Among Us, but this time they're trying their hand at bringing the Telltale charm to Game of Thrones. Filled with recognizable characters like Tyrion Lannister, Rob Snow, Ramsay Bolton, and Margaery Tyrell as well as new faces for both protagonists and villains, the big question is if Telltale's Game of Thrones is ready for Wint...I mean players. Will Telltale win or die with their newest game - Game of Thrones?

The Trial

Warning: Only people who are invested in Game of Thrones will understand the events of this game. While not unplayable to someone new, the game expects you to know major characters, their position, and their characteristics before you play the game. This review is written by somebody who is up to date on the show, so bias is present. Once again: only people who love and know Game of Thrones will understand the events of this game.

Double Warning: This review will have spoilers for the show and books. Telltale's Game of Thrones takes place late into season three of the show, and it's impossible to talk about a story heavy game like Game of Thrones without involving the story of the series that it has spun off from. While I'll try to avoid spoilers, it's best that you watch the show or read the books prior to playing this game to enjoy it fully.

With the warnings out of the way, let's talk about the core of the game: characters and plot. Unlike previous Telltale games, in GoT episode one of you play as three separate characters all belonging to house Forrester, an allied house of the Starks. The game begins with Gared Tuttle, Lord Forrester's devoted squire, then moves onto Ethan Forrester, first son of Lord Forrester, and finally goes onto Mira Forrester, Ethan's older sister and handmaiden to Margaery Tyrell at King's Landing. The events at the Red Wedding have severed ties between House Forrester and House Stark, and now House Bolton and Whitehill technically own House Forrester, leaving the player with the big question will you stand faithful to House Stark as a northern house or will you bend your knee and declare loyalty to House Bolton, House Whitehill, and King Joffrey Baratheon?

Gared Tuttle, unlike Ethan and Mira Forrester, isn't some fancy lord or politician, but a squire to Lord Forrester. Meaningful choices are in Gared's sections, this is Telltale after all, but most of those choices end up in something that could easily kill you if you make the wrong move. Your fist task as Gared is to serve House Forrester and second deliver a message from Lord Forrester to Duncan and Duncan alone. There are multiple instances where you can choose to spill the secret, but most of Gareds decisions are more along the lines of save this person or the other, attack or talk, hide or run. Rurvival decisions instead of political ones. Gared's sections are fun and action-packed, but overall the weakest sections of the game since Telltale has never been great with action sequences.

Ethan on the other hand has literally no action sequences in his story. His duty is to rule over House Forrester from Ironrath while dealing with House Whitehill and Bolton, and it's a lot harder than it sounds. bending your knee and protecting your people might be the better option, but when the first thing you hear from the Whitehills is complaints about how they weren't served bread with salt and pepper upon arrival it's more tempting to hit them than anything else. Boltons are even worse if you ask me, always eying your family and spitting lines like "aren't you a bit young to be a lord?" Everyone hates them, but it's up to Ethan to decide if they should stand as proud northerners and try to re-enact David and Goliath with House Bolton or swear fealty. They're not easy decisions, but somebody has to make them.

Mira Forrester might be hundreds of miles away in King's Landing serving Margaery Tyrell, but her heart is right with House Forrester. Mira, much like Sansa Stark originally, takes the role of the soft hearted politician trying her best to help her family from far away. Mira has to resort to asking Margaery, and the people in King's Landing for help, but that's easier said than done when Cersei Lannister and Joffrey have all the power. At least there's a little dwarf willing to provide comfort and mock Cersei whenever possible right? No Brienne of Tarth, Oberyn Martell, or Jaime Lannister in episode one, but they're mentioned and I'd bet good money that they're on their way.

All these characters fit perfectly within the Game of Thrones universe and never fall out of place. Telltale has done a phenomenal job developing characters and developing them as separate, unique characters. Fans of the older Telltale games might find it jarring at first switching between playable characters, but you get used to it, and it wouldn't really be Game of Thrones if all the focus was on one character anyway.

As great as the story is, there are some graphical issues like hair clipping through clothing and flowing liquids like poured wine not actually existing, but the most significant disappointment is the art style. It's clear that Telltale tried their hardest to accurately model the actors from the show as the characters they play, but that has resulted in a more realistic, boring look than any previous Telltale game. The Walking Dead had its deep shadows while The Wolf Among Us has a style and color palette inspired by the graphic novel. But Telltale's Game of Thrones looks boring in comparison. The innovation that made The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us visually stand out from any other game just isn't there. It doesn't cheapen or distract from the story much, but fans of the older titles might be disappointed with the number of jaggies and bland color palette.

The Verdict

All in all Telltale's Game of Thrones is another fantastic narrative experience. Playing with multiple open-book characters is a large change of pace, but Telltale does it well, and with each character being both believable and significant in their own way makes the game all the better. Graphical issues and Telltale's underwhelming action sequences aren't enough to ruin this episode. Its story and hard decisions are just too damn good, and manage to carry the game even through its low points. Plus an ending that nobody expected, screams Game of Thrones and reminds us more is on the way.

Case Review