Game of Thrones: Episodes 1-4 | XO

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People die. One fact anyone familiar with either the book or TV adaptations of Game of Thrones will already know. The real trick is, can a game trick you into caring about its characters as much as the fans of the show, in particular, know and love?

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by James Parry

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@james_parry

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Developer: Telltale
Publisher: Telltale
Players: 1

The game follows four protagonists from House Forrester, a family which doesn't feature in the books but amazingly manages to weave itself in and intersect with both key plot points from the show and some of its biggest names (all voiced by their respective actors).

Despite some fun moments in the first three episodes, it feels like Episode 4 is where the game really hits its stride, as things start to happen with all four of our protagonists.

Avoiding spoilers, this episode proves to be the tipping point for all of the characters' situations, meaning that even Mira in King's Landing - generally the weakest portrayal of the four - feels like she can stand on her own two feet.

Action takes a step up as well, offering what is the most elaborate sequence so far, which really works, and even the negotiating table at High Point with Rodrik feels tense and engaging where it could feel hollow.

Unfortunately despite all the games' steps forward it's still held back by poor quality control. It's difficult to go a playthrough of even a single episode without some loading issues, pregnant pauses between scenes or characters mouths not moving in conversation.

It seems fairly basic and obvious but when the game doesn't seem to be graphically challenging - the likes of the Witcher 3 prove that shiny visuals can be delivered on Xbox One - it's disappointing to notice these sorts of slip-ups, as it immediately draws you out of the story and reminds you that you are, in fact, playing a game.

The story remains the highlight, as the tempo ramps up it's clear that this would even make one of the more effective arcs in the TV series. Hopefully the payoff at the end will not only feel satisfying, but the player will be able to feel like their choices have shaped this world, even in a small way.

This game is essential for those who are big fans of the show and want to spend more time with the characters when they are off-screen (characterisation of Tyrion and Jon Snow in particular are perfect), but with just a bit more polish from a gameplay point of view this game could be Telltale's greatest work to date.

To be continued...

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