Im going to start with a confession: I’m a MASSIVE Song of Ice and Fire fan (the books on which the TV show ‘Game of Thrones’ is based). I’d go as far as saying I’m a geek about it. I’m one of those tools that will tell you books are infinitely better than the (admittedly awesome) TV series (seriously tho, go read them, they’re amazing).
When I heard that Telltale games were bringing their magic to the twin lands of Westeros and Essos and that it was going beyond the main plot and into the background houses, schemes and stories, I was very excited. Telltale are amazing at crafting clever and atmospheric interactive stories. If anyone was going to handle the source material the right way, these legend crafters were the men (and women) for the job.
Coming off the back of the amazing Walking Dead adaptation, the canon-expanding Tales from the Borderlands and the totally original The Wolf Among Us, The Telltale Team (say that ten times fast) have another instant classic in Game of Thrones.
The story (so far) focusses on the House Forrester. For those that are familiar with the Westeros lore, House Forrester is a noble house (drawn from the Fifth Book, dances with Dragons) hailing from the Wolfswood in the North of Westeros. They are vassals of the Glovers of Deepwood Motte, and have their seat at the wooden castle of Ironrath. In fact, due to their position they control the iron wood forests from which they make their living. During the war of the Five Kings (The Northern Rebellion) they were sworn to fight for Robb Stark.
The first Episode begins with you as a House squire celebrating a recent military victory in the camp of the combined Stark forces. Unfortunately within minutes of starting, the opening titles confirm that this celebration is a fairly well known one to fans of the series; the Red Wedding.
If you’re not familiar, this is a pivotal moment in the series in which the northern forces are betrayed by House Frey. As a result, the Lord of House Forrester and his son are both murdered and your squire has to return to Ironrath to tell the surviving members of the House what happened.
From then on you switch between the squire, the third son (and new Lord) of House Forrester at Ironrath and a daughter of the house, acting as handmaiden to queen-to-be Margaery Tyrell in Kings Landing. In subsequent episodes you will also get to play other members and retainers to the House, such as the second son currently forging his path over in Essos. You will play these roles to help House Forester thrive and survive, not just against their local rival houses such as the Whitehills, but also in dealing with their new liege-lords, the Boltons.
If you know Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire, you’ll know why I can’t say any more about the story. To say any more will be to rob you of the twists and turns that await you on your interactive journey.
All you need to know is that Telltale have done the impossible. The game not only captures the storytelling and style of novel author George R. R. Martin perfectly, it also manages to bring the intrigue and excitement of Westeros into your living room in a truly authentic way.
It is impressive that the developers have managed to weave such an intricate story in among the existing cannon without ever threatening to breach it. More than that, the usual Telltale magic comes to the fore and lets you influence the story with your own decisions at pivotal moments. Who will you let live and die? How will you exercise the justice of House Forrester? How will you choose to deal with the Boltons? All of these decisions are yours and will affect how your story, and the fate of the house, unfolds.
*note-the above image is just for giggles and not actually taken from the game..we found it funny anyway.
While I felt this was a truly fantastic Game of Thrones experience, I think the one caveat I have to lay down is that this game is an amazing adventure for the fans of the books and/or TV series – but it may be fairly inaccessible to anyone that isn’t familiar with the wider story.
Also, you have to go into this title with the understanding of what Telltale episodes are; these aren’t games in the traditional sense, they are interactive stories. They are compelling tales driven by limited exploration (in the old point-and-click style), lots of conversations, and a fair sprinkling of quick time events.
If the appeal of the Iron Throne has passed you by, or if you aren’t interested in interactive storytelling, then this may not be the game for you. However, if you (like me) want to carve your own legend in Westeros, there is no better way to do it.
The only question left is when you try your hand at the Game of Thrones, will you win… or will you die?
^HooksaN (@HooksaN)
David Hook (HooksaN) contributed 26 articles to ICXM between 2014–2015, covering game reviews, and Xbox news with a focus on hands-on impressions and verified-source reporting. Their bylines on the site span the Xbox One’s first full year of post-launch coverage, including the early days of Backwards Compatibility and Windows 10 gaming. They post on X as @Hooksan.