TellTale’s “Game of Thrones: Iron From Ice”

Telltale and Game of Thrones is like a match made in heaven.

By David Curry on December 4, 2014 at 1:59am

Games of Thrones is a rich universe, full of family houses, names, intangling alliances and memorable locations... all of which are probably reasons that Telltale Games decided to make their own attempt at a story set in Westeros.

Instead of crafting its own story — like TellTale has in "The Walking Dead" and "The Wolf Among Us" — in "Game of Thrones," the events take place around the third season of the TV show.

For those who do not actively follow "Game of Thrones," minor spoilers are in the review. I would highly suggest watching the TV show or reading the books before playing the video game to get a good sense for the lore.

Two Wrongs Make a Wrong

Not all wars are fought on the battlefield, in the words of Petyr Baelish, “People die at their dinner tables, they die in their beds, they die squatting over their chamber pots."

In Part 1 of "Game of Thrones," the Boltons are starting to assert themselves in the North following the end of the Stark rebellion. Ramsey Snow is heading to Ironrath (the home of House Forrester) to hear the house swear allegiance to Roose Bolton.

The player takes command of Ethan and Mira Forrester. Ethan is the third child to Gregor Forrester and Mira is a handmaiden for Margery Tyrell. The player also controls Gared Tuttle, a squire for Gregor Forrester - two other characters will be playable in future episodes.

In King’s Landing, Mira meets familiar faces from the TV show: Tyrion and Cersei Lannister. The marriage of Margery Tyrell to Joffery Baratheon is still underway. Margery looks to be a free “get of out jail” card for Mira to try when her house is in danger.

Mira is surrounded in the viper’s nest that is King’s Landing. Various voices apparently want to help the young girl, but who does the player trust in the conflict? And more importantly, what do they want in return?

A Mini World

Part 1 does its best to give the "Game of Thrones" fan a typical episode: a good amount of talking, some sword fighting and a few murders. It opens up the gritty and forever painful world of Westeros — where no man is invincible and both sides are wrong.

In previous titles, the way has been set and there is an illusion of choice. In "Game of Thrones," choice means a lot; it can decide the fate of a character, lock them away in one high tower or give them freedom, and keep them alive or send them to death.

It is this uncertainty that has been missing from previous TellTale titles. Push too hard and lose your head, become soft and lose everything. House Forrester is only a small house in the North who offered its allegiance to House Stark. House Whitehill, House Bolton and House Lannister all seem like unfriendly company in this new age.

The mini world opened up in House Forrester has lots of depth and looks to be expansive over Essos and into the Wall. TellTale has an opportunity to rip open a new segment away from the books and TV show, but will the studio be willing to sacrifice credibility with book and TV fans for its own immersive story inside House Forrester?

The changes coming to the North are rather significant and could potentially bring massive changes to House Forrester. TellTale has set a slow pace to the events, the whole episode taking place over a week (apart from the very start), meaning it could be a while before meaningful change in other parts of the world come to Ironrath.

A Taste of Pain to Come

Part 1 of Telltale's "Game of Thrones" is a nice opening to the series and already puts players in a difficult spot. It reminds them House Forrester is not a position of absolute power, but a seat on the brink of destruction, following the failed rebellion of Robb Stark.

Graphically, "Game of Thrones" looks like a step down from previous Telltale Games. The pastel background is ugly and the lack of detail is shameful on such a large project. It is clear Telltale cares more for voice and story, but the studio is becoming incredible lazy on an old and poor engine.

The animation quality is pathetic as well, with elongated pauses on the characters and weird facial movements, not matching the voice. Telltale, again, should invest more in facial technology to make conversations more immersive, because right now the mouth is not in sync with the voice most of the time.

Movement, when it happens, is a mess. Telltale has not fixed the problems with the camera and once again we have to question the direction of Telltale’s programming team, who work on designing the rooms, movement and UI. Outside of the story and voices, it feels like the game is made by students, not a well funded and successful studio.

Another gripe is the music Telltale uses, not so much it sounds bad, but in places the same three to five second loop is stuck on repeat. Once the player catches wind of the loop, it is infuriatingly annoying — thankfully it is almost blocked out by the conversation between various characters.

The writing is good, but do not expect the same level of depth as in the TV show or books. The choice aspect of the game makes it so every conversation leads up to a decision or question.

Overall, Part 1 of "Game of Thrones" is a decent start, but Telltale needs to start looking into a new graphical engine.

Game of Thrones: Iron From Ice 8.5 / 10 Read our Review »

Release: 12/2/2014 [NA] 12/2/2014 [EU] 12/2/2014 [JP]

Publisher: Telltale Games

Platforms: iOS, Android, Mac, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Genres: Adventure, Graphic Adventure

Full Game Details »