Game of Thrones Episode 2: The Lost Lords Review (PC)

Telltale Games has been around for quite some time but only in recent years has the independent developer entered the mainstream thanks to episodic adventure series like The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us.

In the last few months, the team has rolled out not one but two different fresh series, one focused on Gearbox Software's Borderlands universe – Tales from the Borderlands – and one that deals with the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books and the "Game of Thrones TV" show from HBO, which is called simply Game of Thrones.

The first episode, Iron from Ice, already left a decent impression on fans last year, when it appeared across the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One platforms, and now the second chapter, The Lost Lords, has been released.

Promising to take the story forward while introducing new characters and plenty of intense situations, does The Lost Lords manage to elevate the adventure experience or should it remain lost? Let's find out.

Bear in mind that I will talk about spoilers for the first episode but I'll refrain from discussing things that haven't been revealed so far in promotional trailers or screenshots about the second chapter

Story

After meeting House Forrester in the first episode of Telltale's Game of Thrones series, players are introduced to even more members of the noble house in the second chapter, including Asher, the second son of Lord Forrester, who ran away to the continent of Essos after a falling out with his family.

There are also a few surprises along the way that I won't spoil in this review. You will, however, get to revisit Mira Forrester in King's Landing, while former squire Gared Tuttle finally reaches Castle Black and gets to join the Night's Watch.

The plot is a bit more solid this time around, benefitting from characters that already had their introduction made in chapter 1. Asher is certainly an interesting addition but he doesn't get that much screentime in episode 2, and those sequences that do star him are fast-paced and focus more on combat.

Once again, some choices are mostly illusions but there are some surprises along the way and even one particular event that you can influence, although it's unclear if it will eventually take place in future chapters. Still, don't expect to make sweeping choices as Telltale's plot doesn't factor them in all that much.

It does go quite far in showing just how cruel the Game of Thrones universe can be, especially when it comes to an honorable noble family like the Forrester, which keeps getting punched by fate in rapid succession. It's going to be interesting to see if and how things might get better and how they might influence the rest of the universe.

The lost lord

Gameplay

Episode 1 was, more or less, a prologue to the main adventures in the Game of Thrones series from Telltale Games, as it drastically limited player choices and just took you through a series of situations you could barely influence. Episode 2 is a bit more generous with gameplay sequences, featuring more than just intense dialog.

Sure, there are still lots of crucial conversations that you'll engage in as different playable characters, and like in previous Telltale titles, they can feel as intense as any battle for survival. Unfortunately, once again there are some choices that aren't well represented in the dialog options and you don't really know how your character will deliver them or what other sentences they will add besides the one seen on the screen.

“Of course, many times there are no right choices to be made, so you'll just have to go with your gut and deal with the aftermath of those events.”

The fight sequences are a bit more fast-paced than usual, starting with the one in which Asher and his mercenary lady friend Beskha get involved in at the beginning of the episode. The Night's Watch aptitude test undertaken by Gared is also a welcome breath of fresh air, although his actual plot moments just make him out to be a Jon Snow clone.

During the fights, quick time events once again reign supreme although the faster pace makes them a bit harder to pull off. Don't worry if you miss them and end up dying, however, as there are several checkpoints scattered through each fight.

Glitches are still present, with objects suddenly popping into view or dialog that isn't actually uttered by the characters.

Meet Jon Snow

Visuals and sound

Game of Thrones retains its hand-painted visuals, for better or worse. Sure, most of the character models look quite good, and even the TV show actors look a bit better than in the first episode. Still, the backgrounds have a low quality and there's a huge amount of aliasing in many situations.

The soundtrack is decent but the most impressive thing is the voice acting, which makes the characters stand out and feel more impressive.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion

Game of Thrones Episode 2: The Lost Lords is a decent entry in Telltale's series, and while it takes the story to interesting directions, it still doesn't really pull off the whole presentation and still suffers from shoddy choices and poor visuals.

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