Game of Thrones Episode 1: Iron from Ice Review (PC)

George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series has had a huge impact on the world, not just in terms in literature but also in terms of entertainment, as HBO's massively successful Game of Thrones TV series is directly based on the novels.

Video games are also no exception, as quite a few different titles have already appeared bearing the Game of Thrones name, delivering RPG, strategy, or even social experiences to entertain the legions of fans as well as newcomers.

Now, by far one of the most ambitious projects has just arrived from Telltale Games, in the form of its own Game of Thrones series. The developer has already proved its mettle with the adventure series based on The Walking Dead or Fables comics, as well as on other games, such as Tales from the Borderlands. With the new title, it also wants to show that it can respect the book and TV series by delivering a self-contained adventure that complements the action on the screen and in the pages of the novels.

Does Game of Thrones Episode 1: Iron from Ice manage to deliver a great time or should the White Walkers get it? Let's find out.

Prepare for war

Story

Before I begin, bear in mind that the game series takes place well after the first events in the books or TV shows. The action properly debuts at the infamous Red Wedding, so if you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, you might want to watch the show or read the books before jumping into the video game, as it spares no time explaining the situation of Westeros and its inhabitants.

The Game of Thrones series from Telltale focuses on House Forrester, a small clan that was loyal to the much bigger House Stark and supplied it with the rare ironwood, which proved to be much tougher than regular wood and had been the source of plenty of conflicts in the Northern part of Westeros.

Players get to control multiple characters, both inside the Forrester clan and near it. In the first episode, the focus is on a squire of Lord Forrester and two of his children. I won't go into that much detail, as many different things happen that are pretty surprising, to say the least.

You'll also get to interact with quite a few major players in the game of thrones, starting with Cersei Lannister or Margaery Tyrell and continuing with Tyrion Lannister, Ramsay Snow, and more.

In terms of plot, the game manages to emulate the structure of the TV show really well, jumping between characters and showing on just how many levels the game of thrones is actually played. It also drives the point home that, while House Forrester may be an honorable family, with plenty of parallels drawn between them and the Starks, in this universe that counts for very little. Knowing who to trust is hard to figure out, and of course, there are plenty of choices that impact, to a higher or lower degree, the events that unfold.

The overall story is good, but it does suffer from a few pacing issues and some situations don't really need to happen. It also features quite a few illusions of choice that feel major but in the end don't affect the outcome, which is pretty disappointing.

Celebrate victory

Gameplay

In terms of gameplay, the Game of Thrones experience from Telltale doesn't stray that far from the traditional recipe we've already seen in The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, or even Tales from the Borderlands.

You get to engage in dialogs, action sequences, and moments where you just roam around a small zone, talking to people or interacting with objects.

The dialog sequences are by far the most entertaining, as they really offer some intense experiences, especially when interacting with hostile characters like Cersei Lannister or Ramsay Snow. The only downside is that, every once in a while, the summary offered by the choices presented to the player don't reflect the tone in which the character delivers them. As such, you might make some unfortunate choices during some conversations.

The action sequences mostly rely on quick time events and they are pretty intense, although they mostly feature going into different directions or mashing buttons to ensure you don't meet a grizzly fate. These moments aren't that numerous, at least not in this episode, and only happen during the beginning. The walking around sections are also not that many and only bring into attention the wonky movement mechanic.

There are also a few glitches during some scenes, with characters moving way too fast than normal or clothes clipping through other objects.

Visuals and Sound

Game of Thrones uses a slightly different visual style than previous Telltale projects, going more into the painting zone, but unfortunately, the result isn't all that impressive. All the colors are washed out, and while that may compliment the grim feel of the North, they get a bit too dreary for their own sake.

The backgrounds in particular appear to have a really low quality, although the character models for the main protagonists are slightly better. However, the bigger characters based on the TV show actors, with Tyrion in particular, look extremely weird and prove that the visuals can't really do realism or recreate a person's likeness.

The soundtrack is decent but unimpressive, as it barely makes its presence felt. The voice acting is a bit better, but some conversations don't flow as smoothly as they could. The TV actors lend their talent to Cersei, Tyrion, Margaery, or Ramsay and they do make a good effort.

Visit different locations

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion

Game of Thrones Episode 1 acts more or less as a prologue by setting the stage for the many events that will happen in the next five chapters. It delivers a decent experience in terms of dialog but falls short when it comes to action sequences or impactful choices. The visuals in particular weigh it down, so let's hope some improvement can be made with the next few episodes.

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