Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series is the much anticipated videogame adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy masterpiece series of novels, “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Having watched the hit HBO show I can say confidently that this game is an excellent experience in the world of Westeros, especially given that it costs only $5 an episode. This game is the first of 6 from Telltale Games.
Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series is the much-anticipated videogame adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy masterpiece series of novels, “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Having watched the hit HBO show I can say confidently that this game is an excellent experience in the world of Westeros, especially given that it costs only $5 an episode. This game is the first of 6 from Telltale Games.
For those not familiar with this epic story, I recommend becoming familiar with the series prior to playing. After all, this series is amazingly well done and deserves your attention.Episode one starts with a branching tale to the main plot of “The War of the Five Kings” over the throne and control of the Kingdoms. This tale follows House Forrester from the Northern area of Westeros (one of the lands in the stories), and each of the noble children play their part in the story. Staying alive and securing the House and the domain of Ironrath are the focal points. In Telltale fashion, interaction and tough, story altering decisions are to be expected. Their vision of “Game of Thrones,” stands as another excellent example of a series that shines through its’ graphical and artistic style.The implementation of Telltales signature use of cell-shading allows the world and characters to appear as a hybrid of realism with a cartoon-like flair – a style found in comic books and graphic novels. Famous characters met by players from the television show are closely made to resemble the actors who play them. So far, these include Dany Targaryen, Margaery Tyrell, and the ever conflicting siblings Cersei and Tyrion Lannister.
Telltale stays true to their focus on character-driven stories and maintain their reputation as they deliver a powerful story that holds weighty choices for players. In playing these games I find myself pausing and pouring over choices with great care because of the impact they can truly have. Without revealing spoilers, I’ll say that the writers certainly seem to play around with the moral ambiguity that Westeros seems to foster.
The great story leads to great gameplay. This is an area of some debate whether there is a lot of actual gameplay due to the quicktime button presses and video sequences. Telltale games are linear in ways but this is done to drive player focus on narrative and story elements without much diversion. Moving freely about in some areas is possible but getting to the next scene and seeing story development is the true emphasis of play.
Musical scores and voice acting are both areas that deserve mention given that many of their titles are those based off existing IPs. They can draw on and use famous scores and musical pieces to compliment the works and hook players and fans alike give the game a true edge. Top quality voice actors lend their talents to breathe life into characters. With a voice cast that includes Peter Dinklage, Natalie Dormer, Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke, among others, will also be joining in to represent their characters in future episodes.
As a fan of adventure games, I may be biased, but I find it nice to enjoy a story as I used to when reading choose your own adventure books as a kid. Taking control of my fate is what I’m looking for, and if Telltales version of “Game of Thrones,” plays out anything like the television show and books, there will be plenty of bodies to walk over along my journey.
Benjamin Pope is a Game Design and Art/Animation student at the University of Advancing Technology working toward giving something back to the gaming industry through great, deep and addictive game titles.
Also Read: Game of Thrones – The Game Continues and Story Unfolds
