Thursday 12 February 2015

Review: Game of Thrones: Episode 1 - Iron from Ice

Winter Has Come?

Review Code Supplied By Tell Tale Games
Even though I am part of the minority that has not either watched or read The Game of Thrones, I can still see why a Tell Tale game has been created of the series.  Tell Tale Games take pride in creative story telling through characters and from what I have heard through the grapevine, so does the Game of Thrones.  Whether I would like the series or not, I find myself in a great position with this new series from Tell Tale Games.  I neither love or hate the show and this game series could be the perfect element that decides that for me.  So, as on outsider does this new series capture what is so great about the show?  Well, lets say I am still on the fence about it all.


I would love to tell you about the story but for two key reasons I cannot.  The first being that it is a Tell Tale game and story is key to the gameplay.  Secondly, I have honestly have not got a clue what is happening.
All that I know is that the main story arc follows the House of Forrester through a series of unfortunate events but as the story starts to unfold it is easily apparent that to fully enjoy this game series you  need to have watched at least some of the TV show.  You can sort of enjoy the basics of the story but I really felt lost when names were being thrown around like I should know they are.  This is a game made for the fans of the show, not new ones.  By all means this is not a bad thing but I would imagine that this game series offers back story to an already packed story.  It is not all doom and gloom for new comers as there is a codex that you can rad through that explains more about the Houses and settings but I did find myself going into read it often and I felt like it was spoiling the experience.


Compared to other Tell Tale games The Game of Thrones introduces you to multiple characters to control and in this episode I felt it did not work.  I understand that there is a lot of story to get across but there was not one character I felt attached too.  Hopefully this will change as each chapter of the game is released.
In a sense, the gameplay is non existence.  I understand that Tell Tales formula states that story is told through character decisions and, to date, I believe this is the least action packed title.  Adapting to a different game genre is something that Tale Tale games have done well in the past but here it feels like it is lacking.  Compared to how action packed the TV show is all I can say is it is rather disappointing,  In fact the opening sequence counting the most action and it was was other rather quickly but it was very thrilling.


One element of The Game of Thrones which stands out from the rest is the graphics.  It does not use super high resolution textures but it adopts a water colour style,  Every scene is like looking at an old water coloured painting you would expect to see in the National Gallery.  There are just gorgeous to look at and just like the script, it adds more depth to the world.  This art style is used on all character models too but like previous games they still suffer from moving like lifeless creatures.  Tell Tale have got it spot on with the facial expressions but the body movements are still very robotic.


If you are not a fan of The Game of Thrones TV show then you will not buy this game, full spot.  I can not recommend it to that group of gamers but I can easily recommend it to fans of the show.  I appreciate the world that has been created and the game just extends this.  I enjoyed what I played but I honestly believe it would have been a far better experience if I knew some of the back story.  I am not yet hooked to the series but hopefully this will change with future episodes.
Even though it does suffer from pacing issues, The Game of Thrones has an excellent script and I feel that it has a promising future with the upcoming episodes.  I look forward to what the series will offer and it one fans can not miss.

NOTE: Due to a humorous issue I had, Episode Two will be reviewed for early next week - thanks for the patience!

6/10

Who Should Buy This?


  • Game of Thrones fans
  • If you like a well created world with a very deep script
  • Tell Tale Fans

Who Should NOT Buy This?


  • Never seen/read Game of Thrones? Yea, this will loose you
  • If you are looking for an action adventure title then this will disappoint you
  • Sick of Tell Tale Games?

1 comment:

  1. No soy muy fan de la saga y la verdad es que no esperaba mucha novedad con este nuevo Farcry. No obstante, lo que he jugado me ha gustado mucho: historia, personajes, gráficos, tiroteos... Espero no tener que cambiar mi review en el futuro.
    See more review: A Plague Tale: Innocence
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    The Crew 2

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