In order to understand the story of Telltale’s Game of Thrones, one will probably need to be familiarized with the actual storyline of the series itself. Game of Thrones is the story of several noble houses who are in the midst of a civial war over the throne that controls all seven kingdoms. Following many dynamic characters from several perspectives around the kingdom Game of Thrones tells a story of the noble, the exiled and the supernatural. This is the basic concept of the show itself, but should give you a starting point on how to get started. It’s hard to summarize the plot of Game of Thrones in a short paragraph, as its dynamics and several point of views make it an intricate web of plot that is better viewed directly.
I might also note that I refer to this game as an adaption of the series, rather than the books. The game follows the continuity of the series, and thus might differ significantly from the books due to certain changes that were made for the series itself. Whilst the protagonists and supporting characters are mostly original, there are returning characters from the show which connect the events of the game to the series itself, which may actually benefit players that have followed the series, as it gives them an insight in what to expect from certain situations and characters. The newly-added characters feel right at home in the Game of Thrones universe however, and as soon as our story starts it really feels like an actual HBO-crafted spin-off of the show. The funny thing is, whilst it’s enjoyable seeing familiar characters on screen, you never seem to miss them after they leave due to the fact that the Forrester’s are so well-written, and seeing their stories develop is much more entertaining than fan-servicing returning characters. Luckily none of these returning characters are there due to fan-service, and their portrayals are quite essential to the story the game is trying to tell.
The first episode focuses on the personal journeys of members of House Forrester, who are heavily affected by the war that is taking place. Spread out over the seven kingdoms ranging from places such as Kings Landing and other familiar locations. The episode starts off on quite a serious note, and a rather significant event from the series initiates the story that Telltale will be telling this season. The characters are well-written, and the events that occurred and have been foreshadowed simply made me more excited for the continuation of the series than I’ve ever been for any Telltale series, which says a lot in my opinion. Your choices still matter, and whilst some events are simply unavoidable due to the writing itself, you still feel like you’re crafting the characters themselves as the story delves into its core. Player experiences may vary, and this is definitely the case with the different protagonists. The episode spends a good amount of time introducing us to the characters, In the two-hours that we’re introduced to all these characters however, you’ll be confronted with decisions that are quite more complex than we’re used to from the Telltale games. This story isn’t about risks or rewards, but sacrifice and survival.
As far as secondary characters go, I don’t think I can recall any characters that seemed badly-written or out of place. Every single character serves its purpose, and as the story progresses you really begin to care about the people surrounding you. Wether they are family, or innocent bystanders, the sense of responsibility given to players is impressive.
Textures in general are a bit muddy, though this is less distracting due to the visual style the game maintains. The bigger problem however is the set of animations, which is getting seemingly stale considering they’re mostly ported over from the developer’s other titles. The animations aren’t necessarily bad, but it’s very apparent that they are aging, and seem rather wooden during certain sequences. Facial animations are adequate, but mostly due to the art style of the characters themselves. Movement however is another story, and whilst I can look past these faults, Telltale might want to upgrade their animation arsenal for their future titles.
The world around the characters themselves incredibly well-designed, and at times I felt like I was actually watching the show itself. From the interiors of the royal throne room to the icy-cold exterior of The Wall, Telltale has done some amazing work in recreating both the architecture and lighting of the show itself, whilst giving its own visual spin on it. The attention to detail is impressive, and they event went as far as recreating the title sequence from the show in their own visual style.
On a performance front Game of Thrones runs very well on Xbox One. The game is presented in 1080p with a frame rate that is reasonably consistent. Micro-stuttering and short pauses aren’t that out of place however, though they are pretty random, so experiences may vary. I didn’t experience any lock-ups throughout the entire episode, though performance weirdly did seem to drop during my second playthrough, which was rather peculiar.