Game of Thrones (2014 video game)

Development

After previous video games based on his works received negative or mediocre critical responses, George R. R. Martin opined that he wanted "a Game of Thrones game to be made by a studio that knows how to create a thrilling and interesting story". Telltale Games has found critical success in several licensed adventure games, including their The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead episodic video game series. Game of Thrones arose from internal discussions within Telltale of what other popular franchises they wanted to write games around, with much support given for Game of Thrones, considering its emotional equivalence to The Walking Dead. They approached HBO with the concept, and after a year of negotiations, were able to secure the license.

In December 2013, Telltale announced Game of Thrones at the 2013 Spike VGX video game awards program. George R. R. Martin stated that his personal assistant, Ty Corey Franck, is working with Telltale Games as a "story consultant". Telltale's CEO Dan Connors explained that the game will not be a prequel to the television series, that the established world and timeline of Game of Thrones is allowing Telltale to explore fixed stories in more depth, to appeal to players.

Gameplay

Game of Thrones is an episodic point-and-click graphic adventure fantasy drama video game, released as 6 episodes following the model of Telltale's previous adventure games. The player is able to move their character around some scenes, interacting with objects and initiating conversation trees with non-player characters. Choices made by the player influence events in future episodes. The game switches between the viewpoints of five different characters.

Each episode contains five points where the player must make a significant decision, choosing from one of two available options. Through Telltale's servers, the game tracks how many players selected which option and lets the player compare their choices to the rest of the player base. The game can be completed regardless of what choices are made in these situations; the main events of the story, as described below, will continue regardless of what choices are made, but the presence and behavior of the non-player characters in later scenes will be affected by these choices. The game does allow the player to make multiple saves, and includes a "rewind" feature where the player can back up and alter a previous decision, thus facilitating the exploration of alternative choices.

Some scenes are more action-oriented, requiring the player to respond to a series of quick time events. Failure to do these correctly may end the scene with the death of the playable character or another character, but the game will restart at a checkpoint just before that scene to allow the player to try again. In some instances, failure at particular quick time events results in minor game decisions.

Setting

The game takes place concurrently with the television series, from the end of the third season until just prior to the start of the fifth season. The story focuses on House Forrester, a family not yet introduced in the television series, but mentioned briefly in the novel A Dance with Dragons. House Forrester hails from Ironrath, a fortress within the Wolfswood forest in the North of Westeros, where they control the valuable Ironwood groves, coveted by many because of the wood's military importance. The game primarily takes place near Ironrath, but also in other locations on the continents of Westeros and Essos.

Characters

Throughout the game, the player controls one of 5 family members or servants of the Forresters, with decisions made by one character affecting the others, and the ultimate fate of the house. Thirteen original playable and non-playable characters were created for the game, including:

The game also includes characters from the novels and TV series, with voice work performed by the series's actors, including Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer), Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon), and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).

Plot

NOTE: The following summary is a high-level overview of the game and may not include all variations in the story that can occur based on the player's choices.

At the Red Wedding, the Stark bannerman Lord Gregor Forrester and his heir Rodrik, along with most of the Northern army, are killed by the Freys in a massive betrayal that destroys their chances of victory in the War of Five Kings. Lord Forrester's last words to his squire, Gared, are that 'the North Grove can never be lost'. Gared escapes the massacre and safely reached the Forrester stronghold Ironrath to bring news of the deaths of Gregor and Rodrik. Ethan Forrester, third son of Gregor, becomes head of the house. Ethan must decide who to appoint as his Sentinel; and how to punish a servant of the house caught stealing. Gared is sent to the Wall to escape the revenge of the ascendant Boltons, and Lady Forrester issues instructions to her daughter Mira, a lady-in-waiting for the King's bride Margaery Tyrell, to look for support for her family at the court in King's Landing. Lady Forrester also sends her brother, Malcolm, to search Essos for her exiled son Asher in the hope he can support them. But the young heir to House Forrester, Ethan, is nonetheless killed by Ramsay Snow, bastard and enforcer of the new Warden of the North, Roose Bolton, in order to gain control of the Forresters' valuable Ironwood reserves. Ludd Whitehill takes Ryon hostage and leaves a garrison of his men at Ironrath. A cart of the bodies from the massacre at the Twins is brought to Ironrath, amongst them is the body of Lord Gregor and the injured but still-living Rodrik.

The Forresters hold a funeral for Ethan and Gregor. Gared arrives at the wall, where he begins his training to become a ranger of the Night's Watch; along with his new brothers, Finn and a thief Cotter. Intrigue is rife in King's Landing, with Mira still searching for support from the Crown - and Mira faces the wrath of a yet unknown conspirator. In distant Yunkai, three days after Daenerys's liberation, Asher and his female companion Beskha are visited by Malcolm Branfield, sent by his mother to bring him back to Ironrath. They must avoid the hostile sell-sword company the Lost Legion and escape the city. Asher sets off for Meereen in hope of finding an army to lead in the fight against the House Whitehill. Meanwhile, in King's Landing, Mira, caught in the city's political turmoil following the recent events, is still at work finding a powerful ally to aid her family in their struggle. In Ironrath, the Whitehill takeover, with Ludd Whitehill and his son Gryff at its helm, drags on. At his father's command, Gryff Whitehill, set to prove himself worthy of handling a settlement of his own, pressures Rodrik Forrester and his house to succumb to Whitehill rule. At the Wall, Gared finds out that he must head north, beyond the Wall, in order to fulfill his Lord Gregor's dying wish, thereby deserting the Night's Watch. Before he can leave, he is confronted by Britt, one of the men, now a member of the Night's Watch, who murdered his father. Britt provokes Gared to fight, leading to Britt's death. In hopes of reclaiming Ironrath, Rodrik Forrester allies with Elaena, his betrothed, and Arthur Glenmore who share his hatred of the Whitehills. Together, they devise a plan to inconspicuously take out Gryff Whitehill.

In King's Landing, now a city in turmoil following the murder of King Joffrey, Mira Forrester attends a banquet hoping to find what the Whitehills plan to do to defeat her house. At the Wall, Gared imprisoned for Britt's death, soon escapes with his friend Cotter and heads for the North Grove, facing the wilding hunters along the way. In Essos, outside the slave city of Meereen, Asher, Beskha and Malcolm meet Daenerys Targaryen who offers them an army in exchange for the guide through Meereen, Beskha's hometown. As punishment for Rodrik's retaliation against Gryff, Ramsay Snow decides to no longer take sides and tells the Forresters and the Whitehills to fight each other to the death. Based on the player's decisions, Talia finds out that Duncan or Royland is the traitor of the family and Rodrik declares war on the rival house. In Essos, Asher, Beskha and Malcolm are forced to look for another group of soldiers after their bargain with Daenerys Targaryen fails. Asher manages to convince a group of ruthless mercenaries to join his family's fight in Westeros. Malcolm decides to remain in Essos serving Daenerys, currying favor with the would-be future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Beyond the Wall, Gared and his companions locate Cotter's sister, but they are ambushed by wights and thus forced to keep searching for the North Grove. In King's Landing, Mira is intimidated by Cersei and forced to retrieve information from Tyrion in the Black Cells. As Asher and Beskha reach the North with their group of soldiers and meet Rodrik, the reunited brothers and their army are ambushed by Gryff's men. The player is then given the choice of who should survive: Asher or Rodrik. Following the Whitehill ambush, Asher/Rodrik must return to Ironrath with the mercenaries to prepare for the coming battle with the Whitehills. Ludd Whitehill approaches Ironrath with his army to offer terms for their surrender and forces the young Ryon to display the head of the deceased protagonist who was previously slain.

The Forresters plan to attempt to kill Ludd Whitehill in order to cause chaos in his army's ranks and rescue Ryon. However, the plan results in Ludd's all-out attack on Ironrath, resulting in the death of Ludd or his son Gryff Whitehill. However, the Whitehill army breaks down the gate, leading to fall of Ironrath and the death of most of its inhabitants including Lady Forrester. Although wounded, Asher/Rodrik was safely evacuated at the last moment by his sentinel and is reunited with Talia and either the traitor to the Forresters, the Sentinel, or Gwyn Whitehill. Meanwhile Beskha managed to evacuate Ryon from Ironrath. Meanwhile, Gared finally arrives at the North Grove and must hold off wights and take care of Cotter, who is unlikely to survive from his infected wound while learning that Josera and Elsera, the unknown bastard son and daughter of the late Lord Forrester inhabit and protect the North Grove. Josera has the ability to warg into animals and controls a polar bear while his sister practices blood magic to bind the other inhabitants of the North Grove to her will. At King's landing, after losing the protection of Margaery Tyrell, Mira and her friend Tom try to avoid the Lannister guards while discovering that a former ally has been plotting against her this whole time. Mira is captured and must decide if she will face execution or allow Tom to die in her place.

Episodes

The game is separated into six episodes, released in intervals.

Reception

Game of Thrones has received favorable reviews from critics praising the narrative, choice driven gameplay, and faithfulness to the source material while criticism was directed towards the pacing, ending, lack of context for players unfamiliar with the Game of Thrones franchise, and the graphical glitches.

Gamezebo's reviewer noted that Episode 2, in particular, exhibited poor performance on iOS devices, with glitches and stuttering affecting the player's ability to succeed at timed events.

Sequel

The first series proved successful, leading Telltale to begin development of a second episodic season. In November 2015, Telltale's Kevin Bruner affirmed that a second season is currently in development.