WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS.
Developing a string of successful game series based off a variety of licensed franchises; Telltale Games have been hard at work pumping out fantastic game after fantastic game, quickly becoming one of the most revered game studios of the past two years. Seemingly appearing to announce and release new projects on a regular basis, the studio have remarkably been able to sustain an incredibly high standard throughout the years, with their signature story telling ability shining throughout whatever universe they find themselves working with. Amidst this year’s stellar offerings of The Walking Dead: Season Two, The Wolf Among Us: Season One, and Tales from the Borderlands, comes a series based off of Game of Thrones – or ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ for those that are feeling pedantic. For those familiar with Telltale’s work, the acquisition of such a licence made perfect sense, and fans found themselves frothing at the mouth in anticipation of what rollercoaster of emotions the studio could take us on within the confines of such dark and violent source material. With two companies previously trying (and failing) to produce quality video games set within the Game of Thrones universe, it was up to Telltale Games to create something that would bring the series out of its rut – and oh boy, this is exactly the experience that the license deserves!
As a first for any Telltale franchise, this series actually requires its players to have prior knowledge of the universe it bases itself around. Deciding to not go down the route of a stand-alone prequel, this series takes place alongside the actual timeline of the books/TV show, resulting in an experience that weaves in-between key events and seamlessly blends in characters such as Tyrion Lannister, Cersei Lannister, and Ramsey Snowe into the growing narrative. That’s not to say that the game re-treads old ground however, as the developers have still made an effort to create new characters and explore new areas through largely concentrating on the lives surrounding House Forrester – a house that had only previously been pushed to the side-lines. Selecting an existing but unexplored house from within the franchise, and by using events and characters already established within the source material, Telltale have been able to largely avoid a lot of the slower pacing that plagues opening episodes. This has allowed them to create their finest opening chapter yet, one that gets straight to the point and has plenty of thrills along the way.
Beginning at a pivotal point along the universe timeline, this episode opens up a few minutes before the infamous ‘Red Wedding’ scene that shortly precedes a brutal massacre of the northern army and its leaders. Placing you in the shoes of Gared Tuttle, a Squire of Lord Gregor Forrester, you find yourself caught up in the middle of the chaos as you scramble around trying to survive. It’s certainly a great opening segment that eases you into the episode before snatching away any comfort and throwing you into the thick of it. Instantly reminding you that this is Game of Thrones, the developers have not come up short on the brutality – with plenty of gore and vulgarity smattered throughout not just this opening scene, but throughout the entirety of the episode. Yes, Telltale have done a terrific job with this universe in creating many characters and scenes that match the same quality of George R. R. Martin’s impeccable writing ability. Characters are crude, often vulgar, and they certainly won’t hesitate to yell out a “f*ck” or a “c*nt” every now and then – and that’s just the good guys! The villains in this episode are something else, and much like King Joffrey in the TV Show, they really get under your skin and players will quickly develop a hatred (and love) for them. Ramsey Snow is the biggest villainous presence in this episode, and it’s great to report that none of Iwan Rheon’s unnerving and terrifying performance of this character has been lost within the confines of a video game, resulting in some of the finest voice acting I’ve heard in years. Other actors from the show have also leant their likeness and voice to the game too, with Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey and Natalie Dormer playing their respective characters.
Akin to the format of the books and TV show, the perspective of the player changes after each scene, opening up to multiple protagonists throughout play. In one scene you will be travelling across Westeros on your lonesome, in other you find yourself over in Kings Landing, and in another you are placed within the heart of House Forrester. Despite these shifts in perspective, the player never feels lost and the narrative doesn’t become confusing, with each of these perspectives taking up an entire scene that opens up well, and concludes even better.
Adopting the quasi-Point-And-Click gameplay featured across all their recent releases, this series focusses more heavily on character interaction rather than vague puzzle solving, exploration or action – common hallmarks of other Telltale franchises. This isn’t to the games detriment however, as this perfectly fits the style of the source material – with plenty of confrontation and decision making used to push the narrative along. When action does occur – whether it involves combat or quite simply a complex set-piece, the gameplay turns to the use of Quick-Time-Events, a style that has been used by Telltale Games for a while now. It’s disappointing to see that they have yet to overhaul this type of player input within such scenes, but they at least allow the player to take in the directed scenes with ease instead of allowing them to get consumed by heavily involved gameplay mechanics. While the scenes of action are scattered throughout this opening episode, they are never played upon too much, and this ensures that none of the confrontation scenes are ever overshadowed – not that this would be possible anyway. Featuring some amazing scenes of dialogue, ‘Iron From Ice’ had me at the edge of my seat during a particular scene involving the player character and Cersei Lannister. I won’t spoil too much, but what I will say is that it’s an incredibly difficult scene to do well in, and Cersei’s trademarked cold attitude makes it utterly captivating from start to finish. While it will be left to the players shocking discovery, the concluding scene for the episode also deserves an honorary mention too, and is honestly one of the best cliff-hangers the developers have written thus far, and will surely leave any player with their heart pounding.
To top off what is already an excellent package, the presentation style used in this series fits perfectly with the dark tone of the TV show. Swapping out the comic book/cell-shaded look of previous series, Game of Thrones adopts a water-colour art style that does a great job of representing the bleak nature of the world – providing a ‘muddy’ appearance, especially through the use of browns and an overall dark colour palette. Character models are well represented in this style, looking nicely detailed anyway, with the art style adding an extra dimension to their appearance. Environments are a little hit-and-miss though, with some smaller environments looking great and the more open areas looking rather lacking. Aside from this small issue however, the presentation fits in well, and is filled with plenty of Telltale Games charm and identity.
Verdict
Easily the strongest opening episode of any Telltale Games franchise to date, ‘Iron From Ice’ is an incredible slice of gameplay that begins with an explosive opening act, ends with an incredibly shocking conclusion, and has many memorable scenes thrown in-between. Aside from the limited ‘action’ gameplay that hasn’t seen any improvements since The Walking Dead, this is an exceptionally solid episode that draws on every strength of the developer to create a truly powerful few hours of gameplay. The tone reflects that of the source material perfectly, the new characters fit in seamlessly, and the confrontations and choice elements are as tense as ever. If you’re a fan of the books and/or the TV show, you owe it to yourself to check out this game.
Positives:
- Fits in perfectly with the Game of Thrones universe.
- Fantastically well-written dialogue.
- Successfully weaves in established events and characters.
- New characters feel like part of the actual universe.
- DAT ENDING THO.
Negatives:
- QTE’s are uninspired.
- Environments can look rather bare.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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