Flawed but interesting, this role-playing game differs from many adaptations of popular books, shows and movies: it feels like the developers were genuinely trying to create something special, not just milking a cash cow. It's not great but its heart is in the right place.
Taking place during the events of the first book / season, the game follows two intertwining storylines with different protagonists: Mors, veteran of the Night's Watch, and Alester, nobleman and red priest who returns to Westeros after his father's death.
Knowledge of the show or books is mandatory. The game doesn't bother to explain the world and its conflicts to newcomers (except for the Night's Watch, which gets an adequate amount of exposition), assuming everyone is already familiar with them. The game keeps mentioning people we never meet and events we never witness, which I guess would be confusing to those unfamiliar with the source material.
Of all the canon characters, we meet three (Varys, Jeor Mormont and Cersei), two of them dubbed by their original actors (Conleth Hill and James Cosmo). It's a reasonable approach: using the book / show as a background for two new stories in Westeros.
Technically, the game is serviceable, if dated. Visually, it looks like a polished version of Neverwinter Nights 2, although with a better interface. The soundtrack uses some of the superb tracks of the series. Voice acting ranges from average to poor, with the exception of the series' veterans.
Gameplay-wise, combat is smoother than it appears at first. Action slows down when opening the menu for special abilities, which are sufficiently varied, as is character customization. There are some interesting ideas, like allowing to control a dog for more stealth-focused sections (Mors is a skinchanger). Some quests (like the search for a traitor) are more original than the rest and provide a welcome break from more conventional stuff. Game world is not huge: we get to visit Castle Black, King's Landing and a few game-specific places - no sandbox free-roaming. Locations are mostly decent but unspectacular: don't expect a Skyrim set in Westeros.
The story is the best thing about the game. True to GOT tradition, it's full of twists, intriguing characters, difficult moral choices. Unfortunately, dialogues could have used more polish. Sometimes they sound forced and unnatural ("You damned insects!" intones a bad guy at some point) and they are often overwritten.
Take one of the four possible endings (SPOILERS): you can make a character commit betrayal for personal gain, but he comes to regret his actions and is last seen contemplating suicide. It's a pretty good scene but distractingly overwritten; half the lines could have been cut and it would worked even better. END SPOILERS
Overall, worth playing for those willing to overlook several flaws for a compelling story in the Game of Thrones world.
Taking place during the events of the first book / season, the game follows two intertwining storylines with different protagonists: Mors, veteran of the Night's Watch, and Alester, nobleman and red priest who returns to Westeros after his father's death.
Knowledge of the show or books is mandatory. The game doesn't bother to explain the world and its conflicts to newcomers (except for the Night's Watch, which gets an adequate amount of exposition), assuming everyone is already familiar with them. The game keeps mentioning people we never meet and events we never witness, which I guess would be confusing to those unfamiliar with the source material.
Of all the canon characters, we meet three (Varys, Jeor Mormont and Cersei), two of them dubbed by their original actors (Conleth Hill and James Cosmo). It's a reasonable approach: using the book / show as a background for two new stories in Westeros.
Technically, the game is serviceable, if dated. Visually, it looks like a polished version of Neverwinter Nights 2, although with a better interface. The soundtrack uses some of the superb tracks of the series. Voice acting ranges from average to poor, with the exception of the series' veterans.
Gameplay-wise, combat is smoother than it appears at first. Action slows down when opening the menu for special abilities, which are sufficiently varied, as is character customization. There are some interesting ideas, like allowing to control a dog for more stealth-focused sections (Mors is a skinchanger). Some quests (like the search for a traitor) are more original than the rest and provide a welcome break from more conventional stuff. Game world is not huge: we get to visit Castle Black, King's Landing and a few game-specific places - no sandbox free-roaming. Locations are mostly decent but unspectacular: don't expect a Skyrim set in Westeros.
The story is the best thing about the game. True to GOT tradition, it's full of twists, intriguing characters, difficult moral choices. Unfortunately, dialogues could have used more polish. Sometimes they sound forced and unnatural ("You damned insects!" intones a bad guy at some point) and they are often overwritten.
Take one of the four possible endings (SPOILERS): you can make a character commit betrayal for personal gain, but he comes to regret his actions and is last seen contemplating suicide. It's a pretty good scene but distractingly overwritten; half the lines could have been cut and it would worked even better. END SPOILERS
Overall, worth playing for those willing to overlook several flaws for a compelling story in the Game of Thrones world.