Game of Thrones: Ep. 1 – Iron from Ice’ Talks a Mean War
This isn’t going to end well.
Don’t take that the wrong way. I don’t mean to say that the new episodic Game of Thrones
adventure series ($5 per episode) from Telltale Games is in trouble,
because it isn’t. It’s off to a good start as a fan-pleasing sidebar to
the spectacular HBO show on which it’s based.
I mean it’s not going to end well because nothing in Westeros ever
ends well. Just ask Eddard Stark, or Catelyn Stark, or pretty much any
other Stark or friend of the Starks or anyone else in George R.R.
Martin’s depressing fantasy world. Things just have a tendency to go to
hell in the Seven Kingdoms.
The
first thing you should know, if you haven’t guessed already, is that
this game is very much for people familiar with the show and/or books.
Unlike The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us — both of
which were perfectly playable without any prior knowledge of the
broader franchises — a firm grasp on the major players, plot points, and
political climate of Game of Thrones is pretty much required for entry here. If you don’t know your Freys from your Tullys, you’ll be lost in the Whispering Woods.
Set at the tail end of Season 3 of the show — that would be right around the Red Wedding — Iron from Ice
is the first of six episodes that comprise Season 1 of this adventure
game. Typical of any pilot, it introduces us to the world; specifically,
House Forrester. Mentioned only in passing in the novels, House
Forrester is seated at Ironrath, a Northern stronghold surrounded by
iron-like trees and located a couple of clicks away from the Stark home
of Winterfell. House Forrester are bannermen to the Starks, which also
means they’re at odds with the Lannisters, which means you’re playing
with fire from the moment you press Start.
Game of Thrones is
the first Telltale joint to feature multiple playable characters.
They’re minor players, all members of House Forrester, and each is in
danger. Seeing the plot develop from different viewpoints is appreciated
and works well to mirror the storytelling style of the show. Telltale
even animated the famous intro sequence.
What
it hasn’t done is change the mechanics much. You’ll spend the bulk of
your time choosing dialogue options and occasionally dodging things in
quick-time events. This gameplay system dates back to The Walking Dead’s first season in 2012, and despite some changes to the engine, it still suffers from some weird texture pops and glitches.
It’s
a bit of a cut-and-paste job, but to its credit, Telltale wrings a ton
of intrigue out of its formula thanks to great writing. Even the most
innocuous decision seems to carry weight. It’s grueling, as any Game of Thrones game should be.
You’ll
bump into a few familiar faces, too, but while the likes of Tyrion
Lannister and Margaery Tyrell are voiced marvelously by their TV actors,
the appearance of such powerful figures only dulls the appeal of your
bit players. House Forrester is clearly outmatched by these forces,
putting you on your heels from the get-go and turning many conversations
into diplomatic Hail Marys. There’s only so much you can do as
Margaery’s handmaiden, and even a turn as Ethan, the young Lord of
Ironrath, leaves you feeling more like a foolish boy than a potent
ruler.
It’s
hard to fault Telltale here, because as a licensed game shadowing an
already-established plot, the wiggle room is pretty minimal. Keeping the
canon intact while keeping players guessing is a highwire act, and the
developers do a fine job toeing the line while explaining the
motivations of House Forrester within the grand scheme of things. But
compared with The Walking Dead’s Lee (tasked with protecting a child in a post-apocalyptic world) or The Wolf Among Us’s Bigby Wolf (the Sheriff of Fabletown), the three playable characters in Iron from Ice lack the authority and charisma to really drive the story. Instead, they’re often reacting to it.
But at times the game just totally nails the twisted tension of Game of Thrones politics. A quick chat with Cersei is brilliantly excruciating, and a run-in with Ramsay is memorable, to say the least. When Iron from Ice tosses you into the deep end of a Game of Thrones conversation, with Telltale’s timed dialogue tree quickly counting down, it’s riveting, hand-wringing stuff.
Where it goes from here is anybody’s guess, but as a big Game of Thrones geek, I’m mostly pleased with Iron from Ice.
Though it’s workmanlike in tone and a little wooden in its
characterization, its strong script and authentic feel set the stage for
a fun, disastrous side trip through Martin’s war-torn world. I have a
bad feeling about it, and that’s a weirdly good feeling to have.
What’s Hot: Looks and feels like the show; tense conversations; good match for the gameplay system …
No comments:
Post a Comment