What I’m Playing: Episode 6

Game: Game of Thrones

It is based on both on the original fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire and the HBO TV series adaptation. From the TV series it takes the appearance and voice acting of famous characters such as Cersei Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, Ramsay Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and Margaery Tyrell. It also takes place concurrently with the TV series, starting at the moment of the Red Wedding at the end of the third season and following the events just up to the start of the fifth season. It does not expand upon or contradict the TV series, as it focuses mainly on House Forrester. It is a family not yet mentioned in the TV series, but briefly mentioned in the fifth book A Dance with Dragons. As such it is a spin-off and does not deliberately break the canon as the book does not contain any detailed information about House Forrester, but it introduces the Forrester viewpoint for many prominent characters and events. The game is set mainly in the Wolfwood region, known for its forest and carpentry supplying the other Houses, and especially the fortress Ironrath. Other prominent locations are also present, such as King’s Landing or the Wall, and many others on the continents of Westeros and Essos.

The game starts with the demise of the Starks at the Red Wedding, where Lord Gregor Forrester, a Stark bannerman, and his heir Rodrik are killed by the Freys. Gregor Forrester’s squire Gared Tuttle manages to escape and returns to Ironrath. The young Ethan Forrester unexpectedly becomes the new Forrester lord and has to deal with the difficult new allegiance with Ramsay Snow, the new Warden of the North, and the invasive influence of House Whitehill. King’s Landing with Cersei and Tyrion is introduced through Mira Forrester, handmaiden of Margaery. Each episode is split up in multiple storylines each with different characters to control. Gared ends up at the Wall where he meets Jon Snow. Ethan’s older and exiled brother Asher is the one to travel to Mereen to find support against House Whitehill meeting Daenerys. Mira in King’s Landing experiences most of the political intrigues as she is dragged into the conflict between Cersei and Margaery. Other prominent characters are Ethan’s twin Talia and his little brother Ryon, Lady Forrester and her brother Malcolm Branfield. Information about the character is stored in a codex with bios, accessible from the main and pause menu.

The gameplay is typical of previous Telltale games focusing on choices and consequences. Most of the gameplay consists of conversations where the player has to choose between dialogue options. Choices are remembered and important ones are carried over across episodes, leading to branching stances for the relations with the different characters. Most of the conversation options have a time limit and if none is chosen, silence or a neutral stance is activated. For a small amount of important decisions there is no time limit. There are some sections with free movement where characters can freely explore to initiate conversations and examine the environment. Objects and characters that can be interacted with are highlighted with a white circle showing options. There are no puzzles, but in some cases it is possible to pick up items, stored on the left side of the screen, that can then be used in later situations. There are some action sequences with Quick Time Events. If these are not performed correctly or fast enough, characters can die and a part has to be replayed. Some other small interactions are also available, usually based on a dragging and holding mechanic. After completing an episode a rewind function becomes available to return to an earlier part of an episode and try new choices.

This game entry covers the full season release of the game. For PC for instance individual episodes cannot be purchased, only the full season. The PlayStation and Xbox One versions offer a full season pass for all six episodes as well as individual purchases. For Xbox 360, Android and iOS users always need to purchase the first episode and then the others individually or as season pass for episodes two to six. The Xbox One version also has this option.

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