Telltale’s Game Of Thrones Episode 4 Review

The Game Of Thrones

When I started Sons of Winter, I expected more of the same mechanics from the other episodes. Maybe a few dodge and chase sequences, some glancing at inconsequential buckets, that sort of thing. I was pleasantly surprised with the most interesting gameplay the series has offered so far.

The episode starts off slow, but you eventually take control of each character (some more than once) for either a fight scene, or some exploration. For the combat sequences, you’re thrown right in with very little prep time, and it’s fast-paced. Once again, the game is very forgiving. If you die, you start over just before the point where you fell. Sometimes, failure doesn’t matter and the game proceeds accordingly. Nonetheless, the speedy reaction times were in keeping with the action of the story; it felt real and kept me on my toes.

Especially exciting are two stealth sequences–one in the middle, and another toward the end. The first is fairly short, but the second plays like something out of an Assassin’s Creed mission, where you hide behind obstacles and take out opponents one by one. It was one of the most fun parts of the game. The nature of Game of Thrones is that all your choices matter, even in combat, and I was constantly strategizing and calculating my next move as fast as I could.

There are a few moments for exploration, each with more significance than has been allotted to them in previous installments. The best one is Mira’s, where you are given a directive to find out a piece of information and must use your best lying, schmoozing, and eavesdropping skills to collect that information without making a scene. The second best one is almost entirely skippable, and you may not even catch its significance if you don’t complete it. Exploring thoroughly, however, leads you to a piece of information vital to walking triumphantly away from the climax of the story.

Verdict

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Telltale’s Game of Thrones continues to tell me a good story four episodes in, with improved gameplay and plenty of surprises. My interest, however, is waning. The further the series progresses, the more railroaded the plot feels and the less agency I seem to have. Maybe by the end it will be more apparent that my choices matter, but if the lack of any unique consequences for my actions continues, then the Forrester’s eventual doom or salvation will be rendered lackluster.

Pick it up, Telltale, I’m waning fast.

A copy of this game was provided to GameSided for the purpose of this review. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.