I don't know why Telltale Games hasn't tried to make their own thing yet. I guess they can't be bothered to invent their own world or something, but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me because they're usually pretty good at crafting a story.
Except in Telltale's Game of Thrones.
That's right bitch, I said it!
Somehow, Telltale games has created this mess of a story that has left me dissatisfied more often than not, constantly reminding me how little the choices that they're fond of actually matter. Any plans I make to retaliate against the Whitehills are constantly undone, and the majority of deaths feel like cheap attempts to emulate the books and the show (which have cheap deaths themselves at certain times). Telltale's submission to the events of the show give it numerous obstacles to work around that really limit the scope of any story they craft and prevent major decisions for the sake of keeping the game in the same world (where we already know the damn story).
Of course, the perspective is nice and fresh, coming from yet another lordly house, but this time with FIVE (four) different characters to play as, each dealing with their own struggles in Essos, King's Landing, Ironrath (Winterhold), and even the wall, all trying to keep House Forrester intact. Somehow, these noble Forrester lordlings have tried for five whole episodes so far to save their house from obsolescence as they're bullied for no reason by Ramsay Bolton, Dickhead Whitehill, and Dickhead Whitehill Jr, and have done next to nothing to stop them! So much effort for so little payoff is truly a marvel for Telltale. Anyway, enough vague ranting, time for more specific, character-based review ranting!
GARED TUTTLE
A real go-getter
Gared is was my favorite. Gared's a real mild-mannered underdog hero, not even a lord or anything, just trying to be the best damned squire he can be. When that gig doesn't quite work out as intended, he's the one that actually has to go on some epic quest to find the North Grove and save House Forrester while everyone's trying to hold down the fort (and none of 'em even know it)! He's also the second best fighter you can play as, and he's a real ladies' man to boot. Seriously, look at all this Tumblr art.
Gross.
Anyway, I thought Gared was gonna' be the main character and have the best story in the game, but boy was I wrong. Gared gets scapegoated for some Red Wedding stuff and has to go to the Wall, which is actually good because now he's closer to the North Grove. That's alright, but then it gets really generic when he's stuck in the Night's Watch having to learn Night's Watch shit from Jon Snow and befriending some other crappy Samwell Tarly clones and dealing with Frostfinger, the douchebag boss. So episode 2 was pretty boring for Gared. Then things actually get kinda cool in episode 3 when one of the guys who killed your guys at the Red Wedding shows up and there's some nice revenge, and you actually get to give Gared some real decision-based personality (not that it really matters). My Gared is noble and shit, but a vengeful Gared makes a lot of sense, too. Thing is, until episode 4 when Gared's finally kicked out, he's stuck on the Wall and can't look for the North Grove, so his story's really stagnant. Even when he's off the wall, nobody actually wants to help him find it! One cool thing though is that you can choose to leave one behind (of course, if you take him with you, he'll die, so the choice doesn't really matter, but it's like a small-scale Doug/Carly choice from The Walking Dead so that's pretty cool how it mattered for a while). I'm sure episode 6 is gonna' have some payoff for the guy, but it's so annoying to stick with this guy who's pretty awesome for hours and not be able to do anything with him. So Gared is eh. The guy is great, his story should have been great, but was executed terribly. I really do hope Gared gets a really good story in Episode 6, though. This whole thing started with Gared and I'll be damned if he doesn't find the North Grove and save his lords and whatnot because even if it's not Game of Thrones style, that's a good story right there. Take notes, Telltale.
ETHAN and RODERICK FORRESTER
King of the Castle
You may notice there's only one picture here for two people. This is because even though Ethan and Roderick are certainly different people, you can simply write one out and literally nothing will change. You might be a little less mad at Ramsay in the beginning, but he certainly does enough to earn that hatred right back. Roderick himself is an extremely resilient individual and has an interesting, entertaining cast to work with as Lord of Ironrath.
Honestly, Telltale's given Roderick the most fleshed-out story of 'em all, designating him as the Forrester statesman, fending off Whitehills and Boltons and whatever the hell else comes his way. And although things have been going pretty slowly, Roderick's story has progression. You actually make decisions with Roderick that give the illusion of lasting consequences, which is really nice in this game. Throughout his episodes, you recover from corpse to lord, slowly set up a plot against your enemies, and even get married! That whole marriage thing really isn't too important, but they do set up some pretty interesting scenes and an especially hilarious one in Episode 5. And as far as I know, that's one of the choices that sticks. So that's really cool. Apparently most players couldn't even keep the betrothal going, so I feel especially accomplished for actually winning Elena over like that. I'm a beast.
Roderick's story does have a few glaring problems, though. First, Roderick's story most obviously shows that your choices don't usually matter. While it does have real progression (Episode 5 saw to that by actually starting a war), most of your advances get set back. You got a archers from Elena? Ramsay killed them offscreen. You capture Griff? He's let free. About 90% of what you do in that game ends in failure, or nothing comes of it. Even though Roderick is lord, I can't help but feel the most powerless when playing as him. There's also this whole traitor subplot, and while it really doesn't have any consequences, it's probably the laziest, most predictable storytelling Telltale's ever done. I knew who it was the second they told me there was a traitor, and I was so disappointed when I found out I was right. Even worse, the logic behind their motives is so unreasonable. If they really want what's best for House Forrester, they wouldn't dissolve the damn House! We're out of lords to kill, we can't just put another one up there! At least things are really coming to a climax with Roderick now, and I expect either a satisfying resolution or death. Telltale's done a pretty good job writing Roderick's story overall, but a lot of choice-based things get in the way of full enjoyment.
MIRA FORRESTER
She looks kinda weird to me. Honestly, all of the women in this game look a little weird to me. Like, they all have really manly facial structures. I know they don't all have to look like supermodels, but it's weird how they all look like guys except for the hair and eyelashes and other really minor touches.
Mira's story is easily the worst. Calling it a story is an overstatement. Thing is, Mira's down at King's Landing working with a bunch of untouchable characters like Cersei and Margaery and Tyrion, so she can't really shake anything up over there. I've been lightly reprimanded by people every so often, and that's as far as consequences go for Mira. All Mira really does is sneak around King's Landing trying to secure major allies for the Forresters, and as much as she's made some friends in high places, none of them have done anything to help her. None of them seem close to doing anything for her, actually. I dunno what you guys have experienced with this game, but for me, Margaery hates Mira, Sera has abandoned her, Cersei's distrustful of her, and Tyrion might like her a little bit (but he's gonna' flee in the show anyway, so who knows where that'll ever get the poor girl). Honestly, I don't see why she hasn't sought out Varys. Mira's spying, he's spying, it could work out. Anyway, Mira's trying to secure some deal to preserve the Ironrath forests and has gone through all sorts of meetings and stuff to do so, but it hasn't really gotten anywhere. Nothing at King's landing has affected Ironrath in the slightest. Mira's story feels utterly worthless. Like Ethan, they could write her out and nothing would change. Honestly, unless Gared is about to stumble upon the North Grove, both he and Mira are pretty useless to the overall plot.
Mira herself is okay, but I find her dialogue options a bit strange because they all feel so passive, like throwaway lines used in any old conversation. She's got a fair amount of hidden cunning, but overall she's just kind of innocent and boring. She's not annoying or anything, but I wish I could see a more decisive side of her. Her demeanor just never quite matches the lines or actions, but that might be more of a voice acting problem, I dunno.
ASHER FORRESTER
The Beast in the East
He really does look like Chris Pratt, doesn't he?
Asher's story is undoubtedly the best in the game, primarily because Asher himself is awesome, at least half of his companions are pretty great, and his story has actual progression. Unlike Gared, Asher actually gets to go on an adventure and find an army, becoming the only Forrester to have actually helped Roderick so far. It only took 5 episodes. Asher's the best fighter, the combat is actually pretty solid with him (combat's pretty good throughout the whole thing, but Asher's definitely got the best sequences), and his companions are totally kickass. He's got some great dynamics with his buddies, so his scenes are always entertaining. You can play him as a more noble antihero or a straight up arrogant douche too, so that's pretty neat.
You're always moving with Asher. One episode you're fighting guards and getting the hell out of the city, the next you're...still running, but at least you're going somewhere! Then you're swept up in this whole Danaerys righteous justice bullshit, and you're raiding cities and then you're earning the respect of barbarians. It's dynamic and fun. I wish everyone's story was like Asher's. You're never really faced with too many important decisions as Asher either, so you don't have to worry too much about them being cancelled out, though the ones you do get are actually pretty well written.
The only real problem I can think of with Asher is Danaerys. I'll say it right now, I hate Danaerys. I hate her in the books, I hate her in the show, I hate her in the game. Danaerys is such a self-righteous bitch through and through after the first season and book, and for some reason, both the showrunners love her, and George R. R. Martin has given her serious plot protection in direct opposition to literally everyone else in the series. Anyway, she makes you earn her trust after you damn well deserve it already, tells you she'll give you the men you've been looking for, and then flat-out denies you when you finish the mission. It's almost funny. Pretty much all of Episode 4 for Asher is cancelled out because of this crap. What the hell, Telltale! You don't just cancel all that work out! That's not good storytelling! At least you solve the issue a bit later, but then you come out of a whole arena of fighters with like eight people. I thought I was getting an army! They were all pretty impressed with me back at the arena, I don't know what happened in between. Other than that, Asher's story was pretty great. The affair itself was great, too!
EPISODE 5
I finally understand why they pulled that ending bullshit in Episode 5. Everyone was apart before, and now that Asher and Roderick are together, they don't want to give us two characters for the same thing. That's just the slightest bit understandable, but dear lord was that the worst execution of storytelling I have ever seen in a game. First of all, whoever you pick is probably just gonna' go through the same thing anyway most likely if they live, but the real problem is that for whoever you don't pick, their story is left unfinished in the worst way possible. If you leave Asher to deal with the squad, Beshka and the barbarians have to go it alone with a lord they've never met, Asher's final duel is largely impersonal, and he never gets to see his family or home again. If you leave Roderick, he doesn't get to hold down Ironrath, save his brother, confront Ramsay or the Whitehills, and a third damn lord has to take over the house! As much as A Song of Ice and Fire is known for pulling this kind of crap, at least it's not usually so trivial and anticlimactic as it is here. Here, it's just lazy, another example of bad storytelling in the series.
The whole game is pretty unsatisfying as a whole, really. I can only hope for a good resolution. Animation's also kind of wonky here compared to the others.
Alright, I'm done. If you've played every other Telltale series to death, go ahead and try this one if you really want, but I'm sure you'll be disappointed compared to Telltale's other works. It's not really that bad, but it's definitely not up to par for the studio. If you've only played The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us, I'd say go for Tales from the Borderlands first because that one is probably the best of the bunch.
