Telltale’s Game of Thrones adventure game FAQ

As you’ve probably noticed this week, news about Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series adventure game has been coming regularly, with its release scheduled for the next few weeks. Video game fans may be excited, but if you’re more into the Thrones than the games, should you be? Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

What is Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series? 

Here’s what we know for sure: the game will be released in six episodes, with five different playable characters. It’ll focus on minor Northern house, Forrester, and take place between the end of Season 3 and the start of Season 5, and in locations in both Westeros and Essos. The first episode is called “Iron from Ice” and is scheduled for release in 2014. Telltale has released a trailer, character bios and pictures, and has had screenshots of both show and game characters leaked.

I’m not much of a gamer, but I’m interested. What kind of games does Telltale make?

Telltale Games is known for making traditional-style point-and-click adventure games like sequels to the Monkey Island and Sam & Max series. Some of the most famous examples of the genre are King’s Quest, Space Quest, Grim Fandango, and The Longest Journey (and, depending, Myst). Adventure games tend to be focused on exploration, puzzles (usually via picking up and using items), and conversation, with little or no combat. This has made them a preferred genre for adaptations of shows and books, as they tend to be good styles of games for lots of story and a low barrier to entry for non-gamers.

In the past two years, starting with their Walking Dead series, Telltale has changed the form dramatically. The Game of Thrones game is likely to follow that model.

What does The Walking Dead model of adventure games entail?

More ethical choices, fewer puzzles, and slightly more action sequences. The first part is by far the most important–the challenge of modern Telltale games (which also includes The Walking Dead: Season 2 and the Fables game The Wolf Among Us) is personal. It presents you with difficult, no-win choices and you have to choose, and deal with the consequences….

For example, in the first Walking Dead episode, there’s a point where you meet a new group of survivors, make your introductions, and then zombies attack. Two of the the survivors are under attack, and you have to choose who lives and who dies. As the series went along, those choices got more subtle and more interesting, but no less dramatic. This is a perfect model for Game of Thrones, as Westeros has similarly difficult ethics as the world of The Walking Dead, but also has more thematic strength–the second Walking Dead game suffered from just being a bunch of stuff that happened.

The reduction of puzzles in recent Telltale games also changes the games into story conveyor belts, with the handful of scenes that have them being used quite well to slow down and give players a change of pace. The action sequences involved tend to be what are called “quick-time events” in gaming. Press the buttons that appear on-screen at the right time, and you’ll pass. They’re usually simple enough that most people can do them, though, and if you’re worried about that, Telltale usually makes the first episode of a series free at certain times. Here’s an example of a chase scene played well.

Of course, we don’t know for certain if Game of Thrones will follow this model, but it seems a relatively safe assumption, given that it’s worked very well for Telltale (both in terms of sales and in terms of critical acclaim), and fits the world of Westeros almost perfectly.

How are Telltale games structured?

Usually, five episodes per game, with episodes released every two months or so. Game of Thrones will have six episodes, marking a slight change in form. Episodes tend to take between 90 minutes and two hours to play.

The really cool thing about the Telltale games is that they’re serialized–those ethical choices you make have effects through the entire game. Game of Thrones marks the first time that you’ll be playing different characters, though, so it’ll be interesting to see how Telltale structures player choices and consequences across different characters and settings.

So the episodes are short? Is it worth waiting until they’re all out, or playing them individually?

Yes, the episodes are short. I usually complete them in two sittings, sometimes one. I’ve both waited until the end and done each episode roughly at release, and both work. Go with whatever your preference is.

Is the game canonical? 

Probably! Its advertising has shown characters from the show, and used quotes from the books, so it has all the licenses it needs. That said, right now we have no idea how involved George R.R. Martin or writers from the show are involved. This interesting piece suggests that, between this game and the World of Ice and Fire book, we’re seeing the creation of an “Expanded Universe” for Game of Thrones. It’s entirely possible that the events of the game don’t end up relevant to the remaining plot of the books/show, though.

Wait, you said characters from the show will be in this?

Yes! Lena Headey narrates the trailer as Queen Cersei, and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), Natalie Dormer (Margaery), and Iwan Rheon (Ramsay) are all confirmed for this episode. Telltale’s press release also promises more as the story continues.

Which characters are playable?

All five playable characters come from House Forrester and its retainers, not from the show. Telltale has released information on 13 of those characters, but not yet confirmed which you’ll be controlling.

I didn’t like a previous Game of Thrones game, what makes this one different?

If you didn’t like a previous game, you’re not alone. There have been three of them: a generally-disliked real-time strategy game, a much-hated free-to-play game, and the best-liked of the lot, a somewhat janky role-playing game.

This one is more promising. It looks like it’s much more engaged with the world of Game of Thrones, including more major character, with their actors, than any of the previous games. And Telltale’s reputation is extremely strong right now–as I said, The Walking Dead was a major Game of the Year contender in 2012, and I’ve seen many people declare it better than either the comics or show it’s based on. I’m not super familiar with either, and still very much enjoyed The Walking Dead game.

So should I be worried about anything?

Well, there is the niggling suspicion that the first season of The Walking Dead was an aberration and not the new normal. Both of Telltale’s successor games, The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead: Season 2 haven’t quite captured the imagination the way that the first TWD did. That game was strengthened dramatically by having a remarkable surrogate parent relationship between the player character, Lee, and his adopted-by-circumstance daughter, Clementine.  Without the emotional and thematic strength of that relationship, TWD:S2 felt inconsequential.

Telltale also has some issues with interpreting “mature storytelling” as “being nasty to its characters,” especially in regards to women. That’s something that Game of Thrones struggles with as well, and though it usually succeeds, it’s often on a knife-edge. We’ll have to see if Telltale can rein that impulse in.

That Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series title sure is a clunker, huh?

Yeaaaahhhh. I think I’m gonna stick with calling it Telltale’s Game of Thrones. 

I’m interested! How much will it cost, and what can I play it on?

You can either buy the whole thing for $30, or, depending on the system, each individual episode at $5. Telltale’s games tend to be download-only, although they have been known to release boxed versions at the end of every episode.

As for systems, it’s coming out on pretty much everything that doesn’t have a Nintendo logo: PC/Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and iOS. Telltale also says that they’re planning to announce more systems in the future. Telltale’s games also tend to be fairly accessible in terms of hardware–if you’re worried that your computer might not run it, this site will test automatically.

• Published on 11/23/2014 at 7:18 PM CDT
• Last updated on 11/23/2014 at 7:18 PM CDT