As a rule, games that coincide with movies or TV series are usually a disappointment. Examples such as the Transformers still haunt us. If you are thinking of Batman: Arkham Asylum/ Arkham City, then keep in mind that those games are not based on the movies.

Therefore, fans of “Game of Thrones” should not be too thrilled about the recent release of the Role-Playing Game based on the franchise. With a rating of only 4.0 from IGN and others, I think the feeling is universal. There are multiple reasons for such a bad performance including the pressure to meet the deadline coinciding with the release of the next season or movie, limited creative freedom (you are going by the book after all) and simple laziness. However, it seems like expectations were never too high since the same publisher was responsible for relatively poor RTS version of Game of Thrones last year.

Audio & Visuals

For a game that boasts more than 30 hours of intense gaming, the audio-visual elements are crucial and yet this is one of the major weaknesses of the game. If you have played Dragon Age or Skyrim, you are probably well aware of the standards gamers expect from their fantasy action games. The audio elements in the game are mediocre at best with sound effects triggered on/off at random. In addition, it is painfully noticeable when the background music suddenly restarts (no smooth transition into a new track).
When it comes down to the visuals, the game does not get any better. Players will immediately notice the poor effort that has gone into modelling the characters. Not only do unique characters just look poorly designed but it is also possible to spot ‘clones’ in the background, repeating simple tasks.  Animations aren’t particularly exciting either, which in turn dulls the combat element.

Combat

Speaking of combat, to its credit Game of Thrones does allow players to experiment with a number of different tactics and features including the much anticipated “active slowdown tactical combat engine” (basically lets you make strategic battle decisions while in combat, similar to Dragon Age). Unfortunately, winning does not necessarily require using all those hard-earned methods. A simple repetition of some basic combat moves will allow players to overwhelm opponents easily. This ruins the fun of the game and means that not all those combat options are worth the effort.

Conclusion

I know I rarely look at games that perform badly but I think this is an interesting case because of the game’s connection to one of the most popular TV shows now and its failure to make an impression despite huge strides in the industry itself. However, it does go to show that one of the golden rules in the gaming industry is still standing strong.

By Navam Niles