‘Game of Thrones: Episode 6 – The Ice Dragon’ Review (PC)
After the impressive way that Telltale Games managed to wrap up Tales From the Borderlands I wondered if Games of Thrones would find similar success. With Games of Thrones: Episode 6 – The Ice Dragon there were a lot of story strands to wrap up, and the problem may be that not all of them were.
When you get to a finale you look for the big conclusion to the story, or of course for a continuing story a big cliff-hanger to keep things going. With The Ice Dragon there are a lot of conclusions of a kind, but a lot left open to be ended in a future season of the game. This may not be to everybody’s liking but does give a feeling that the plans for the game are ambitious.
In Telltales Games’ little corner of Westeros the House Forrester are fighting for survival, and to say too much would be to give it away. Suffice to say though I think it is safe to reveal that we do find out where the North Grove is, and we do get a conclusion for Mira’s manipulations at King’s Landing. What happens there will of course be up to the choices that you have made. It is fair to say though that the problems or Ironrath are very far from over.
What we are presented with at the end of Games of Thrones: Episode 6 – The Ice Dragon is what feels like one that is true to George R. R. Martin’s vision, and it reveals an ending that is created to punish you for the choices you have made in the past and ones you make during this episode. Often feeling clued up as to how Game of Thrones works I made some moves that should have given me success only to have it dragged away from me. The fact I was revealed to be a cunning strategist at the end shows how naïve I had been to what the game was doing.
This is what makes Game of Thrones impressive, even if brutal in its aim to make you suffer. The characters from the game even give a report of a kind to show just what they thought of your attempts. There is plenty of bloodshed, stabbing in the back, and death in this episode. In fact, it feels like this is the bloodiest episode by far. Some of the things do require you to have a strong stomach (if you made the choices I made of course).
What Telltale Games have provided us with here is a story that is unfinished and will continue. While it may not be the finale we wanted, in many ways it is what we deserve. Season 2 will be an inevitability that we’ll play, even if we complain about how the first season didn’t go our way and that is just how Game of Thrones work. A sadistically put together game, it truly belongs in the Game of Thrones universe.
As a fan of the television show, it is easy to recommend Games of Thrones: Episode 6 – The Ice Dragon and the season as a whole. It may be a hard game for people who haven’t experienced the harsh world the game is based on but it is worth a try. What will come with season 2? More blood and more punishment is my guess.
****½ 4.5/5
Games of Thrones: Episode 6 – The Ice Dragon is available on PC now.
