Telltale's Game of Thrones: Episode 2: The Lost Lords |
Review by Philip Cole
So, here we are once again about to throw ourselves into the cruel and horrific world of Fire and Ice. The tale of the Forrestor family continues on, and as I’ve dealt with the gameplay and graphics in my first review, for the rest of the series we’ll be focussing on the story.
BEWARE: HERE BE SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 1 (and dragons!... wait.. is that a spoiler?) So, in Episode 1 we were introduced to the Forrestors (See our Meet the Characters page here: if you need a reminder) in the aftermath of the Red Wedding. As bannermen to the Starks they didn’t fare too well, with their lord and his eldest son dead, his squire banished to the wall for avenging his family and their home of Ironrath under the auspices of the Whitehalls, rivals loyal to Roose Bolton and a bunch of twazzocks… |
Most shockingly, Ramsey Snows visit to Ironrath did not end well for Lord Ethan. In defending his sister Talia from being taken by the bastard, Ethan met the pointy end of Snow’s Dagger and died in his mother’s arms.
Meanwhile in King’s Landing, Mira Forrestor tried naively to play all sides, asking both Queen-to-be Margaery Tyrrel and Tyrion Lannister to aid her family. This backfired with Margaery receiving a stern rebuke from King Joffrey for daring to question his decisions, causing her to be wary of her Handmaiden’s requests. Tyrion however proved to be more helpful, but made no promises as to what he could do. At the end of the Episode, things didn’t seem too good for the house, but there may be a faint glimmer of hope in the form of Malcom’s quest to find Asher Forrestor across the Narrow Sea. |
Which is where we find ourselves at the beginning of Episode 2, in the city of Yunkai to be exact, three days after its liberation by the Kaleesi.
Asher is… a tad brasher than the other members of House Forrestor and has found good work as a sellsword. He definitely allows us to experience some combat that is a bit different to Gared waving around a pitchfork, with an extended sequence that lives up to the levels of gore that the TV series has led us to expect.
We also catch up with Gared, who has made it to Castle Black and the wall. Here we get to meet some more famous characters along with some fellow new recruits (and we get to experience shooting a crossbow!).
There’s also more political intrigue at King’s Landing, with Mira still trying to help her family at Ironrath from afar, and at Ironrath there are some surprising revelations that will shift the dynamic of the remaining family members considerably.
Asher is… a tad brasher than the other members of House Forrestor and has found good work as a sellsword. He definitely allows us to experience some combat that is a bit different to Gared waving around a pitchfork, with an extended sequence that lives up to the levels of gore that the TV series has led us to expect.
We also catch up with Gared, who has made it to Castle Black and the wall. Here we get to meet some more famous characters along with some fellow new recruits (and we get to experience shooting a crossbow!).
There’s also more political intrigue at King’s Landing, with Mira still trying to help her family at Ironrath from afar, and at Ironrath there are some surprising revelations that will shift the dynamic of the remaining family members considerably.
Wrap Up
Overall, I’m finding the story just as gripping as the TV series but I do find myself enjoying the new characters interactions more than the “famous names” appearing. I think this is due to me having seen the series and so I know where these characters will go and the majority of what they’re doing and will do, but with the new characters everything is fair game. There’s an element of suspense that you just don’t get with the pre-existing cast. Currently the appearances are used to create opportunities or shape the story and I’m hoping that further down the series it will be given more room to breathe, especially given what happens to some of the main characters!
What did you choose in Episode 1? Find yourself doing something radically different? Let us know on Facebook or via Twitter #BCmystory
Game and Images provided by publisher