Game of Thrones‘ premiere episode started and ended in excellent manner. Like the books and fantastic TV show, no punches were pulled as plenty of gut wrenching were in store throughout it. Episode two also deserves a lot of praise for its quality, but in a different manner. The Lost Lords manages to carry the story along at a breakneck pace, and much akin to George R.R. Martin and his source material, there’s barely any room for second thoughts, as house Forrester moves closer to all out war for its very survival.
In the midst of all of the already very well developed cast of characters we were previously introduced – and have since said our goodbyes, in some cases – some surprises manage to sneak up right from the start. As the title of this episode alludes to, we catch up with a missing member of the Forrester family, long thought hidden away in the distant land of Yunkai, merely days after Daenerys’ liberation. Not to dwell too much on spoilers, his entrance is very well done, making use of in engine action scenes that play out differently, depending on your limited opportunities for input. Unlike its clumsy implementation in The Walking Dead, the ‘quick time events’ in this episode are a little easier to get right, even though failure is very possible, as I was able to attest a couple of times.
It’s no secret Telltale Games is betting big with Game of Thrones by bringing in part of the cast of the TV show in to reprise their roles in this game. Much of the preview material already revealed Jon Snow to be in this episode, which I can happily report that does not feel tacked on in the story at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. His absence would be bizarre, considering he’s already a big piece in the board this far into the overall GoT story, especially considering where Telltale is taking some of the new characters – one of which, lo and behold, directly to the Wall, to be part of the Night’s Watch.
Although some of the side stories ended up not getting as much attention in this episode in comparison to others, the overall pacing is incredibly tight, making this an easy play over a single sitting. And while the ending doesn’t quite hold the same level of punch as the premiere, it leaves plenty of questions on the table. That’s also married to all – until now – excellently tailored amount of boiling tension throughout the couple of hours you’ll spend with this episode.
Given their track record, there’s little reason to doubt Telltale will deliver more great moments and arduous decisions as we approach the half way mark in Game of Thrones. Considering how differently both of the episodes that are currently out play, it’ll be very interesting to see what else is in store for Forresters and their companions (be them friend or foe).
