A Game Of Thrones Game Already Has The Perfect Story To Explore, But GoT: Kingsroad Isn’t It

Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is a bit of a disappointing addition to an already lackluster lineup of GoT games, partially because it chose the wrong story to focus on. Yes, it’s disappointing that Game of Thrones is getting a mobile game instead of a full console one, but Kingsroad still could have made the best of this bad situation by having a unique and engaging story to tell. Unfortunately, the game is shackled to the narrative of the HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, severely limiting its potential.

Choosing to set a game in Westeros during a different period, one that was not already heavily explored by Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon would have allowed for more flexibility in the game’s narrative. It could also have introduced new elements to the world that haven’t been seen before. While Kingsroad will be doing some of that, it does feel like it will be limited in how meaningful those new additions to Game of Thrones can really be.

There Is An Unexplored Game Of Thrones Story That Deserves Its Own Game

Robert’s Rebellion Is The Perfect Setting For A Game Of Thrones Story

What makes Kingsroad’s narrative timeline so disappointing is that there is already a period in Westerosi history that would be perfect to explore in the game: Robert’s Rebellion. This time period is perfect because its proximity is close enough to Game of Thrones that plenty of characters can still be involved, like Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister. However, there is also the flexibility to create some unique characters who can play an important role in the rebellion whose stories weren’t explored in Game of Thrones or the original books.

A continent-spanning war is also the perfect way to allow players the opportunity to see a wide variety of locations in Westeros. Fighting alongside Ned Stark’s northmen would mean traveling from the top of Westeros down to King’s Landing. Players would also have the chance to participate in famous conflicts like the Battle of the Trident that players have never seen depicted in a visual medium. This would be more exciting than simply being a background player in battles that were already shown on the HBO series.

Players Know Their Character Won’t Be As Important As Characters Like Jon Snow

The trailer for Game of Thrones: Kingsroad showed the player character interacting with big names from the series like Jon Snow and Jaime Lannister. While Game of Thrones fans will obviously be pleased to see some of their favorites back, it will be hard not to have the game’s protagonist be overshadowed by them. Fighting White Walkers alongside Jon will make the player feel more like an extra on the show than the hero of the story.

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Of course, there isn’t anything inherently wrong with a lower-stakes story on its own, but it might be somewhat hard to get invested in restoring the glory of House Tyre when the world is ending around the game’s protagonist. This wouldn’t have been as big of an issue had the game been set during Robert’s Rebellion. Though stakes were high for those fighting, there was no world-ending threat at the time like there was during Game of Thrones. This smaller scale conflict would have allowed the player’s story to feel a bit more important in comparison.

Basing The Game On Robert’s Rebellion Would Allow It To Include Unique Characters

There Are Likely Major Players In The Rebellion Whose Stories Haven’t Been Fully Explored

Although Game of Thrones did include some of the characters from Robert’s Rebellion like Robert Baratheon, Ned Stark, and Barristan Selmy, there are no doubt countless other members of both the rebellion and the Targaryen loyalists that never appeared in the show or the books. Setting a game during Robert’s Rebellion would therefore have allowed the developers to create more unique characters for the game. While this may seem counterintuitive – a lot of the marketing for Kingsroad seems to emphasize the presence of fan-favorite characters – it would have avoided a major issue with Kingsroad.

By including major characters from Game of Thrones, Kingsroad is stuck between two unfortunate options. Either players will have no meaningful relationship with these characters and their appearances will be more like glorified cameos, or the game will leave players wondering where their character was during the show’s events if they were so important. Neither option is all that satisfying. While it makes sense from a marketing standpoint to be able to slap Jon Snow or Cersei Lannister on the promotional material, it ultimately cheapens the experience of the game.

Setting the game in a different period and surrounding the player with unique characters would allow for major characters in the story to have a more meaningful connection with the player. It would also allow the player’s character to have more of an impact on the events going on in the world without making players question why it wasn’t mentioned in the show. It would also allow Game of Thrones to start growing away from the HBO series and focus on other stories in Westeros.

Keeping The Actors From The HBO Show Reminds Players Of Its Disappointments

Another disappointing aspect of Kingsroad is its decision to model its characters after the actors from the HBO series. Again, this makes sense for marketing purposes, and also from a practical standpoint as the developers didn’t need to spend time creating unique looking characters or versions of characters like Jon who are more in line with their book descriptions. However, the more Game of Thrones properties continue to tie themselves to the HBO series, the more the entire franchise will be forever linked to its disappointments.

Even before its much-maligned series finale, Game of Thrones made disappointing changes to A Song of Ice and Fire. This included leaving out the revelation that Aegon Targaryen is (possibly) still alive, and Catelyn Stark’s return from the dead as the ghastly and violent Lady Stoneheart. GoT games would be a great way to explore a version of the story more in line with the novels and show some new things that weren’t on the show. The more games like Kingsroad cling to the HBO version, the less likely it seems players will get a unique adaptation of Martin’s world.

Although Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is a bit of a disappointment, there is still hope that a future Game of Thrones game could solve these issues. It would be nice to get a game not as closely tied to the HBO series, or at the very least, one that takes place in a unique time period. If anything, players should be grateful that such a disappointing game is simply a mobile game, and hold out hope that a AAA title for consoles based on the series might do better.

Source: The Game Awards/YouTube