You cant move around the place without being slapped in the face with Game of Thrones. Frankly the popularity George R R Martin’s “A Song of Fire and Ice” is not misplaced. Game of Thrones has transported a generation into the Seven Kingdoms, a place of danger, politics, wars, family, betrayal and so much more.

The challenge with such a franchise is the detail in which the world has been created. The venues, characters and plot lines will always be held by the most hardened fans as the ‘Gospel’. The transition from book to screenplay to virtual world is always going to be tricky, with expectations high.

So it has become Cyanide Studio’s task to bringing us the Seven Kingdoms. They did have an initial release with a Strategy Game (A Game of Thrones:Genesis – 2011), however that met with some fairly heavy criticism and became a forgettable attempt quite rapidly.

Armed with a knock on the chin, Cyanide have turned their attention to a single player RPG. The offering based on a proven Unreal Engine 3, promised to bring a very real experience that would engage the fans.

While the game is based in the Seven Kingdoms, it is however a parallel storyline. You start off as Mors Westford, a veteran of the Night’s Watch who is a formidable warrior and a ferocity which has earned him the name “The Butcher”.

You also play as Alester Sarwyck, a Priest as from the Free Cities of the east. While Westford is an aggressive warrior type, Sarwyck is the complete opposite being calm and very diplomatic.

Both characters posses some very cool abilitys, Westford being a Skinchanger and carrying the ability to mind control animals, Sarwyck the ability find hidden passages and doors as well as toast opponent’s with flames.

This game will take you across the vastness of the Seven Kingdoms, from the Wall to Castle Black and beyond to Kings Landing in glorious (if somewhat frustrating) over the shoulder third person  perspective.

So is it good? Well.. Frankly not hugely. Yes the game looks and feels alot like Game of Thrones, even employing the voice actors of Lord Varys and Lord Commander Mormont (yes the music is there), and the storyline has some great potential. But its a little like watching the kettle boil.

The combat system is a bizare queue based system that allows you to choose three combat moves, then you sit back and watch what feels like a strange paper rock scissors process. What i also found is that with very little effort you could meander your way through the plot without really having to risk life and limb. Yes running ahead of your NPC colleagues could result in death by stupidity, but generally it felt a lot like taking a casual stroll.

The story and environment i loved, the game play not so much. I think however its biggest failing for me is that it didn’t let me feel like i was in the Seven Kingdoms, just when i thought i was there something stupid dragged me back to reality.

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You cant move around the place without being slapped in the face with Game of Thrones. Frankly the popularity George R R Martin’s “A Song of Fire and Ice” is not misplaced. Game of Thrones has transported a generation into the Seven Kingdoms, a place of danger, politics, wars, family, betrayal and so much more.

The challenge with such a franchise is the detail in which the world has been created. The venues, characters and plot lines will always be held by the most hardened fans as the ‘Gospel’. The transition from book to screenplay to virtual world is always going to be tricky, with expectations high.

So it has become Cyanide Studio’s task to bringing us the Seven Kingdoms. They did have an initial release with a Strategy Game (A Game of Thrones:Genesis – 2011), however that met with some fairly heavy criticism and became a forgettable attempt quite rapidly.

Armed with a knock on the chin, Cyanide have turned their attention to a single player RPG. The offering based on a proven Unreal Engine 3, promised to bring a very real experience that would engage the fans.

While the game is based in the Seven Kingdoms, it is however a parallel storyline. You start off as Mors Westford, a veteran of the Night’s Watch who is a formidable warrior and a ferocity which has earned him the name “The Butcher”.

You also play as Alester Sarwyck, a Priest as from the Free Cities of the east. While Westford is an aggressive warrior type, Sarwyck is the complete opposite being calm and very diplomatic.

Both characters posses some very cool abilitys, Westford being a Skinchanger and carrying the ability to mind control animals, Sarwyck the ability find hidden passages and doors as well as toast opponent’s with flames.

This game will take you across the vastness of the Seven Kingdoms, from the Wall to Castle Black and beyond to Kings Landing in glorious (if somewhat frustrating) over the shoulder third person  perspective.

So is it good? Well.. Frankly not hugely. Yes the game looks and feels alot like Game of Thrones, even employing the voice actors of Lord Varys and Lord Commander Mormont (yes the music is there), and the storyline has some great potential. But its a little like watching the kettle boil.

The combat system is a bizare queue based system that allows you to choose three combat moves, then you sit back and watch what feels like a strange paper rock scissors process. What i also found is that with very little effort you could meander your way through the plot without really having to risk life and limb. Yes running ahead of your NPC colleagues could result in death by stupidity, but generally it felt a lot like taking a casual stroll.

The story and environment i loved, the game play not so much. I think however its biggest failing for me is that it didn’t let me feel like i was in the Seven Kingdoms, just when i thought i was there something stupid dragged me back to reality.