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‘Game of Thrones: The Lost Lords’ adds some new blood to this tale

‘Game of Thrones: The Lost Lords’ adds some new blood to this tale

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Game of Thrones: Episode 2– The Lost Lords
Telltale Games
Ps3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Mac

New elements come in fast and heavy for the second of six planned parts in Telltale’s Game of Thrones series. First up is the introduction of Asher Forrester. Only vaguely referenced in the first chapter, Asher takes a central role here as the sole Forrester situated in the faraway land of Essos. Much like Daenerys Targaryen, though, his story seems to bear little effect on what is occurring in Westeros (at least for now). Still, it’s an intriguing introduction, and his task to find an army to take back to Westeros will be no easy one.

Our next (mostly) new character is revealed to us in the back of a corpse wagon. That’s right, as it would turn out, Rodrick Forrester did indeed survive the mass slaughter in the wake of the Red Wedding. Much like his fallen brother’s story in the first game, Rodrick’s quest to establish order in his tumultuous house is very much the high point of this episode, both emotionally and narratively. Particularly stirring are scenes where he must decide whether to accept Talia’s help to walk into the council hall, and a haunting double funeral at the episodes end.

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Several new gameplay elements are introduced as well, mainly in relation to Gared Tuttle’s new home: Castle Black. Having The Wall as a setting opens up a few new bags for Telltale, as they use Gared’s training process to stretch their wings creatively. There’s a strength test, a QTE sword fight, and even a crossbow aiming exercise which is surprisingly tough to nail down (luckily there’s no time limit, or this might be a sticking point). However, like with the other sections, it’s the plot that stands at the forefront, and Gared’s interactions with Jon Snow have a quietly powerful effect on the trajectory of this tale, especially in relation to the grand scheme of things as set about in the television series.

This leaves us with the Mira section, which is a bit of a mixed bag. Despite the giddy thrill of the political intrigue at King’s Landing, there are parts of her story that fall flat. Asking Margaery for yet another favor is kind of a retread from the first section, and the wine-stealing confessional is a bit of a non-event as it focuses primarily on a confession from a character who we don’t really care about. With that said, hers is by far the strongest in terms of what actually occurs, and the ramifications these events might have in her future.

All in, The Lost Lords is a well-realized piece of this story, and one that always feels fluid. There are no portions that drag on, and the stakes always feel real, even as the strings behind Telltale’s “choices” mechanic are starting to become a little bit easier to see. With this chapter again being hampered by a certain degree of table-setting, it will be interesting to see what happens when the gloves finally come off in the third chapter.