Game of Thrones: Episode One - Iron From Ice

 PC
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 44
  3. Negative: 3 out of 44
  1. Ragequit.gr
    Dec 8, 2014
    92
    Telltale's blockbuster triumph, Iron From Ice easily stands amongst the beloved TV show's top moments. Deeply personal and quite visceral, the ante is tremendously upped by the fact that you are no longer called upon to decide the fate of a single individual, but your entire House. Choices take on a whole new meaning when you have the weak and those who look up to you for guidance and protection to consider. This, along with Tales from the Borderlands, are an exquisite opening salvo from Telltale, ushering in the third age of interactive movies. We could not be more excited about the prospects.
  2. Attack of the Fanboy
    Jan 19, 2015
    90
    Despite the high standard of the property and developer, Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series Episode 1 - Iron From Ice manages to hold up to nearly every expectation and delivers a gaming experience on par with the HBO show.
  3. Eurogamer Poland
    Jan 14, 2015
    90
    Game of Thrones by Telltale Games is a positive surprise, opening a new chapter in the well-known, well-liked and harsh world created by George R. R. Martin.
  5. GameCritics
    Dec 21, 2014
    90
    As a fan of the series, I loved Game of Thrones Episode One: Iron from Ice. It's a great start that does the show justice and perfectly captures the brutality and political intrigue of Westeros.
  6. Cheat Code Central
    Dec 2, 2014
    90
    The narrative woven by Game of Thrones is a compelling one, filled with intrigue, conflict, and death… lots and lots of death. I’d highly recommend it to either fans of the books, the HBO series, or Telltale games in general.
  7. GameFront
    Dec 2, 2014
    90
    At least, there’s a ton of potential for the next five installments in this series, and no shortage of twists and intrigue to be found in this inaugural outing.
  8. Pelit (Finland)
    Jan 21, 2015
    88
    Telltale's Iron From Ice is a strong opener for what is sure to be a game series worth following. The pressing decisions and stellar dialogue are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, if you can ignore the lazy rehashing of character tropes and storylines from the source material. [Jan 2015]
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  9. GamesVillage.it
    Jan 20, 2015
    87
    Despite the obsolete graphics and some old-fashioned gameplay mechanics, Telltale's first step into the Game of Thrones saga is a winner. Great storytelling, excellent characters, and a great use of the official license. A must have for every GoT fan.
  10. GameWatcher
    Dec 10, 2014
    85
    While only the first episode, Game of Thrones is off to a fine start with Iron From Ice.
  11. RPG Fan
    Dec 7, 2014
    85
    Despite its technical issues, Game of Thrones has strong content.
  12. Vandal
    Dec 5, 2014
    85
    Telltale gets us deep into the "game of thrones", with a great starting chapter that will not disappoint any GoT fan.
  13. GameOver.gr
    Feb 17, 2015
    80
    By keeping the same design and basic gameplay principle from other franchises -such as The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us- Telltale delivered an interesting twist on the Game of Thrones saga that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
  14. Hyper Magazine
    Feb 9, 2015
    80
    The main characters are somewhat derivative, but the narrative is thrilling. [Issue#257, p.68]
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  15. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 2, 2015
    80
    On the one hand GoT is a standard game from Telltale. On the other hand the game catches a spirit of Game of Thrones surprisingly well with its narrative qualities. [Issue#249]
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  16. Worth Playing
    Dec 18, 2014
    80
    As a setup episode, Game of Thrones: Episode 1 – Iron From Ice has all the right hooks to keep fans enthralled and newcomers interested.
  17. Eurogamer Germany
    Dec 5, 2014
    80
    Just like in the books and on TV, the story manages to dangle a carrot of hope in front of you, just out of arms' reach. In contrast to a world beyond repair – like in The Walking Dead, where every death is more of a salvation, really – Game of Thrones' rays of hope turn all its facets of demise into emotional shrapnel that hits you all the harder. It's going to be a cold, hard Winter.
  18. Digital Spy
    Dec 5, 2014
    80
    What this first episode sets up though, holds tremendous potential for the season ahead. And while banking on potential can be dangerous for an episodic game, if Telltale can maintain the precedent it's setting here for narrative risks and twists then the payoff will be all the better for it in the end.
  19. IncGamers
    Dec 4, 2014
    80
    A well-paced, well-observed and suitably vicious opening episode, showing that Telltale’s latest series is up to the task of matching the theme and tone of the Game of Thrones source material.
  20. Gameblog.fr
    Dec 3, 2014
    80
    As usual with Telltale since The Walking Dead, the first episode is a beautiful promise for what is to come. If you're a fan of the studio and Game of Thrones, you will easily dive in this experience that picks from both. Choice system is still efficient, the fact that we play different characters works fine and the atmosphere from the series is well respected. We're eager to see what's coming in the next episodes.
  21. DarkStation
    Dec 2, 2014
    80
    If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, there is no doubt in my mind that you should pick this up. I cannot wait to see where this goes and how the rest of the story fits into the wider universe HBO adapted from George R. R. Martin’s novels. If you are a non-fan, there is certainly enough here to make a compelling argument for why you should be one, but I fail to see why you would even care to start.
  22. God is a Geek
    Dec 2, 2014
    80
    Fans of the TV show can breath a sigh of relief as, even with graphical hiccups, the foundation for an engrossing story is there.
  23. IGN
    Dec 2, 2014
    80
    Tough decisions, well-acted original characters in interesting situations, and a strong, provocative ending kick off Telltale’s new Game of Thrones series in a great way.
  24. The Escapist
    Dec 2, 2014
    80
    The first episode of Telltale's Game of Thrones series isn't exactly groundbreaking but it successfully draws you in to learn what happens next to the Forresters. The art style and the vocal talents are superb and the new characters feel ripped from Martin's pages, for better or worse.
  25. 4P.de
    Dec 5, 2014
    78
    Merciless, brutal and forceful – a nice entry for Telltale into this fantasy world. Don’t expect any gameplay surprises though.
  26. 3DJuegos
    Dec 10, 2014
    75
    Iron from Ice is a good starting point that gives us hope this will be the best new adventure game set in the universe of Game of Thrones. Strong narrative and very attractive storyline as well.
  27. Game Over Online
    Dec 8, 2014
    75
    If you’ve played Telltale’s other games, then Game of Thrones is about what you should expect.
  28. Post Arcade (National Post)
    Dec 3, 2014
    75
    So Telltale’s game is one meant for existing Game of Thrones fans, which is fine and probably how it should be. And it’s clear that Telltale’s talented storytellers respect and understand the material from which they’re working.
  29. The Jimquisition
    Dec 2, 2014
    75
    Iron From Ice is a strong start to the series, with some promising narrative setups, a believable atmosphere, and one particularly shocking moment that made my jaw drop... I do hope we see the playable characters get a bit of a personality injection, but I think we’ve got a favorable introduction that lays out its pieces in such a way that Episode Two is only going to be fascinating.

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 305 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 195 out of 305
  2. Mixed: 62 out of 305
  3. Negative: 48 out of 305
  1. Davisx3m
    Dec 2, 2014
    9
    Telltale seems to have adopted the same success in telling a story in the world of Westeros as HBO did with it's hit series. In the firstTelltale seems to have adopted the same success in telling a story in the world of Westeros as HBO did with it's hit series. In the first episode you'll get to play as three different characters and explore different parts of Westeros. Each one of them are somehow related to the House Forrester, a house loyal to the Stark Family.

    You'll get to fight (QTE) and use diplomacy in a very satisfactory way, everything you do seems to affect the whole story, even if most or some of it might just be an "illusion". But I can work with that, especially in Telltale Games, they always handle that in a good way. But there are some options that seem so... big, that there must be quite a big difference between those. And hopefully they will change parts of the story quite a lot.

    This game offers much more walking and inspecting objects and such comparing to let's say Tales from the Borderlands, which is quite nice since it makes the game feel more like a game than a interactive story. However I'm not sure how the objects will affect the game play, it will probably be shown in the coming episodes.

    One other thing is that to fully enjoy the game you need to have watched the series, because there are things that is connected directly to the show, like characters, voices, places, etc. I myself was really deep into the story, and I don't think people who haven't watched the show will feel the same way.

    The story starts at a slow pace for about 5 minutes and after that it has it's up and downs, which both fits perfectly to the story and the characters, and it's quite refreshing to switch between these characters, to move the story forward on all fronts.

    And let's end this review with the end of the first episode, I won't spoil anything, but it's worth the Game of Thrones name, I'll leave it at that!    … Full Review »
  2. Riskyreview
    Dec 2, 2014
    6
    Let me start by saying this game is not bad but it's not good either, this review is going to focus more on Telltale as a whole rather thenLet me start by saying this game is not bad but it's not good either, this review is going to focus more on Telltale as a whole rather then just this one game.
    Telltale can be compared to a roller-coaster ride, they used to make games that where terrible until they made TWD S1 that game was the start of a whole new genre and it was amazing, all the characters where interesting and so was the story, but after they made TWD S1 they hit a downhill again.
    TWAU was the start of the downhill it was pretty good but not as good as TWD S1, then came TWD S2.
    Jesus H. Christ what a disappointment that was, none of the characters where interesting or likable except for the ones brought over from TWD S1!
    And now they're getting closer to the bottom with Iron from ice.
    First of it doesn't capture the feel of the show at all, second yet again none of the characters are interesting or likable in any way and yet again except for the ones brought over from the show.
    The story is extremely dull apart from some gory scenes.
    I think it's time for Telltale to hire some new writers or at least try and beg the ones that wrote for TWD S1 to come back.    … Full Review »
  3. linkenski
    Dec 2, 2014
    9
    So far Telltale's take on Game of Thrones is quite impressive, both being authentic to the tone and feel of the main show (minus sex so far)So far Telltale's take on Game of Thrones is quite impressive, both being authentic to the tone and feel of the main show (minus sex so far) by having the complexity and greyness in character-writing, the premise is well-shaped and captivates you within the first half hour of the game. All in all it sets the bar quite high from the get-go.

    To see cameos from the TV show performed by the real actors is a treat, one I would never have even hoped we could get, but the performances are as good as in the TV-show, and Peter Dinklage definitely got his redemption here after his lacklustre performance as Ghost in Bungie's Destiny earlier this year. The new and original characters who are the central element of the story are also well-acted but it is a little jarring to see the design-difference as they are not stylized sculptures of real actors, but instead Telltale's design-teams own artistically crafted designs, and to be honest this shows, but you will get used to it.

    There are choices to make that all seem to have proper weight to them, and no matter what there are shocking developments you will not see coming just in this first episode, in true GoT fashion. The best thing is, all of it feels properly developed and is not just shocking for the sake of nonsensical shock-value as we've seen in earlier franchise adaptations from Telltale. I'm pretty pleased to tell that Game of Thrones under Telltale's vision is as mature and sophisticated as the real thing. The coming episodes will determine if this quality lasts though, but so far all is good, heck, even better than I hoped it would be!    … Full Review »
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