Game of Thrones: Episode One - Iron From Ice

 PC
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

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  1. Zimbardo
    Dec 9, 2014
    2
    Telltale has a reputation of excellent story telling and the majority of reviewers seem to feel that Iron From Ice captures the rich atmosphere found in the Game of Thrones universe. Lets take a look together as this rich narrative unfolds between one of the protagonists and the Forrester Maester (aka keeper of knowledge and family history)...

    Gared - "Why do the Whitehills hate the    Telltale has a reputation of excellent story telling and the majority of reviewers seem to feel that Iron From Ice captures the rich atmosphere found in the Game of Thrones universe. Lets take a look together as this rich narrative unfolds between one of the protagonists and the Forrester Maester (aka keeper of knowledge and family history)...

    Gared - "Why do the Whitehills hate the Forresters"?
    Maester - "I don't doubt someone killed someone, which led to more killings of somesones and then, well... here we are."

    Oh wow. So story, much deep.

    Anyways, Iron From Ice is a fanfic based on a Song of Ice and Fire. Like all Telltale games your decisions don't matter, and this fact is magnified given that the game is a non-cannon installment featuring high profile characters from the series. "Ouuu, I wonder what will happen to Ramsey Bolton?" Nothing. Why? Because he needs to show up in the books.

    The port to PC is bad. I gotta force quit to get back to my desktop because exiting the game wasn't a feature included in my menu settings. I can see environments and characters transition between scenes at the base of my screen. The game seems rushed and sloppy.

    I just wish Winds of Winter would finally come out. After playing Iron From Ice I feel like a smoker searching for cigarette butts on the ground in a desperate attempt for a fix.    … Expand
  2. romanontherun
    Jan 13, 2015
    3
    1) graphics bad on it's own and it's clearly an downgrade from previous Telltale games (which was not shiny in the first place)
    2) story is ok, but still a downgrade from previous games. Plus the fact that you know you could not affect major series characters in any meaningful way.
    3) gameplay was downgraded and basically absent, QTE feels odd and awkward. 5) dialogues are meaningless,    1) graphics bad on it's own and it's clearly an downgrade from previous Telltale games (which was not shiny in the first place)
    2) story is ok, but still a downgrade from previous games. Plus the fact that you know you could not affect major series characters in any meaningful way.
    3) gameplay was downgraded and basically absent, QTE feels odd and awkward.
    5) dialogues are meaningless, there's clear an option A (be polite and humble) and option B (be honest and harsh) and thats it.
    4) choices are irrelevant, at least in first episode
    5) locations are empty rooms with nothing to do or to look at.
    6) no new info on world or sophisticated characters - everyone is a cliche and black or white in essence

    it's not near as good as The Wolf Among Us or Tales From Borderlands
    it's can not even be compared to Game of Thrones series
    it's not horrible, but everything feels so lazy and cheap that i can not recommend this game to anyone:    … Expand
  3. TheWayfarer73
    Dec 7, 2014
    3
    This isn't a game, this is a story with very small interactive aspects of it. The choices you make WILL NOT CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF THE STORY. The marketing is misleading when it says the users choices effect the story. HARDLY.

    Might as well just made this a 2 episode bonus DVD that comes with the GOT DVD set. Not gonna buy any future ones for sure.
  4. MrGrimm
    Dec 16, 2014
    4
    I've played only this, the first episode, and it's not clear to me that this is a game. This is an interactive narrative and a fairly interesting one, but not much of a game. On 3 play throughs what's clear is that the dialogs and cutscenes are all but identical. This will likely change with the releases of future episodes, but the passive nature of the interaction is disheartening evenI've played only this, the first episode, and it's not clear to me that this is a game. This is an interactive narrative and a fairly interesting one, but not much of a game. On 3 play throughs what's clear is that the dialogs and cutscenes are all but identical. This will likely change with the releases of future episodes, but the passive nature of the interaction is disheartening even if the options are almost always (superficially) very difficult choices. I might pick up the rest of the episodes if they drop below a dollar merely because I'm a fan of the world and genre, but honestly this seems like a high-class cut and paste of Game of thrones source material onto Telltale's "the Walking Dead" "game". If you like that sort of thing, this is probably right up your alley. If you favor games where doing things matters in the slightest however, it's probably not for you.… Expand
  5. Greywolf2001ca
    Dec 6, 2014
    2
    DO NOT BUY!
    Unless you want to pay 30$+ for 30 minutes of game play.
    The acting and writing is good though... although It is unfortunate that the actors get their names tarnished by this pathetic project. Graphics... well... some are good, like the landscape and some part of each characters, but their skin is ugly and inhuman (unless they are all walkers already? lol) and there is    DO NOT BUY!
    Unless you want to pay 30$+ for 30 minutes of game play.

    The acting and writing is good though... although It is unfortunate that the actors get their names tarnished by this pathetic project.

    Graphics... well... some are good, like the landscape and some part of each characters, but their skin is ugly and inhuman (unless they are all walkers already? lol) and there is no liquid (like wine when poured, water, etc.). So poorly done most of it... probably was made in a haste to make a quick buck.

    Sounds and music, well, half of it comes from the series, so you are hugely lazy Telltales, I understand for the theme of Game of Thrones, but the rest could have been your own design.

    Depth and replayability is equal to ZERO! No matter what choices you take, it changes nothing. For example, whether you choose A or B to be your sentinel changes absolutely NOTHING. Whether you take the wiseman or the reckless warrior, the outcome is the same over and over again, whether you tell Ramsey to get screwed or lick is behind, the end result is the same.... so why bother making all those choices and have that "x will remember that"? especially when the character you control dies... who cares if he remembers if I'm dead! LOL Also, how does my character know he or she will remember this or that? Are my characters telepaths? Telltale is so stupid! Half a brain at most or no heart for work, a lazy bunch.

    Finally, what kind of idiot would pay 30$++ for a 30 min game? I wouldn't even pay 5$!!! I mean, you can play games that lasts for 20 hours for free on Kongregate and many other websites (some adventure games, action-adventure, and hack'n'slashers just to name a few). Telltale overestimates itself and is pretty presumptuous with their "games.

    Oh, and their "games" are not games, they are built as interactive fiction, and even there they fail miserably at doing such type of game.

    Since their Walking Dead thingy, I've always said they should stop making "games" and make animated movies, they would make more money. Face it, who would pay for a 30 min game when you can get 2 or 3 good movies for the same price or a great one (such a star wars (4-6), Avatar, Lord of the rings, Frozen, etc. just to name a few of different genres)?

    I'm boycotting Telltales because they're not worth a penny when it comes to game design, they're lazy, stupid and there to make a quick buck only!

    The 2 ou of 10 goes to the writing and the actors, the rest of the crew receives a big nothing, zero, nada, null!    … Expand
  6. pubiclice
    Dec 25, 2014
    3
    Firstly this is not what I would regard as a game, you move your character maybe 4 times. The rest of the time it is listening to mundane dialogue for 2 hours maximum then the game ends.

    The family you play as are Heavily based on the TV show Stark family most of them look like and are clearly based off them which is disappointing to see such lack of effort in character design. The    Firstly this is not what I would regard as a game, you move your character maybe 4 times. The rest of the time it is listening to mundane dialogue for 2 hours maximum then the game ends.

    The family you play as are Heavily based on the TV show Stark family most of them look like and are clearly based off them which is disappointing to see such lack of effort in character design.
    The character models are good with the exception of Margery and Ramsay who are attempts to look like the actors from the show and don't quite pull it off. In contrast the Cersei and Tyrion models are quite good.

    the dialogue is poor, its not unbearable but its fairly close. The choices you choose while speaking have zero impact on the story or the reactionary dialogue you receive in a conversation or after an "event". There are some definitive choices mainly the appointment of a sentinel however this has no impact on the story (at least in this episode). It is also misleading, you have an option towards the end of the game to flex your lordly might and show off your troops in an attempt to intimidate someone, when being presented this option it seems as if you have some power at your disposal ...you have four men.

    The animation is simply horrendous characters movements are jerky and unnatural which is particularly noticeable in the combat setting of the first part of this "game". A character dispatches someone trying to kill you only to then stop for 10 seconds to look longingly into your eyes then unsurprisingly get a arrow to the chest.

    Overall this is extremely disappointing and appears to be an abuse of the franchise to sell a sub par product    … Expand
  7. deathmachinept
    Dec 24, 2014
    0
    DONT BUY THIS WEB SERIES!!

    Well I register in Meta just to make this review. I'm also pretty sure there were people paid to crank the user score up because this so called "Game" is the worst "Game" I ever played, Duke Nuken Forever looks like an amazing game compare to this. This Interact(not so much) story is worth a 1$ nothing more... Why?? - You decisions make absolutely no    DONT BUY THIS WEB SERIES!!

    Well I register in Meta just to make this review.

    I'm also pretty sure there were people paid to crank the user score up because this so called "Game" is the worst "Game" I ever played, Duke Nuken Forever looks like an amazing game compare to this.

    This Interact(not so much) story is worth a 1$ nothing more... Why??

    - You decisions make absolutely no impact on the game(Ep.1) ZERO! Nada!(I'm not joking), illusion of choice has people said.
    - Gameplay is reduced to QTE many of these can be ignored and will have again no effect on the story.
    - Animations are really awful especially when characters are running or doing more complex animations.. I Lmao so hard in the beginning when you "Sprint"(Fast walking) with a two-handed sword carrying in one hand you look like a retard.
    - The end will always play the same and it seems forced especially when you do the perfect decisions which have a positive/impressed reaction from the antagonist.
    - Games are meant to make you have fun and enjoy the time you spend interacting with it, this games ends in a very bad way, truthfully to GoT but contrary to TV Show or Movie you can't put this things as the final ending(It's a big slap to the face to players that basically say fu#$ you you didn't have any impact playing) just like ME3 except you only found this after having other 2 games with meaningful decisions, fun and lot of gameplay and mechancis this has nothing of this.

    This thing would have been so much better as a 3D TV show like Star Wars Rebels etc... Here as it is you feel like you are eeing rip off, by having a company randomly split a game in 6 pieces without any attention to the player experience.

    This Story because of being label as a game is worth 0/10 and 1/10(for GoT fans still only buy it when all episodes have been release)    … Expand
  8. LiquidFrostbite
    Dec 7, 2014
    4
    I don't.. I don't understand how people enjoyed this iteration from Telltale. I'm a huge fan of The Wolf Among Us and the first episode of Tales from the Borderlands.

    This game was awful. The writing and pace of this story was horribly slow and only barely managed to pick up just before the credits rolled. The art style is very pixelated which I wasn't a fan of and you spend the entire    I don't.. I don't understand how people enjoyed this iteration from Telltale. I'm a huge fan of The Wolf Among Us and the first episode of Tales from the Borderlands.

    This game was awful. The writing and pace of this story was horribly slow and only barely managed to pick up just before the credits rolled. The art style is very pixelated which I wasn't a fan of and you spend the entire game playing a coward apprentice, a small child, and a selfish, entitled young girl.

    The young boy had easily the most interesting part in the story, which isn't saying much. The game was full of horrible dialogue and overly dramatic facial animations (mainly frowns) and unnecessarily drawn out conversations.

    I played this, along with two of my friends, one being a female.. All three of us were disappointed and thought it was incredibly boring and weak-written.

    And yet it's getting praise from just about every media outlet and gaming forum. Normally I consider myself to be with the majority, as far as game opinion is concerned, but I don't understand why everyone is going so crazy over this game.

    It is easily the weakest of all the Telltale games available currently. Even though it was only a first episode, it doesn't even compare to the blowout that was the first episode of Tales from the Borderlands and I'm not even a fan of the Borderlands universe. Yet both games are getting 8/10's as if on the same level.    … Expand
  9. Prosmooth
    Dec 7, 2014
    0
    This is one of the dumbest games I've ever played. Only played for half an hour, but it was the most frustrating 30 minutes of my life. All you do are watch scenes play out and then at a certain point you are required to hit a button on your mouse or keyboard that flashes on the screen. If you don't hit the button fast enough--you die and have to replay the scene again. That's it. That'sThis is one of the dumbest games I've ever played. Only played for half an hour, but it was the most frustrating 30 minutes of my life. All you do are watch scenes play out and then at a certain point you are required to hit a button on your mouse or keyboard that flashes on the screen. If you don't hit the button fast enough--you die and have to replay the scene again. That's it. That's the game. The graphics look 10 years old and in a game where all your required to do is hit buttons--you aren't even allowed to remap the keys. I cannot believe the high reviews from other users and critics. This is a ridiculous game and a waste of money.… Expand
  10. Fishersam
    Dec 3, 2014
    2
    So even though this site will possibly not acknowledge this review and may hide it based off how much they were paid, I'm going to leave a review anyway because I owe it to the people who value $30.

    I will keep this short. The voice acting is awful. The character movements are poor. The interface is 100% copy + pasted from other Telltale games. The story is not interesting in the    So even though this site will possibly not acknowledge this review and may hide it based off how much they were paid, I'm going to leave a review anyway because I owe it to the people who value $30.

    I will keep this short. The voice acting is awful. The character movements are poor. The interface is 100% copy + pasted from other Telltale games. The story is not interesting in the slightest. The action scenes that require timed button mashes are tedious.

    I played Tales from the Borderlands last week and it was much better than this. This game is a lazy attempt by HBO to gain more money using Game of Throne's name. Its like watching an alternate Game of Thrones story created by people who had nothing to do with the show. Animated (poorly). In all fairness, I did laugh 3 or 4 times but that isn't enough to forgive this unethical practice. This game is enough to make me wish for Telltale's failure.

    Game of Thrones if my favorite television series and this game is a slap in the face. If you want to watch poorly animated pixels insulting the Game of Thrones series, you should purchase this game.    … Expand
  11. BaldursGate
    Dec 5, 2014
    0
    I just finished the game, and here are my pros and cons.

    Cons: - HORRIBLE mouse smoothing. - No support for Xbox-controllers. - Horrible main menu. Play it to see it. Didn't manage to change settings... took a few hours to figure out how it worked (there is a small arrow that you click, looks like it's part of the "fluff"). - The sound engineering is also horrible.    I just finished the game, and here are my pros and cons.

    Cons:

    - HORRIBLE mouse smoothing.

    - No support for Xbox-controllers.

    - Horrible main menu. Play it to see it. Didn't manage to change settings... took a few hours to figure out how it worked (there is a small arrow that you click, looks like it's part of the "fluff").

    - The sound engineering is also horrible. Everything sounds weirdly phasey/reverby. There are also lots of part with clicks and such thanks to the min volume going above 0dB.

    - QTE with button mashing. WHO came up with this for an adventure game? If they would just skip the button mashing with QTE crap it would be a much better game. It is NOT interesting to randomly click buttons to solve "puzzles".

    - The camera angles are horrible. I think this has been the case for most Telltale Games. There are invisible walls everywhere, you can't see **** and the only time the cameras are good are in some of the conversations. I wish they would just do the dialogues and the rest could just be a movie. Would've been more fluid.

    - The technology/graphics feels so aged... textures with ultra low resolutions and other idiotic things that really have no reason.

    Pros:

    - The only thing good with this game is the story and the story driven choices.

    Summary:

    Really low quality game. If you give this anything above 3/10 you must be a Telltale-fan. I am a Telltale fan and I really love Telltale Games, but they really need to start fixing all these problems before release these games. There is so much promise yet they just **** it up.    … Expand
  12. Animus000
    Jul 4, 2016
    1
    I was constantly frustrated at the lack of options and the tedious gameplay and frankly after playing all the way through the ending was like a giant middle finger on the screen to the players.

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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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. DarkZero
    Feb 23, 2015
    70
    In the end, it’s the writing which defines these Telltale adaptations, and Game of Thrones is no exception. In fact, it’s thanks to the original source material’s penchant for sudden and shocking character deaths and betrayals that this game has potential to keep players glued for each subsequent episode.
    Read full review
  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. 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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