Imagine if you went to restaurant and everything you ordered was perfect. The appetizers, entrée, the desert—the waiters even refilled your drinks for free. Then as soon as you get to your car, and you're about to drive home, someone bashes you in the head with a pipe, squats over your face, and takes a shit in your mouth while you're on the ground barely conscious.
That's essentially how I felt after playing this. This game was doing so well. They put effort into making it feel like you're really in a GoT world. Ironrath, The Wall, and especially King's Landing, which was my favorite subplot of the game. All the characters were wonderful and fully fleshed out—even Ethan, who I wished wasn't killed so early on in the game. Even Ramsay, whom I cannot stand in the show, was somewhat more likable in the game (in a Love to Hate kinda way). I will admit that some of the character models are...off. And the game has glaringly obvious glitches in it, especially in Episode 5 and 6. But I put up with it, because I loved the story, characters, and setting so much.
Everything that happened in this game before the ending, I was fine with. I was okay with Ethan dying. I was fine with Dany getting pissed at me for letting Beshka kill that slaver. I applauded Telltale for allowing me to pick between Asher or Rodrik, a crushing choice that at the time, felt like it could drastically alter the plot. Even Episode 6 had quite a few moments that had me in tears. And that's a good thing, because it showed that I care.
But then the last fifteen minutes happened. And the moment I saw Lady Forrester get impaled by Harys, followed by the gate falling, I didn't cry, or scream, or get angry. I just stared at the game with a dull expression and stopped caring. Because at that precise moment, my brain finally turned on, and I told myself:
"Let me guess: this is inevitable. None of my choices mattered. At all."
And I looked up several different endings on YouTube: the ending's the same, with a couple things changed here and there. This wouldn't be such an issue if the game didn't give you several decisions that, in hindsight, could have and should have changed the plot. This isn't a game where it's merely you picking who lives and who dies. What you say or do can and will change the outcome of certain situations and have long-lasting effects.
Or so I thought.
This isn't a horrible game. It's a great game, with a horrible ending. Usually I try to look back at all the good things that occurred in the game and overlook the ending; I did it with Mass Effect 3 and the anime Akame ga Kiru!. But I just couldn't do it with this game. I want to recommend this game. I want to look back at that delicious dinner I ate. But I can't. All I remember is that guy who took a shit in my mouth.
The Ending DOES Change Everything
(review contains SPOILERS)
Imagine if you went to restaurant and everything you ordered was perfect. The appetizers, entrée, the desert—the waiters even refilled your drinks for free. Then as soon as you get to your car, and you're about to drive home, someone bashes you in the head with a pipe, squats over your face, and takes a shit in your mouth while you're on the ground barely conscious.
That's essentially how I felt after playing this. This game was doing so well. They put effort into making it feel like you're really in a GoT world. Ironrath, The Wall, and especially King's Landing, which was my favorite subplot of the game. All the characters were wonderful and fully fleshed out—even Ethan, who I wished wasn't killed so early on in the game. Even Ramsay, whom I cannot stand in the show, was somewhat more likable in the game (in a Love to Hate kinda way). I will admit that some of the character models are...off. And the game has glaringly obvious glitches in it, especially in Episode 5 and 6. But I put up with it, because I loved the story, characters, and setting so much.
Then the ending happened.
And now I don't care about Season 2.
Everything that happened in this game before the ending, I was fine with. I was okay with Ethan dying. I was fine with Dany getting pissed at me for letting Beshka kill that slaver. I applauded Telltale for allowing me to pick between Asher or Rodrik, a crushing choice that at the time, felt like it could drastically alter the plot. Even Episode 6 had quite a few moments that had me in tears. And that's a good thing, because it showed that I care.
But then the last fifteen minutes happened. And the moment I saw Lady Forrester get impaled by Harys, followed by the gate falling, I didn't cry, or scream, or get angry. I just stared at the game with a dull expression and stopped caring. Because at that precise moment, my brain finally turned on, and I told myself:
"Let me guess: this is inevitable. None of my choices mattered. At all."
And I looked up several different endings on YouTube: the ending's the same, with a couple things changed here and there. This wouldn't be such an issue if the game didn't give you several decisions that, in hindsight, could have and should have changed the plot. This isn't a game where it's merely you picking who lives and who dies. What you say or do can and will change the outcome of certain situations and have long-lasting effects.
Or so I thought.
This isn't a horrible game. It's a great game, with a horrible ending. Usually I try to look back at all the good things that occurred in the game and overlook the ending; I did it with Mass Effect 3 and the anime Akame ga Kiru!. But I just couldn't do it with this game. I want to recommend this game. I want to look back at that delicious dinner I ate. But I can't. All I remember is that guy who took a shit in my mouth.