Even developer Telltale Games, which left a mark on the adventure genre with the 'The Walking Dead' series, was unable to properly digest this IP, and few people even remember the name of 'Game of Thrones RPG', which Cyanide Studio introduced in 2012. These two works clearly show how the bigger the IP, the more difficult it is to properly translate it into a game. Therefore, I was curious about what differentiated experience ‘Game of Thrones: King’s Road’ could provide.
The most confusing point after the War of the Five Kings
The setting chosen for ‘Game of Thrones: King’s Road’ is the continent of Westeros, where the aftermath of the ‘War of the Five Kings’ has not yet subsided, in the second half of season 4 of the drama. Ruth Bolton has taken her place as Lord of the North, and Jon Snow and the Night's Watch have just been called to war against threats beyond the Wall. Fans of the original will know the tension at this point. Some people died, and some people just came to power. This is perhaps the most tense moment in the entire series, with nothing converging toward an ending yet.
The player begins the game amidst this chaos as the bastard son of the house of Tyre. The story begins with him heading to Castle Black to meet his uncle Kennet, a member of the Night Watch. Although the main character's setting is original and not in the original, the game's stage faithfully reflects the setting of the original, so there are no elements that hinder immersion in the story.
The story of 'Game of Thrones: King's Road' is full of things you will be glad to see if you have seen the original novel or drama. Therefore, as you progress through the game, you continue to look forward to the next characters you will meet and the areas you will visit. Cersei appears briefly in the prologue sequence, familiar faces such as Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly appear as in-game characters, and even the interior of Winterfell, reminiscent of Bran Stark's childhood, are faithfully implemented. Of course, at the moment, it is under the rule of the Bolton family, not the Stark family.
'Walking', not 'seeing', Westeros
Netmarble Neo's Chief Producer Jang Hyun-il said from the beginning of development, "What fans are looking forward to is not seeing the story, but experiencing the world directly." And that judgment was definitely right. It was also the part that I felt most positive about while experiencing the demo build.
Castle Black and Winterfell, which are visited at the beginning of the game, as well as the Principality of Dorne, located at the southernmost tip of the world map, although I have not yet visited it. Players can now walk through the spaces on the continent of Westeros that the camera skimmed past in the drama. In particular, when I stood under the wall and looked up, I stopped for quite a while to see the gigantic structure rising far above the screen.
It is also worth noting that the development team, through collaboration with HBO, even implemented areas that did not appear in the drama, that is, only existed as a setting. I directly filled in the blanks about the world of Westeros, which fans of the original work had not actually seen. Therefore, for users who are interested in this worldview, not only will it be fun to follow the story line, but it will be a good experience just to wander around areas that were not seen in the drama.
A worldview where magic is precious, a battle that emphasizes moderation and excitement
The first thing you notice in the battle of King's Road is 'what is not there'. There are simple effects such as putting flames on a sword, but fantasy effects such as throwing fireballs or making lightning fall from the sky are not found. That's true in the section I demonstrated. What you have instead is the light impact of cold weapons colliding and restrained movement without compromising realism.
The three classes (Mercenary, Knight, and Assassin) each have their own distinct personalities. Knights can engage in standard hexagonal close-quarters combat with great swords and dual swords, while mercenaries can engage in exciting battles using heavy attacks swinging large axes and gauntlets. Assassins can fight stylishly with two daggers and a rapier.
All three classes can use a variety of actions depending on the combination of normal and hard hits, and each combination has different delay, damage, and motion, so you can create your own combo. Here, the basics of combat include checking the opponent's attack motion and responding in real time by appropriately combining parrying, evasion, and skills.
Another thing that stands out is the weapon swapping system. In the demo build, all classes were equipped with two main weapons and one ranged weapon. All three classes consisted of two types of weapons, one fast and one heavy, so no matter which class you choose, there will be at least one weapon that suits your taste. And it is said that future updates will be made to prepare various weapons instead of increasing the number of classes, so you can look forward to more unique battles depending on the weapon.
Exploration, cooperation, and even challenges - various ways to enjoy Westeros
The structure of ‘Game of Thrones: King’s Road’ is basically single-player-oriented open world exploration. The main focus of the game is to travel throughout Westeros following the main scenario, meet original characters, and unravel the story. However, other than that, there is quite a variety of content.
One of the things I was able to experience first-hand in the demo build was the ‘Altar of Memory’. This is cooperative content where you form a party of up to 4 people to defeat a specific boss. If matching is not possible, you can enter with a bot, so you can easily enjoy it alone. The core reward is 'Relic', which is an independent category with a dedicated equipment window separate from general equipment. Farming powerful artifact equipment will be the main purpose of this content.
Second, ‘Expedition Beyond the Wall’ is a roguelike content with the setting of literally going outside the wall. Each time you pass a level, you are given options such as selecting strengthening effects or recovering stamina, but as you progress, the cold gauge builds up, and when it is full, the expedition ends. Considering that there is a separate weekly reward, it is highly likely that it will become a weekly content that is digested regularly. It is impressive content in that the idea of connecting the setting beyond the wall with the game naturally maintains immersion in the world view.
The 4-player cooperative raid 'Altar of the Abyss' was also available in the demo build, but I was unable to experience it in person due to lack of matching. According to published information, the design requires organic cooperation between party members, such as lighting a fire in a brazier and moving it to an arrow or manipulating a ballista to neutralize a boss. It's unfortunate that we couldn't check it out in person due to the limitations of the demonstration environment, but I think it's an end content worth looking forward to just based on the scale and composition of the content.
Equipment is directly farmed, BM structure confirmed in demo build
The only paid products that could be confirmed in the demo build were two types of ‘monthly support’ in the form of a monthly subscription. It is divided into ‘Monthly Life Support’ and ‘Monthly Combat Support’, and most of the contents are in the nature of improving convenience or reducing time. You can receive additional RP (action resources) consumed to enter content, consume twice as much RP to receive double rewards, or expand your inventory.
In the demo build, there were some parts that were difficult to feel because the player did not play enough to fill the inventory, but at least within the confirmed range, the incentive to charge was not felt significantly. Since it is a game with no competitive elements, you can play at your own tempo.
In terms of equipment, there were no draw elements to be found. All equipment, from advanced to legendary grades, can be made at a blacksmith shop, and strengthening is also done using only in-game materials. The same goes for the set research system that enhances equipment set effects.
As it is a limited environment of a demo build, it is too early to determine the overall BM structure, but within the confirmed range, the King's Road was quite honest.
The continent of Westeros is worth looking forward to
Most of the systems that make up this game are elements that are already familiar within the genre. The parrying system, roguelike content, and even the training system that creates and strengthens equipment. Nevertheless, the reason it is not awkward is because these things fit seamlessly into the worldview. Likewise, the impact of the battle was well-tuned without deviating too much from the atmosphere of the original work.
The most impressive part is the implementation of the continent of Westeros. It was quite nice for fans of the original work to be able to walk and see the spaces that the camera passed through in the drama, and that even areas that only existed as settings in the original work were actually realized.
As you follow the main story, familiar faces and places keep appearing, and you naturally look forward to what characters you will meet next and what areas you will visit. If you're a fan of the original, I think it's worth playing just for the line "Winter is coming" that can be heard directly in the game.
If you are curious about how Game of Thrones: King's Road was created, how the world of Game of Thrones was incorporated into the game, and the story told directly by the development team, you can check it out on the official forum developer blog.
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