A reader asks if you’ve ever watched Game of Thrones before.
I’ve seen the show, yes.
How many seasons have you seen?
A mere one, I’m afraid to say.
Why did you stop watching?
I found the show rather boring.
You are swarmed by an army of angry internet users who disagree with your entirely valid opinion. Your review comes to an abrupt end. Try again?
How did you end up reviewing a Game of Thrones game without seeing most of the show at all?
While I have not seen the entire show, I have played a Reigns game before and played the Game of Thrones Telltale game, so I’m not entirely lost.
Did your experience with the game suffer for being unfamiliar with the show?
I knew enough to get by. If I knew nothing at all that may be a different story though.
Does Reigns: Game of Thrones seem like a faithful adaptation or spin-off of the series?
Oh absolutely. The range of characters they’ve managed to represent is vast, and the locations and events all fit nicely within the setting. I especially love that you get to pick your ruler from a pool of well-known characters.
Oh really! Who did you enjoy playing as most?
Well I had my best run as Cersei Lannister.
Everyone that has ever hated the mad queen as a character never reads your writing again. Your time as a reviewer comes to an abrupt end. Try again?
So what do you do in Reigns: Game of Thrones?
Characters and events arise and you’re left to make decisions by swiping left or right, or on rare occasions tapping your selection when faced with more than two paths to take.
To what end?
To survive the winter. Your decisions affect the balance of your kingdom’s power, faith, people, and coin. If you find yourself running out of one or capping out of another, then your reign will come to an abrupt end in one of many interesting and entertaining ways.
So failure is amusing to you…
In this game yes. Discovering different ways to die was just as fun to me as experimenting to complete new objectives, or simply trying to last as long as possible.
Git gud scrub. You’re too bad at video games to review them. Try again?
What is it like to play when you’re not intentionally dying?
Addictive. Incredibly so. I played so much of this over the weekend and never once wanted to put it down.
So this game never becomes boring.
Don’t get me wrong, it can become stale if you don’t take breaks. You’ll see repeated cards and may grow tired of grinding to see some of the rarer cards.
But you just said it’s incredibly addictive…
There is a difference between addictive and engaging. Reigns can feel slow when you’re bleeding the game dry to reach the end goal as fast as possible, but it never becomes tedious. It strikes the right balance.
Mixed messages confuse the reader and they click off of the site. Try again?
So why should I play this over the original Reigns?
There’s so much more variety than I remember in the first game. You’ll find yourself travelling to distant lands, partaking in jousting tournaments, negotiating with rival houses…
OK I think I get-
You can end up going to battle, slinking into the local tavern, leading the local council, chasing a cat, getting married…
You realise you’re rambling.
And all of the rulers have different perks to unlock to change how you make your decisions. It’s a shame that some of the content seems bugged or missing though.
Woah woah woah. Hold up. What?
There were certain objectives and death cards I simply couldn’t activate as the necessary cards would not present themselves. I have my fingers crossed this will be addressed in the upcoming update, but till then, I’m lost.
And there weren’t guides online to help. Likely story.
There weren’t. I searched everywhere and despite the game being out on PC for over six months there are still undiscovered secrets. This means they’re either exceptionally rare (a pain in the arse) or simply not working (even worse).
You said “arse” and can no longer be taken seriously as a person, never mind a reviewer. Try again?
OK just give us an overall verdict already then.
Reigns: Game of Thrones is superbly written, remarkably addictive and a delight to play, even without an extensive knowledge of Game of Thrones lore.
Carry on.
There are a few issues with particular cards being too rare and a few being bugged, but regardless of these nitpicks, I’d still recommend giving it a go. Especially on Switch where portability makes it that much easier to dive into a quick run.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Don’t be afraid to consult a guide here or there. Some of the goals are a bit too obscure and you’re unlikely to stumble across the answer by accident.
Come on, I’m giving you a chance to write a Game of Thrones reference here.
Umm, a Lannister always pays his debts…
Your reference sucked. Try again?
DRACARYS!
Eh, it’ll do.
A digital copy of Reigns: Game of Thrones for Switch was provided by the developer.
Find Reigns: Game of Thrones on Switch here:
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/reigns-game-of-thrones-switch/