Game of Thrones: Kingsroad

There’s a moment in Game of Thrones: Kingsroad where you’re galloping through the snow-capped wilds north of Winterfell, just shy of the Wall, dodging a wyvern’s icy breath while a brooding bard howls minor chords in the background. It feels like the Westeros RPG we’ve begged for, until the game stops you mid-quest and politely asks if your wallet would like to continue.

Set during Season 4 of the show and starring you as a scrappy bastard from House Tyre, Kingsroad kicks off strong with solid writing, respectable voice acting, and a faithful recreation of the Seven Kingdoms. Its open world is dense, dangerous, and sometimes even beautiful. You’ll duel sellswords in Dornish valleys, schmooze lords in the Reach, and help Jon Snow prepare for the icy apocalypse. But soon, the cracks in the Wall begin to show.

Combat, while flashy and class-based (Knight, Sellsword, Assassin), starts to blur together around the 20-hour mark, and no amount of parries or combo chains can distract from the grind. Momentum, the game’s arbitrary power score, is the true king here, and if yours isn’t high enough? Prepare to “earn” your way past progress gates with eight-hour expeditions and inventory micromanagement. Or just pay the Iron Bank.

Kingsroad shines brightest when it forgets about its mobile DNA and lets you just exist in Westeros, wandering, fighting, politicking. But for every thrilling sword clash at Castle Black, there’s a momentum wall reminding you that in Kingsroad, power isn’t earned… it’s bought.