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Telltale's Game Of Thrones: The Lost Lords Review – Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

*Disclaimer: I've danced around spoilers as best I could here, but had to allude to a few things, including the tone towards the end of the episode, in order to really talk about the episode properly.

The first episode of Telltale's Game Of Thrones came out at the beginning of December, and for the most part, I really enjoyed it. Not every aspect of the narrative worked, but there was decent set up with the game carving out a special place for itself in the world of Westeros. The episode ended with one hell of a twist too that reminded us that we were in George R.R. Martin's world.

The second episode, The Lost Lords, is all about dealing with the consequences of the first, but if you're looking to make huge, immediate actions in the wake of that aforementioned twist, the second episode could disappoint you.

For the more patient players though, they'll recognize that this is likely a necessary episode for the series to get everything into place going forward. This is about reaction rather than action, and that pay off isn't going to come until later down the line. The series should, in theory, be better for the time spent in this episode mind.

If you want to look at it this way, this feels like the end of Act I rather than the beginning of Act II.

As a whole, this episode is much better paced than the last. It has a very brisk 90 minute run time, and it feels more like an episode of Game of Thrones. That is largely down to the shortened scenes with each character creating a very nice flow between action. You're flung all around this world in a brief manner that just makes this episode 'feel' tighter when compared to the last.

The variety here is really great too. In the last episode there were parts of the story that felt much less interesting than others. Here the interest levels stay much more equal between the different playable characters. Mira Forrester navigating the political world of Kings Landing is still the highlight, but Gared Tuttle's role is more interesting now he is at the Wall. It isn't clear how he will fit into the broader narrative, but I have to believe he does. (Bonus points for the game. Jon Snow, voiced by Kit Harrington, actually gets a really nice character moment where he reflects on losing Rob Stark that was largely skipped over in the show.)

Also new character, the Yunkai based Asher Forrester, brings a really unique flavour to the game. While we don't stick with him long enough, there's a good display of who he is and why we should care about what's coming next for him. He is the wildcard of the series, and I'm excited to see where his story goes from here. There is a surprise character up in Ironrath too who is also building an interesting base from the Forrester home. Maneuvering around an important proposal and the political needs of enemy House Whitehill are some of the highest points in the episode.

Where it does falter though, is in the overall narrative. As I've alluded to, this feels like a necessary episode that deals with the fall out of the first, but it never truly pulls the trigger in the way you no doubt wanted to after the end of Iron From Ice. At times, it can feel like the game is holding you back, leaving all the really good stuff for later. That wouldn't necessarily be a problem if you were to sit down at the end of the season and play it all in one go, but when you've been waiting for the next chapter for two months and you are going to consume it all in one go as early as possible, it can feel like Telltale have put on the brakes.

What saves the episode on that front though is an ending that suggests that that trigger is on the verge of being pulled. House Forrester have been on the back foot almost since the moment we met them, and going forward it feels like we are going to be reestablishing the strength of these characters. This symphony of tragedy feels close to it's first crescendo.

The Lost Lords is more about reconciliation and piece moving than real forward momentum, but by the end of the episode, it feels we are on the verge of an exciting next chapter for House Forrester. The team at Telltale are crafting a story of surprising significance in this world and, for me, I appreciated the time spent with the characters to build towards the undoubtedly action packed future. If you were looking for instant revenge after the first episode, you won't find it here. If you are willing to go with the flows of this journey though, The Lost Lords is a well paced exploration of these character's and their political posturing.

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