Reigns: Game of Thrones sets familiar heads rolling today
Probably less sex than the TV show too
Monarchic decide 'em up Reigns was always close in spirit to Game Of Thrones. Thanks to a cross-promotion deal that I'm certain someone sold their soul for, they're now one and the same, and out today. Reigns: Game Of Thrones combines the Tinder-inspired UI of Nerial's series with the multiple perspectives and familiar world of HBO's wildly successful TV novel adaptation. The game lets players control multiple characters and bodge their way through their own custom timeline in a way that would sound like fan-fiction if it weren't an official game. Below, the launch trailer.
While previous Reigns games have put you in the shoes of a generic king or queen with your decisions deciding your personality, Reigns: Game Of Thrones has you unlock pre-defined characters to play as including most of the big political movers and shakers of Westeros, plus Tyrion Lannister. Given the sheer number of characters and regular chances to decide who lives or dies, I'm curious to see just how far off the rails you can take the story before it yanks you back into place, or just gives you an arbitrary 'and then nobody liked you so your head fell off' ending.
While the original Reigns was mostly about binary decisions, the later Reigns: Her Majesty added the extra twist of an inventory of items that could open up new story branches if used at the right time. Judging by the trailer above, Reigns: Game Of Thrones handles more complex problems through a panel of options, instead of just swiping left or right. It makes sense in the context of a series growing in depth, but it feels a little sad for a series that began with such beautiful simplicity to be building up layers like this. Still, it seems like a fun game of Bed, Wed or Behead.
Reigns: Game Of Thrones is out now on Steam, Humble and GOG. It's nearly cheap as chips at £3/€4/$4, and published by Devolver.
Disclosure: Former RPS'er Leigh Alexander wrote some words for Reigns: Game Of Thrones. Specifically for Cersei Lannister's story arc, and possibly other parts of the game. Of course, she was long gone (Leigh, not Cersei) from RPS by the time I started working here, so this is a bit like relating a ghost story I heard from someone else. Spooky word ghosts.