Playing Reigns: Game of Thrones boils down to having to choose between two options, knowing that one of them is bad and the other is even worse. Of course, the only thing more difficult than ruling the Seven Kingdoms without losing your head – in the most literal sense – is not to start a new game just when the previous one ends. Regardless of whether you have been betrayed, killed or burned alive with Valyrian fire.
Because the games of Reigns: Game of Thrones are very fast and the way to play even easier. What’s more, its minimalism as a video game is one of its greatest successes. And even though you never know when or in what way you will end up losing the game, somehow you have internalized that it will be something deviously cruel . Whether you are trying to be fair and generous, or you prefer to act unscrupulous.
In fact, the real big milestone for the video game Nerial is how does the acertadísima gameplay inspired card games Reigns fits so well in adapting the essence of the novels of George RR Martin and the tone of the series HBO. And, in the process, he gives the fan of A Song of Ice and Fire the answer to the big question: if we were to occupy the iron throne, what chance would we have of surviving?
And it is that it can be said that, when playing Reigns: Game of Thrones, a new day that we are still alive and in power in our game already supposes a small victory. Not only because the life expectancy of those who rule the Seven Kingdoms is ridiculously short, but also because in Westeros it never rains to everyone’s liking . And while some members of our court will abide by our ideas and initiatives, others will decide to garnish our wine with tears of Lys.
In Reigns: Game of Thrones, positioning ourselves in favor of one of the great houses of Westeros, listening to our trusted advisor, and even making fair and reasonable decisions can cost us our lives. Fortunately, and despite the fact that plots and alliances behind our backs are inevitable, we can always save a little more time by ordering a performance or improvising a long journey from which, most likely, we will not return. There is even the possibility that our departure ends in the middle of the journey.
And, in the process, Reigns: Game of Thrones makes us experience in first person the intensity of an entire television season of Game of Thrones in just ten minutes based on shuffled cards and very fast plays. Less than five minutes, if we make the less fortunate decisions or we give a great displeasure to the right person.
When you play Game of Thrones, you either win or you die
It doesn’t matter how you came to the Iron Throne or if you really have something remotely similar to principles and ideals: as a newly appointed king or queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, problems accumulate. And none can wait.
We have not even had time to accommodate our royal buttocks in the noble and thorny seat from which we will decide the fate of the world when we are overwhelmed by requests and complications. The Dothraki have been very unruly lately, the acolytes of the Faith of the Seven seem to be up to something and our accounts with the Iron Bank of Braavos don’t go out.
Meanwhile, the courtiers of King’s Landing do not stop arguing among themselves, and to top it all, a threat begins to spread from beyond the Northern Wall. We need the support of the savages and the northern peoples, but they both get along badly and they are stubborn as mules.
The good news is that in Reigns: Game of Thrones all diplomatic procedures are reduced to two very simple options, and we will only have to slide to the one that most convinces us at that time. Read the most urgent problem or the last request raised and decide between one of the two alternatives. As simple as it sounds.
We can accept or decline the help of our advisers and the great personalities of Westeros, knowing that for each alliance and favor we will also generate enmity. But the most interesting of all is that, as in the novels or the television series, if we only act with wisdom, justice or good will, the only thing we will get is to make our head roll.
Of course, we will not decide completely blind: at the top of the screen we will see several indicators that will reveal the state of our economy, our war capacity or the degree of loyalty that we inspire in the people. Focusing on just one aspect is a mistake, but neglecting all of them will have fatal consequences.
With the foregoing ahead, each day, management or procedure will advance the game, new cards are shuffled with new situations and the consequences of the decisions made accumulate.
Little by little, the very delicate social, political and economic balance that we inherited together with the crown itself will unravel, and all we can do is step out. However, sooner rather than later we will be faced with a trap, an unexpected betrayal or a well-deserved revenge.
Far from being routine or excessively simple, Reigns’ card system: Game of Thrones is a total success. Furthermore, as we achieve milestones in the game, we will unlock new subplots, settings, characters and even different protagonists , with their corresponding points of view, prejudices and contexts.
And not only that, in addition to carrying out our efforts, we will find secondary challenges in the lower right margin that expand our own experience more and better and invite us to be more daring and experimental with our decisions. Because Reigns: Game of Thrones is very minimalist, but also challenging and full of possibilities.
In this sense, we can try to tackle a problem through diplomatic channels or nip it in the bud. Perhaps this will inspire more respect among our allies and enemies, or we may advance the inevitable. But, as we already mentioned, at a certain point in the game we will have to choose between a bad option and an even worse one . And sometimes, only by choosing the worst decision will we have a minimal chance of living long enough to see a new dawn.
In fact, beyond how addictive it is, with very intense five or ten minute games, we will have all kinds of unlockables.
- From the start, we can rule with the great personalities of Westeros, such as Cersei Lannister, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister or Sansa Stark , among others. And logically, each character has its own context and arouse different affinities and prejudices.
- In addition, fulfilling objectives will unlock new sets of cards and situations that considerably expand the gaming experience.
- And not only that: we will have the possibility of gaining special abilities. For example, we can find out if our advisor or guest is trustworthy by looking him in the eye
- Last but not least, little by little we will be unlocking a gallery of characters, new challenges and even moments of death. And beware, in Reigns: Game of Thrones there are almost 30 destinations. That is, different ways of being killed or losing the game.
In this way, the great milestone of Reigns: Game of Thrones is not its exquisitely minimalist role-playing experience, but how it makes the fan of the HBO series and novels immerse themselves with remarkable success in the universe of George RR Martin, take on the role. of the well-known protagonists of Game of Thrones and, from the Iron Throne, do whatever you want until – almost inevitably – your time comes.
More than a superb adaptation: it is one of the simplest and most addictive card video games
The exquisite playable simplicity of Reigns: Game of Thrones is not at odds with a deep devotion to the characters and central themes of the work imagined by George RR Martin. In fact, it is something that works very in their favor, promoting that the games are relatively short and especially intense . Making each starting point different and retaining throughout the game the feeling of conspiracy, unexpected twists and a subtle touch of dark fantasy.
And in the process, the game exposes us to awkward decisions in a way that is as entertaining as it is fascinating. Ultimately, the player constantly links one game to the next. Constantly encouraging you to experiment through quick and impulsive decisions. To experiment with the main characters of Game of Thrones in impossible situations.
In fact, Reigns: Game of Thrones triumphs in its way of meeting the expectations of Game of Thrones fans. Both those who were simply not happy with the resolution of the television series and those who have been reread more times than necessary the books of the Song of Ice and Fire and the novels set in their world while they wait with extra patience for the arrival of Winter Winds.
And what about those who have not seen, at least, the television series? Well, maybe that’s the Achilles heel of Reigns: Game of Thrones. The truth is that we will see the names of peoples, civilizations, cultures and characters that directly evoke the fictional universe of Game of Thrones and the work of George RR Martin. And although the game is enjoyable for all audiences, the reality is that the maximum of its attractions, as an experience, is absolutely diluted.
Despite its minimalism, Reigns: Game of Thrones is an absolutely essential game for Game of Thrones fans. In many ways, one of the simplest role-playing video games ever published thanks to its way of assembling the best of the collectible card games and the twisted plots of George RR Martin into a story that we will shape and that, little by little, it will turn more and more against us. But of course, as Cersei Lannister said, when you play Game of Thrones, you either win or you die.
