New Game of Thrones game is exactly what we need rather than another fantasy RPG

Game of Thrones fans, and by extension, the deeper lore-loving A Song of Ice and Fire readers, are more than conditioned to disappointment.

For the last three decades, the wonderful George R.R. Martin series has built anticipation higher than any entertainment medium in the world - maybe rivaled by Grand Theft Auto VI and Elder Scrolls 6 - only to let us down with missing novels or dilapidated TV show endings.

Yet a resurgence in Westeros was kicked off with the tales of Dunk and Egg via the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms series, and House of the Dragon Season 3 found some success with its perilous sacking of Tumbletown.

But as the Game of Thrones universe continues to expand into plays, short stories, and animated series, fans have long called for a fantasy RPG in the same tone as The Witcher trilogy, which is arguably the best novel-to-game adaptations ever made.

But that would be wrong.

In fact, the best option has just been revealed, as Game of Thrones: War for Westeros has resisted the temptation of launching an RPG quest and has instead favoured a real-time strategy genre, and it's the perfect choice.

A 'Game of Thrones' RPG wouldn't work

When you think of the best fantasy RPGs ever made (The Witcher, The Elder Scrolls and Skyrim specifically, and Elden Ring), they all have one consistent theme: one dominant protagonist.

Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire are famously as far from that as possible. In fact, the books have 31 unique point-of-view characters. Imagine a game where you control 31 characters who simultaneously plot against each other. That sounds like a recipe for a massive flop, overcomplicated and frankly too big to make.

Instead, you'd have to follow one character arc, and there's no doubt people would be upset whether it's Jon Snow's icy adventures, Daenerys' dragonfire-fuelled frolicking, or even Jaime Lannister's one-handed swordsmith retraining. You could never pick one focus character, and that's why Game of Thrones is so good. You love everyone.

I previously theorised that the only ASOIAF RPGs that we could ever get is that of Dunk and Egg or Aegon's Conquest, both of which are now TV series and proposed films, following linear pre-set stories. Either those, or post-credit stories like Arya's 'what's west of Westeros'.

In any case, the perfect answer has just been found. War for Westeros has forgone the RPG genre that fantasy stories chase, and has instead gone for a tactical turn-based strategy game that cares little about lore but allows you to write your own Westeros a million times over.

Image Credit:

Read More: It's about time we got a LEGO Game of Thrones game following Warner Bros. update

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros hits the nail on the head

Born out of the same genre that gifted us the Crusader Kings, Age of Mythology, and Civilization series, Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is a classic real-time strategy title that gives you complete control over who you want to conquer the Seven Kingdoms.

It strips away some of the dirty political scheming of Littlefinger and Varys, and there's none of GRRM's questionable takes on love affairs, but rather champions how each army acts in the fight to control the Iron Throne.

"Lead the armies of House Stark, House Lannister, House Targaryen, or raise an army of the dead as the Night King himself. Each faction offers deeply asymmetric strategies with signature heroes, armies, and mechanics forged from the brutal legacy of Westeros," reads the Steam description.

Much like the first drafts of Game of Thrones, mirroring the end-game for the 'War of the Five Kings', the Game of Thrones adaptation puts you in the shoes of a great house leader as you balance military prowess and loyalty-invoking morals to inspire the greatest army on this side of the Narrow Sea.

Whether you fancy trying your hand at solo campaigns through Westeros to seat any of the four leaders (Jon, Jaime, Dany, and the Night King) on the throne, or have mustered the best force to take on multiplayer skirmishes, War for Westeros just suits the tone of Game of Thrones down to a tee.

And, in a time when we're getting fantasy RPGs like they are going out of fashion, the real-time strategy gameplay is exactly the change of pace the franchise needed.

While there's a case that previous Game of Thrones games on mobile have only catered to the need for a story-driven game, I'm glad that we've resisted that temptation and created an awesome-looking RTS, penned in for next year.