Following up an episode like the one Telltale led off with in the season premiere of Game of Thrones is no easy task — as evident by what was a fairly lackluster second episode. It’s not that Episode 2: The Lost Lords was bad, it just wasn’t as eventful. As the second of six episodes, Telltale seemingly used this episode as more of an expository for House Forrester. Two new playable characters were introduced in the episode, and the storylines from the last episode were expanded upon, giving us a look at how characters were coping with the situations they were dealt.
Episode 2: The Lost Lords actually kicks off with a bang, introducing us to Asher Forrester, a seemingly cocky, swashbuckling sellsword. He seems like an interesting enough character, forced to leave his home due to a disagreement stemming from love. I found Asher’s portion of the story to be the most interesting part of the episode, and not only because it was one of the few portions to contain some action. Asher has been exiled in Yunkai which, as fans of the show and novels realize, is Daenerys Targaryen’s current stop in her march to reclaim the Iron Throne. The environment provides a nice change of scenery from the dullish browns and grays of the North. And the banter between Asher and his sidekick, Beskha, are entertaining.
From there though, the episode kind of drags as we’re reintroduced to the characters from Episode 1.
Gared Tuttle arrives at Night’s Watch where he quickly finds himself to be an outcast among a group of bandits, criminals, and misfits. Gared may have ultimately had the same fate as the others in Night’s Watch, but it’s clear he’s different than them. It’s a story that too closely resembles that of Jon Snow’s which would be fine if I hadn’t already watched the show. Why would I want to replay the same thing? Tuttle’s portion of the game mostly involves dealing with two other fellow recruits and has a brief quick-time event in the form of combat training. The bright spot of his story is the arrival of Jon Snow, but even that does little to pick up the pace.
Meanwhile, over in Ironrath, which is currently occupied by Whitehill soldiers, we’re introduced to another new character, Rodrik. Rodrik, though dead after the early moments of Episode 1, is brought back to Ironrath and is quickly assumes the role of Lord of the House. Of course, being crippled from the events at the Red Wedding make his life pretty difficult. Most of Rodrik’s portion of the game is seeing how the Forrester family copes with their losses. While there are some intense moments of his story, especially towards the middle, his portion is mostly straightforward. I was also disappointed to learn that my original choice of who to appoint as Ethan’s chief advisor mattered little. The two continuously bickered back and forth anyway.
And of course, the last character you’ll play as in Episode 2 is Mira Forrester, currently residing in the capital city of King’s Landing where she serves as Lady Margaery’s handmaiden. Mira continues to carefully balance her relationship with Margaery as her mother continues to send requests to help save House Forrester. Episode 2 doesn’t contain a situation as intense as the first episode’s encounter with Cersei Lannister in the throne room, but there is one part where we’re forced to make a decision that could betray the trust of Margaery Tyrell. I didn’t, so it’s hard to say how much of an impact doing so would have had on the story. For what it’s worth, in past Telltale Games, even what seems like the biggest decisions do little to actually impact the story overall. Her story does leave us with the biggest cliffhanger, but not nearly as emotionally draining as Ethan’s.
Episode 2: The Lost Lords does exactly what it needed to do. Progress the story and introduce new likable characters. But the episode was too straightforward for my liking; it failed to keep me on the edge of my seat like the show does on a continuous basis. The death was there. I’m starting to suspect we won’t see boobs (and that’s totally fine). But the conniving, plot-twisting deceitfulness of characters is sorely missing in this episode. It was too predictable. This is Game of Thrones; I should hate everybody.
