Game of Thrones is a huge property, so it’s no surprise that it has received a number of video games over the years. The latest game based on HBO’s hit series is a mobile MMO strategy title called Game of Thrones: Conquest. This mobile game lets players take over the continent of Westeros piece by piece. Along the way, they’ll have to form alliances and even betray allies just like characters on the show. I got to play a little bit of the game for myself earlier this week and was impressed by what it has to offer. As someone who is normally skeptical of licensed games, it pleases me to say this title honors the source material while delivering something fresh.
In most Real Time Strategy games, you conquer territory through military might alone. In Game of Thrones: Conquest, having a strong military will only get you so far. After all, Rob Stark’s formidable army wasn’t enough to save him and his bannermen from being betrayed and slaughtered at the Red Wedding. Like the TV series, if players want to adeptly play “the game of thrones” they must forge alliances. Conversely, they must also be aware of potential dissent or betrayers among their ranks.
Instead of NPC allies, users must band together with other players from around the world. This helps keep the game dynamic. Will your ally stay true or will they stab you in the back? Sure, they may remain with you for a long while, but what if another player comes around and wins them over? After all, their ultimate goal is also winning the Iron Throne. It’s even possible some of your allies could be spies working for other players. These are the sort of situations the fictional leaders in Game of Thrones have to contend with and its thrilling to see it play out in a video game.
There are over 120 “Seats of Power” for players to conquer. Each one is set within one of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Like any good strategy game, users have to raise armies and attack others’ strongholds in order to gain more power. Seats of Power grant military and economic upgrades for players to utilize. These strongholds must be protected because they can be attacked at any time. Thankfully, you can raise a “peace shield” for whenever you aren’t playing or when you need to make upgrades. Players can also appoint their own small council and give rewards to loyal bannermen by making them wardens of a seat of power.
As I said up top, I’m not the biggest fan of strategy games like these. However, since Game of Thrones: Conquest is set in a fictional world I’m familiar with, I had an immediate connection to it. From The North, King’s Landing, Dorne, and Casterly Rock, every major Westerosi location is represented in the game. Despite its top-down angle, the lands were easily recognizable. I’m not big on mobile games either, so I was shocked by how much I genuinely wanted to continue playing. I can see fans of the show who are mobile game players getting hooked.
It should be noted that, like most free-to-play games, this title has microtransactions. I’m personally not a big fan of this model, but I can’t begrudge a company trying to maximize profits. You can unlock everything in the game on your own if you have the patience to grind or wait for materials to be built. Or, you can spend real-world cash to move things along faster. Again, this sort of stuff is standard for mobile games so I can’t harp on the inclusion of microtransactions too much.
Game of Thrones: Conquest is now available for free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and on Google Play for Android devices.
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