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Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Review: White Walkers, Bright Graphics, Dark Costs

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Review of Game of Thrones: Kingsroad (Netmarble’s Open-world RPG)

In this review, we delve into the intricacies of a recently released game, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, developed by Netmarble. This open-world role-playing game was first announced back in November 2022 and finally launched in May 2025. The game offers an expansive map of Westeros, brimming with tension and adventure, making it a captivating experience for players. Let’s explore the corners of this game and share my personal insights on it.

In writing this critique, I experienced the game on my Google Pixel 5 device, equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. This phone boasts 8 gigabytes of RAM, allowing it to manage new tasks effortlessly without heating up excessively. Despite the game, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad running at approximately thirty frames per second, I was still able to gather all the necessary details for this review.

Explore the vastness of Westeros with three unique character classes

In Game of Thrones, the expansive map in Kingsroad is captivating. Once immersed, you commence at Castle Black on a mission. However, news of your father’s sickness compels you to return home. Unfortunately, this means assuming a role you’ve always tried to avoid: leadership.

Once you’ve chosen your character, you’ll embark on both main quests (the story missions) and secondary quests (side missions) will become available quite often. As the narrative unfolds, various events may occur, providing opportunities for you to acquire rewards that could potentially aid in crafting certain items.

The journey commences following a few initial short assignments, swiftly leading you to the skills and attributes segment. As you unveil these possibilities, additional capabilities become available to you, enhancing your offensive, defensive, and supportive systems simultaneously. I discovered that the Knight class advances at a quicker pace than the other two options.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed an interesting pattern: Investing equal time in each character seems to stretch my Knight character’s journey. It leaves me wondering if this is a common experience among players. For now, let’s set that aside and delve into the game itself. In Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, there are some appealing perks, one of which is the auto-travel feature on horseback. This transformation turns the game into a captivating cinematic experience for a brief moment, showcasing the breathtaking landscapes of Westeros as I gallop through its verdant expanse.

In addition, the game offers quick travel, encounters with bandit outposts, wild animals, and legendary creatures, ensuring that you’ll never run out of things to do. Oh, and let me not forget – you can swap characters within the game, but each character will maintain their own progress independently. This is a wonderful feature because it allows you to experience various playstyles.

Traverse into some of the series’ iconic locations in an original setting

I prefer games with vibrant and lively environments over those with dreary and dim weather. I enjoy gameplay that’s easy to see, with vivid effects that are both visible and impactful. The sounds in these games should be intense, matching the level of action they portray.

In this location, Kingsroad stands out significantly. This world is meticulously crafted, mirroring Westeros almost perfectly. As I previously mentioned, the map is expansive, larger than what you might anticipate from a mobile game. However, it also has a PC version, which explains why the map is so vast.

The game showcases snow-peaked Winterfell reaching up to the towering heights of King’s Landing, as well as the prosperous fields of Highgarden. Some critics have noted that the game is impressively polished at an early stage, but they found inconsistencies when it comes to creating other locations, such as Castle Black.

Indeed, during your exploration, you might observe, but let me ask: Who ensures that a small grass field is depicted accurately in a display smaller than seven inches? If you’re voicing concerns after using a tablet, does this sound like it’s about mobile devices? I prefer to pose the question and avoid sparking a debate here.

Heavy grinding leaves little time to explore in King’s Landing

Despite the game being labeled as open-world, if you’re aiming for the missions, the world may feel increasingly confined due to the extensive mission structure and intricate progression system in place. This setup demands a significant amount of grinding, leaving minimal room for you to freely explore. Instead, your attention will primarily be directed towards managing your character’s armor and weapon upgrades, leveling up skills, unlocking new traits, and upgrading them.

In a free-to-play game, the tasks for each activity may require significant resources, leaving limited room for maneuver. You might find that even with advanced skills and new moves, the character’s actions will seem familiar or repetitive. The main difference you’ll notice is perhaps in the execution of ultimate takedowns. A piece of advice: prioritize unlocking the parry early to make your fights more fluid.

You can be a Bastard, but you will still need a high-end device to enter Westeros

On two outdated devices, I gave the game a go. They manage games fairly well despite their age. Unfortunately, the game on my 9th generation iPad was virtually unplayable due to constant crashes ever since I first attempted to enter and play. To this day, the issue remains unsolved.

Despite the fact that the game has consistently addressed concerns and provided regular updates to solve problems, I’m not alone in encountering this specific issue. My ancient dinosaur phone usually manages the game well, but the Bionic chip seems to have malfunctioned, causing it to only load the character selection screen so far.

To reach a reasonable audience, a game needs to be compatible with various devices. While it can be challenging due to size and features constraints, the majority of consumers use mid-range devices. If a game targets a different audience, it suggests that the primary goal is to attract only those willing to spend a little.

The Iron Bank makes your chances of survival slimmer against the White Walkers

Although the game excels in nearly all aspects of its rating categories, the most significant challenge lies within its own name. The persistent and unyielding notifications from the game to upgrade to a premium version can be amusing, yet undeniably annoying.

In many games, the difference between Free-to-Play (F2P) and Pay-to-Win (P2W) is quite noticeable, especially when one can’t fully enjoy it unless they pay. However, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad takes this concept to an extreme by making it nearly impossible to progress without continually spending money. What’s more frustrating is that the costs never decrease but rather escalate over time.

Kingsroad, called the Iron Bank Mark, functions like an exclusive club that requires real money to access.

To utilize the Iron Bank Mark for exchanging and obtaining other currencies and tokens, be prepared to spend some money, but it’s not always necessary. I personally won’t recommend spending, as I’m here mainly for fun, rather than getting deeply involved. However, this doesn’t mean I’m not a fan of Game of Thrones; in fact, I watched an entire season during a study break before the next one.

Final Verdict

When deciding whether to favor nostalgia or transform it into a profit-driven video game, it’s challenging to maintain a firm and consistent stance. Instead, I lean towards the gaming community – the crowd that consistently shatters records and sets new benchmarks.

As a devoted fan, I’m not swept away by my emotions, and the game’s dazzling visuals and features don’t sway me. I believe a more thoughtful monetization strategy could have been implemented. It’s no surprise that this game has been eagerly anticipated: it seems to flawlessly embody George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, thus far.

The decision to monetize was made quickly, similar to how changes were made to the original story, but it shouldn’t be labeled as “hasty decisions lead to game burial.” Instead, I think the game has potential, so why am I doubting its success if there’s no actual issue?

Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Review by GamingonPhone

Gameplay Mechanics – 8
Storyline – 9
Graphics and Music – 7
Controls and UI – 6
Free-to-Play Elements – 5

7

Average

In the realm of Westeros, I found myself immersed in Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, a colossal open-world adventure that mirrors George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. It delivers an intriguing original narrative, coupled with intense role-playing game mechanics that keep me on the edge of my seat. The graphics are fairly impressive, but what truly captivates me is the deep character development system.

However, the monetization strategy leaves a bitter taste in my mouth – it’s not easy on the wallet, to say the least.

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2025-07-24 03:12

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