Player.One recently had a guided walkthrough of some advanced gameplay for Game of Thrones: Conquest , now available on Android and iOS devices. While the game certainly is pretty, and there’s plenty for Game of Thrones fans to enjoy, Game of Thrones: Conquest feels too focused on social gaming to get me excited to play.
In Game of Thrones: Conquest, players create their own house and sigil. While some gameplay is spent building up your home and farming for resources, the majority of time is spent attacking and claiming Seats of Power. These locations, ranging from massive areas like King’s Landing and Winterfell all the way down to minor locations you probably don’t even remember, are contested in real time against other players.
The key to winning is to build (or join) a strong alliance with other players. Using the in-game guild system, players pledge allegiance and team up to claim bigger and bigger Seats of Power.
Of course, because this is Game of Thrones, there’s going to be backstabbing and betrayal. The game is designed to encourage players to act as spies on other guilds, or to betray your teammates and leave them open to the enemy by switching sides in a battle. Basically, the goal is to give players the same experience as the show, but through a game.
There’s one major issue with all of this for me: when I want to play games on my phone, I want something quick and easy that doesn’t require too much thinking. The thought of having to interact with players across the world, especially players that, by design, I can’t trust, doesn’t sound very appealing to me.
Another major issue is this game feels like it will reward the people who put the most time and money into it way more than someone playing in his or her spare time every now and then. I get it from a business perspective. But from a gamer’s viewpoint, knowing that I don’t want to put in the time, effort and cash needed to be a top player, is a little discouraging. Why would I download the app at all?
I’ve been told that dumping a ton of money into Game of Thrones: Conquest doesn’t guarantee a player will become a top star. Ultimately, success will come down to politicking and forming stronger alliances. While that certainly sounds like Game of Thrones , it doesn’t really sound that fun.
If you think a Game of Thrones mobile MMO sounds like fun, I encourage you to give Game of Thrones: Conquest a try. It has beautiful artwork and has been crafted with care by big fans of the series. That said, not every game will interest every person, and this game just isn’t for me.
So what do you think? Are you interested in social mobile gaming? Do you prefer more basic mobile experiences? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
