Game of Thrones Interview
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GB: Beyond character creation and progression, is there anything you can tell us about the game's quest structure, combat mechanics, or dialogue system?Thomas: I don't want to give too much away, but I can say that we have adopted a film-like dialogue style which offers a heightened sense of realism and really does reinforce the narrative. Of course, the effect is multiplied by the fact that the player controls two characters.
GB: In a recent preview, you are quoted as citing Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate, and Knights of the Old Republic as your main influences for crafting a story-driven RPG. Could you elaborate on that? What was it about these three titles that resonated with the team?
Thomas: (What can change the nature of a man?) For us Planescape Torment is a real jewel. It recaptures the essence of many RPG classics and offers an incredible personal adventure. The scenario is grandiose and sombre, with the player held by a sense of suspense, right to the end. That's what we're aiming to achieve: an unforgettable and mature epic adventure.
GB: A big part of the "mature" categorization of the Song of Ice & Fire books is not so much adult situations, but that the books present its world in a realistic fashion, so that moral situations fall somewhere in the hazy shades of grey. When translating that to video game format, do you focus on giving the player a strong narrative with a focus on this angle, or allow him to make his own choices and mistakes when he takes things at face value, or a combination of both?
Thomas: We've approached maturity from a variety of angles. From the outset we rejected the idea of populating screens with semi-naked women and we don't have blood being sprayed everywhere. From that point of view we've been pretty faithful to the books. In fact, the books have been our touchstone, because we really have concentrated on the narrative, the depth of characters and player choices. The latter will be faced with choices much closer to "What do you prefer ? Lose two legs or two arms ?" rather than "Which road do you want to take ? Left or right ?" The player will have choices to make, but more importantly, he will have to assume the consequences.
GB: Books as a media are given a bit more liberty than their more visual cousins, like movies or video games. Does this pose a challenge when translating books with mature and adult themes - like the Song of Ice and Fire books - to games?
Thomas: Rating constraints are part of life so we just get on with it. The game will reflect the content of the books and will therefore have a "Mature" rating from the ESRB and an "18" rating from PEGI.
GB: A Song of Ice and Fire is much more low-fantasy than most of the other fantasy settings video game enthusiasts have experienced, how does this change your approach to the time-honored tropes of fantasy RPGs, such as magic spells and monsters? What opportunities does it open?
Thomas: Not without its difficulties this one! It took us a fair bit of time to find the right approach. Of course super hero style powers with plenty of graphic FX didn't even get into the frame as there is none of that in the books. However, there are some opportunities and by extrapolating ever so slightly, we came up with what we wanted, with George's blessing. All I can say is that we don't have dragons (sorry to spoil it for some) but there is magic, of sorts.
