As a longtime fan of Game of Thrones, I was genuinely excited to see what Kingsroad could offer. The very idea of living out my own story in Westeros, navigating political power plays, crossing swords with familiar faces, and carving out my legacy, seemed like the perfect blend of RPG and fantasy immersion. But after 20+ hours in the Early Access version of Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, it’s become clear that this game is not what I truly expected.

A Promising Start But Only on the Surface

Set during the events of the fourth season of the HBO show, Kingsroad introduces you as the bastard heir to House Tyre, a noble house created for the game. Your journey spans the icy North and beyond the Wall, with appearances from Jon Snow, Samwell Tarly, Roose Bolton, and others. The premise is rich, and there’s a respectable attempt to ground you in the politics and drama of Westeros. The tutorial is snappy, the dialogue is passable, and the initial presentation is decent, if you don’t look too closely.

The character creator is surprisingly detailed for a mobile-friendly title. You can tweak everything from facial scars to hair sheen. Inspired by Tormund and Brienne, I chose the axe-wielding Sellsword class and was impressed with the early versatility. Players can switch classes and share loot, which helps with experimentation. But once you’re past the tutorial, the cracks in this icy kingdom begin to show.

A World of Grinding, Glitches, and Grind Again

Westeros is vast and visually familiar, but not exactly alive. The Wall looks grand, and Winterfell’s courtyards are atmospheric at first glance, but hang around a bit too long, and immersion shatters. NPCs either move like jerky animatronics or stare blankly through you. Patches of terrain flicker awkwardly. Conversations feel uncanny, with lip flaps and eye animations that seem to operate on entirely separate scripts. Movement is another issue. Whether on foot or horseback, it always feels like you’re gliding over ice, even when you're clearly on dry dirt. Mount controls are imprecise, and I often found myself sliding into enemy camps or getting stuck on terrain geometry.

Combat fares no better. It starts off fine, with light/heavy attacks and dodges, but quickly becomes repetitive. Enemy models are reused constantly. Boss fights don’t feel meaningfully different from grunt encounters, just longer. While there are upgraded trees to explore, the core action doesn’t evolve in a satisfying way. There are moments of intrigue, like needing to isolate enemies from a pack, but they’re few and far between. Most of the time, I was mashing attacks and hoping my gear held up.

Assassin's Creed Lite... With a Catch

Every so often, Kingsroad does strike the right note. Platforming puzzles hidden across the map offer a break from the mindless battles. You’ll scale ruins, discover secret doors, and dig up lore-rich treasure caches. These moments feel closer to a pared-down Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, complete with a ping tool to reveal loot and enemies. Unfortunately, these highs are constantly undercut by the game's monetization systems.

Pay or Die

Let’s be honest, Kingsroad is designed to be a free-to-play, live-service game. But instead of offering cosmetic microtransactions or convenience perks, it layers its monetization deep into gameplay. Need to fast travel? Pay to skip the walk. Want to revive instantly with all your items? Pay for that, too. Progression is bottlenecked by a Momentum system (think Destiny’s gear score), which starts out manageable but quickly becomes punishing without paid boosts.

It’s not just that the grind gets heavy, it’s that nearly every system has a more convenient, more enjoyable version locked behind a paywall. The moment-to-moment gameplay begins to feel like a chore. And when you’re constantly reminded that spending money will make the game less frustrating, the magic of Westeros fades fast.

Is There Hope?

Everything isn't as horrible as it seems. The moments in the story where you assist villagers in evading a bandit attack or when children are later returned to their parents are at times incredibly emotional. Riding a dire wolf through the snow covered fields is breathtaking. I still have not explored a wide portion of the chunked off map. There is so much more to uncover such as Estate Management, advanced skills, deeper lore and artifacts.

Kingsroad, for the time being, feels like it is stuck in the middle of attempting to be a full-fledged RPG game and being bound to a financial constraint. Games such as Assassin's Creed and Destiny are heavily borrowed from, and like the rest, their rewarding depth is removed.

I wished for the best in regard to Game of Thrones: Kingsroad because it has glimmers of hope, but the excessive focus towards monetization is unforgivable. I wished to cherish the game owing to being a series fan. I hoped to immerse myself in the conflict in Westeros, to navigate through manipulation and gore, and eventually, reach unprecedented heights.

Score 5.5/10