Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Review (Cara)
I don't usually review games because I am antisocial like that, but this one deserved the review.
I love the world of Game of Thrones and I was really looking forward to this game, because let's face it, there are no good PC GoT games. Of course, this one failed due to money grabbing tactics.
I played the demo before early access released and thought it was pretty decent, minus the RP points, which I will touch on later. They have also changed quite a few things from the demo to EA release and not for the better...
There are even less capabilities of getting the stupid micro transaction items/currencies without paying for them (which in the demo, they made it seem as if it were viable by allowing you to collect quite a bit of the currencies in the game, but I now believe that was to hook people in and get them to buy EA).
There are quality of life type micro transactions that are pushed, as well. For example, fast travel....you can either run to a fast travel post to teleport to another fast travel post, or for micro transaction currency, you can purchase a pack that allows you to teleport from where ever on the map to a fast travel post. I mean...let's be real...that is kind of obnoxious. LOL
It is one thing for pure cosmetics. But there are so many pay to win purchase options in the shop (see below about RP points)...and I remember the devs saying at steam fest that they were trying to stay away from pay to win and micro transaction overkill.
Well, that simply isn't true and it is excessive for basically a singleplayer game and takes away from enjoying the singleplayer game when you are left to twiddle your thumbs waiting for RP points to replenish (see below) just so you can attempt to get mats with no guarantee for them to drop mind you...it is chance. And yes, I said singleplayer...because the only multiplay is when you want to do a raid boss run....
But let's talk about raid boss runs...or any boss/enemy camp on the map anywhere...
This game uses what is called RP points...that those multiplayer raid boss runs AND boss/enemy camps on the singleplayer map consume when you do them...which are also shared by all of your characters...yes, if you use all of your RP points on one character, you can't simply hop on the other to do the same runs. And like I said above, you can no longer farm these things until those RP points replenish. Which takes the whole day unless...yeah you guessed it...you can micro transaction more RP points into existence! See the frustration?
So forget getting mats for armor upgrades to play this singleplayer game...unless you have a lot of money and a lot of time.
Also, the game is a buggy mess right now, which yeah, I know it is early access...but how does the beginning area of the game that was not all that buggy during the demo become WORSE with bugs once they released to early access? I have been falling through the world and dying...getting stuck and unable to move during and after quest dialogs, and a few boss type npcs were teleporting and hitting me and I couldn't hit them back. None of that occurred in the demo with the same areas and the same quests. But early access, I guess...*shrug*
My personal opinion is, it is like Genshin Impact and Assassin's Creed came together and had a malformed, hidious baby (have you seen the graphics btw?) that you so badly wish you could love but just can't bring yourself to do it.
I will say, if maybe they would get rid of the RP for the singleplayer map bosses/enemy camps, that would help a lot. Then it wouldn't be so bad if there was just RP for the raid bosses. And I get that this game is gonna be free to play, so they gotta have some source of income, but this is excessive and so massively disappointing. I am gonna stick it out for the story, I guess, but as far as a recommendation?
My recommendation would be to pass on paying for EA and wait until it releases for free if you want a GoT game to play. And then only go into it knowing that it is a money grabbing hellscape.