See Westeros’ past in this free tactical game
Game of Thrones Beyond the Wall™ is a free turn-based grid strategy role-playing mobile video game that explores more of the world of hit TV series Game of Thrones. Developed by Behaviour Interactive Inc., this epic fantasy game is set 48 years before the start of the show’s story. It features the mystery of a missing Night Watch commander and the dangers lurking beyond the dreaded Wall.
Journey back to the past
Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series that is the adaptation of the popular novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. Set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the continent of Essos, the story chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among the realm’s noble families for the Iron Throne, while other families fight for independence from it. The whole plot is wrought with political and war drama, and features a large cast of dynamic characters.
In Game of Thrones Beyond the Wall, the plot is a prequel loosely tied to both the canons of the novel and the show. The Night’s Watch, a sworn brotherhood of men dedicated to guarding the Wall, has suddenly lost its leader. Lord Commander Brynden Rivers, known as the “Bloodraven,” has disappeared while ranging beyond the Wall. Now you must take up his mantle and command the Night’s Watch while trying to solve the mystery of his disappearance.
Lots of content but little meaning
The game features the classic hero collection system in mobile games. By summoning playable characters or their character shards, you can amass a capable roster of battle units that you can train to use in combat, similar to how RPGs work. Since the game’s story is set in the past, most of the collectible units are brand-new original characters. However, you can still get fan-favorite canon characters like Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Jaime Lannister through Legendary Events. Unfortunately, there are no voiceovers here, even in cutscenes.
Using the various modes available, you must recruit members for the Watch, strengthen the Wall to gain more passive stats for combat, send out expedition teams for loot and materials, and explore the environment to unlock the mysteries. This game features a grid-based strategy system where you choose one Hero and three other characters as your party. You can move to the surrounding tiles and attack enemies—your characters having their own special skills. Unlike other titles, units here use counterattacks when it’s the enemy’s turn.
You can tackle daily quests, challenges, the Hero Arena, expeditions where you wait for teams to come back, flash events, and the Weirwood Forays. There’s a wide range of content available as you level up. However, the turn-based combat is quite simple—and when you have auto-deploy, auto-battle, and fast-forward speed enabled, there’s not much else to do for strategy. The summonings and special skills don’t have any animations for them and everything feels and sounds muted.
Recommended only for fans
Game of Thrones Beyond the Wall feels like a gacha game just wearing a Game of Thrones skin. There’s not much challenge in combat and it can be hard to feel invested in characters you’ve never met from the original material. The lack of voice-acting and sound effects also make the game seem incomplete.
