The Game Of Thrones RPG Nobody Remembers Is Actually Kind Of Awesome

Game of Thrones will continue on for the foreseeable future. Even if George R.R. Martin never finishes The Winds of Winter and beyond, rightsholders will keep telling stories in the world, through prequels, spinoffs, and even invented narratives. Now that the core TV show is done, there are plenty of other tales to tell.

Some of those tales are lost to time. While the Game of Thrones TV show was mostly gaining momentum in the mid to late 2010s, the source material, A Song of Ice & Fire, has been around since 1996. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the original book eventually kicked off a huge empire, and there are a lot of pieces that have been scattered to the wind.

In case you missed it, over a decade ago, a Game of Thrones RPG came out and basically was erased from history shortly after. Given that it's still up on Steam, it's worth revisiting.

Developed by Cyanide Studios in 2012, the Game of Thrones RPG, simply titled Game of Thrones, was published by Atlus in the US, and Focus Home Interactive in Europe. It's a completely forgotten game given that it came out after the release of the original TV series, right as it was gaining steam.

The premise makes it even more intriguing: "Experience an amazing adventure in one of the most complete and fascinating universes in medieval-fantasy literature. Game of Thrones is a great Role Playing Game that puts you at the core of a thrilling plot, where your fate will be guided by vengeance, allegiance and honor. Play as two very different heroes across the two main quests leading you to the heart of mythical locations from Westeros. Amidst a background of conspiracy and betrayal, try to survive the orchestrated machinations around the Iron Throne."

Incredibly, 14 years after its original release, its reviews are "mostly positive." Fans love the original story, calling it true to form for the series, especially given the up and down quality of Game of Thrones as a whole, with the hindsight of the TV series finale. As one fan writes: "Everything you could expect from Cyanide, mature, grim and dirty plot, no black and white characters, bit stiff gameplay, simple, repetitive combat system, on higher difficulty might be demanding. Everything set during events from the first GoT season, so expect to see some familiar faces."

Another review warns prospective players of some bugs, but also sings the praises of the story: "If you go in expecting a hidden gem, you'll leave mildly disappointed. If you go in expecting a slightly broken curiosity with a decent narrative backbone, you might have an okay time."

If you're interested, the core game features the two storylines that take roughly 25 hours to complete, but there is more. A "Beyond the Wall" DLC is available that is set 10 years prior to the events of the game, and whisks the player away to Wildling territory. There are also a weapons pack and a dog pack, which provide gear and cosmetics, respectively.

For hardcore Game of Thrones fans, it's great that there's plenty of supplemental material out there, whether it was made by George R.R. Martin or not.