Game of Thrones failures that players can fix in War for Westeros

One of the most fascinating parts of the Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is its promise of fictional revisionism. Even in War for Westeros reveal trailer, which shows Jon Snow transforming into a White Walker at the Battle of Winterfell, there's a clear focus on narrative flexibility as much as epic gameplay.

Too many Game of Thrones fans, the chance to do some rewriting is probably enticing. In fact, the once-beloved HBO fantasy epic suffered a major fall from grace in its final season, which was controversial from top to bottom. Even the seventh season of the show, which isn't as bad, has a lot of not-so-wonderful quirks, which are exactly the kind that Game of Thrones: War for Westeros could remedy through the recreation of certain key conflicts.

Major spoilers ahead too Game of Thrones Season 7 and 8.

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Game of Thrones: War for Westeros already feels way too much like Walking Dead: Destinies

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is being compared to The Walking Dead: Destinies, and those parallels aren't exactly reassuring.

Battle of Winterfell

This is the same battle depicted in War for Westeros reveal, and while it's an overall win for the good guys, it's not much of a win narratively. This showdown takes place in the eighth and final season of Game of Thronesand is essentially what the whole series has been leading up to. Virtually every major character, except those the show rendered irrelevant, like Cersei Lannister, is in this final battle against the Night King, fighting this ever-encroaching, corporeal manifestation of death.

Not only could War of Westeros allow players to “rescue” characters like Theon Greyjoy and Jorah Mormont, it could also address perhaps the episode's biggest narrative question: the death of the Night's King. Arya Stark is a great character, and she has a lot of great moments, but her killing of the Night King is incredibly underwhelming because her story has nothing to do with Him or the Walkers. Arya literally has a list of characters she wants to kill, and the Night's King isn't on it—he's just not on her radar that way. It would have been much more satisfying if Jon or Bran, the two characters with the biggest investment in the White Walker plot, killed the Night King, rather than being generally ineffective during the Battle of Winterfell.

The battle beyond the wall

The whole premise of this battle is pretty ridiculous: Jon, Daenary, and Daenary's dragon Viserion lead a modest group beyond the Wall in an attempt to capture a zombie, bring it to King's Landing, and show it to Cersei to sway her to their cause. The absurdity of this plan makes the massive casualties of the battle, including Viserion, all the more frustrating. Assuming War for Westeros keeps this controversial Game of Thrones battle, it can soften the blow a bit by letting the players emerge victorious.

This can be particularly interesting in this context War for Westeros' teased narrative forking. If players win this battle as the Targaryen/Stark team, then maybe the White Walkers will miss the converted dragon in future battles.

The train battle

Also takes place in Game of Thrones' The seventh season is what the fan community refers to as Loot Train Battle. After plundering Highgarden for its food and money, Jamie Lannister leads a peasant army back to King's Landing when he becomes possessed by Daenarys and her company of Dothraki. The Lannister force had no chance: the combination of Dany's dragon and the fearsome Dothraki led to a one-sided carnage. Because Targaryen and Lannister are two of the factions players can control War for Westerosit seems a likely inclusion.

Apart from what this might mean War for Westeros' multiplayer, it can also strengthen the game's replay value, allowing players to experience this battle from both sides ala Command and Conquer. War for Westeros could show if it's possible for the Lannister army to win against a dragon and the Dothraki, which is the stuff geek dreams are made of.