Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows on Apple Arcade is a chill strategy game

I do not think there is anyone who would call Game of Thrones – whether we’re talking about the books or the TV show – a relaxing experience. It is exciting and uncomfortable, with many moments to make you wonder. But the latest video game spinoff, called an Apple Arcade exclusive Tale of Crows, has a much different vibe. It gives you one of the most difficult jobs in all of Westeros, leading you to Night’s Watch, a gigantic wall store in a dark, depressing and dangerous region. Yet, despite this premise, the game has a chill vibe. It’s the kind of thing you can pick up in a few minutes just to clear your brain.

Tale of Crows is what is known as an empty game, which is a genre where most things happen when you are not really playing. It’s kind of like a more complex Tamagotchi. Here’s the idea that you’re playing as the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch – you start as the highest commander and eventually take on the role of next leader over time – who makes important decisions and then waits to see the results. You send rangers on expeditions to explore, dealing at home with dilemmas and field requests from various kingdoms.

It plays out a bit like a text adventure. The game has three main screens, each with a different feature. There is a map where you can send search engines about various tasks. That could mean picking up a wild rise or exploring strange sounds in a forest. You and the explorers will send ravens back and forth; every time they reach a critical crossroads – say, an incomprehensible snowstorm or a mysterious object – you have to give them orders. There is also a screen that shows the nearby areas around the walls and another that serves as your home base. Here you are constantly bombarded with questions and demands, and treat everything from food shortages to magic-induced madness.

All of these decisions take time. If you send a raven to one of the ranger parties, there is nothing you can do but wait for a response. The game does not really tell you how long it will take, but you can track its progress from the map screen. The past few days I have been checking with Tale of Crows every hour or so, and there’s always something for me to do. It’s a pretty slow burn. While the gameplay is simple, the story unfolds at a constant pace as you learn more about your brothers and allies, as well as the many mysteries surrounding the walls. As an added bonus you don’t even have to know much about it Game of Thrones enjoy it. Tale of Crows stands on its own pretty well.

Even though most of the game comes down to text and menus, Tale of Crows is incredibly strikingly visual. It’s a whole new way of looking at Westeros. Each area is displayed as a kind of low-poly diorama. It takes places you’ve probably seen many times before – whether it’s in creamy HBO production or in your imagination when reading the books – and turns them into beautiful little digital images. It’s fun to just move them with your finger on the touchscreen.

Tale of Crows is not the kind of game that will absorb you for hours at a time. You can not binge it. But it occupied a nice space; it’s a few minutes at a time as a distraction, but it’s also something to think about at vain moments of the day. And like Reigns: Game of Thrones, it’s an unexpected but fascinating way to explore the world of Game of Thrones. It’s probably the only time that transferring to White Walkers will be calming.

Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows is now available to Apple Arcade subscribers.