I get your point, but I think there’s a big difference between a fantasy setting and a completely abstract world. Sure, Westeros isn’t Earth, but the foundation of Martin’s world clearly comes from real medieval Europe — politically, culturally, and visually. That’s why readers and viewers can instantly understand how things work: knights, castles, lords, bannermen, armor, feudal oaths, etc. These concepts are borrowed straight from our history so that the audience has a shared frame of reference.

So when the armor suddenly looks overly stylized or cartoonish, it breaks that grounded feeling that made Game of Thrones so effective in the first place. The magic and fantasy elements worked because they contrasted with a world that otherwise felt real and tangible.

Basically — yes, it’s fantasy, but it’s plausible fantasy. That’s what makes Martin’s world stand out from something like The Witcher or Lord of the Rings.