Game of Thrones: Episode Three - The Sword in the Darkness Reviews
The Sword in the Darkness truly lives up to the first episode after the exposition-filled second and goes to show fans of the Song of Ice and Fire universe that this story is truly worth a place alongside the canon of the series. Now exactly halfway through the season, there's a ton of promise and a lot of foreboding for the remainder of the series. So far the Foresters are getting knocked down and kicked harder and harder and harder… which, much like the Starks, will make it all that much sweeter when they finally have their revenge.
[This episode] was my least favourite in the series so far. I assume it will become a very important part of the narrative, but its highlights are few enough and far enough in between with the promise of more to come that it comes away somewhat less than its predecessors.
At this midway point, Game of Thrones is showing much promise, enough to invest in a season pass if you're any kind of fan. It's been a steady drip-feed so far but The Sword in the Darkness feels like a dam ready to burst and with three more episodes to come there's plenty of room for it to flow.
After two episodes of build-up, we finally get some narrative progression in Episode 3. Choices are starting to matter, the dangers becoming more immediate, and the decisions harder to make. Along with effective use of the TV show's soundtrack at key points, it makes the The Sword In the Darkness the best episode yet, and a fine half-way mark for Telltale's series.
Telltale can and has done great things for the Game of Thrones fiction. But scope is what propelled this fictional world into the cultural phenomenon it it is today. If the games hope to be considered worthy additions to the phenomenon, they'll need to take advantage of that vast world, and all its opportunities for original storytelling. While also remembering that we'd like to see a bit more than the bottom of a Whitehill's shoe.
With 'A Sword in the Darkness,' 'Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series' is making great progress. Blasphemous though it may be, I'm beginning to like the series even more than their 'Walking Dead' project, and that is also an excellent franchise. Like any great episodic game, high quality episodes make me wait for the next one even more impatiently.
Following the somewhat tension free episode two and the fact that all my choices were ignored from the first episode, I went into The Sword in the Darkness short of optimism. Thankfully my faith has been restored as episode three is showing clear signs that Telltale Games have reclaimed their mojo and their coming for the Iron Throne.
Sword in the Darkness is a step in the right direction for the series. Sharp, unhurried yet eventful, the disastrous consequences of small decisions means that every conversation is conducted with the utmost care.