Game of Thrones: Episode Three - The Sword in the Darkness Reviews
Early excitement and newfound purpose puts Telltale's Game of Thrones back on track in Episode 3.
House Forrester is bloodied further in this episode, and Gared's story makes a fun turn into unexplored Game of Thrones territory
Telltale's journey through Westeros has hit a high point.
This episode did a great job of quickening the pace of the story while offering the player the sort of hard choices that make Telltale games such terrible fun to play.
But as a whole, the group finally has direction. Where the first two episodes took their time setting up the narrative machine, The Sword in the Darkness finally puts that machine into motion. Telltale's initial promise that each character's actions will ripple out and affect the others is coming to fruition. I only expect to see that even more with the next episode.
The Sword in the Darkness stays the course for Telltale's Game of Thrones series, though it still feels like the story is waiting around for something to finally happen
Telltale's take on Game of Thrones feels quite low-key compared to some of the goings on in the main series, but this episode begins to move away from that being a problem and starts using it to its advantage, as it shows you different sides of familiar situations. There's still a lot of filler to get through, though, and it's very dialogue heavy with little to offer in terms of unique gameplay. Hopefully, now that we're getting past the halfway point, the next episode will be much more enjoyable.
At the middle point, Game of Thrones is losing its momentum and, except for Gared and elements of Rodrik's story, hasn't shown enough progression to get people excited for what's to come.
Game of Thrones Episode 3 is certainly the most consistent entry in the series, with great action and storytelling throughout. The issues from Episode 2 still crop up though, and more concrete progress is needed to truly satisfy.
This is probably the weakest episode yet, but only because of those very minor problems in the first section of the game. Don't take that as some kind of damning criticism because this is still a very good experience.
The put-upon Forrester family keeps getting pushed, and in Episode Three you can decide whether a couple of them finally stand firm
Gared's story culminates in a wonderful sequence that, again, I cannot detail without ruining things, but rest assured this is one of the finer climaxes Telltale's done. A stylishly paced scene of conflict that should definitely satisfy some need for justice – and lord knows this story could use some justice now and then.
Game of Thrones delivers intrigue like no other game can, and the third episode will leave players yearning to find out if their choices were the right ones to make – and that's how you know Telltale Games has done a phenomenal job.
An episode where plenty goes on, but neither story nor characters are actually advanced a great deal. The Ironrath Forresters are still miserable hostages, Asher still needs an army, and Gared is still doing Nights Watch duties. A few revelations, plus Mira's dynamism, keep things from going stale.
The series is back on track with The Sword in the Darkness, which will make the wait for episode four all the more agonising/frustrating.
Now that we've made it to the halfway point of Telltale's Game of Thrones series, it's really looking like it's going to continue improving as the season wears on. Through three episodes, the developer has shown that it's more than up to the task of delivering a story worth residing in George R.R. Martin's world, and this latest episode is a shining example of where things could be heading moving forwards.
If "Episode 2" felt like "a letdown" that was setting up the next episode, "Episode 3" feels like a rush of despair and anger (in a good way) that makes the desire for retribution and justice all the more burning. Fans of the franchise know that such satisfaction is rare (and possibly non-existent), but it doesn't make the yearning for it any less fun.
The game of thrones is never an easy game to play, and while House Forrester is currently on the losing end of it, "The Sword in the Darkness" at least shows that hope may still remain for the family's safety by the season's end: even if it's only a silver lining.
While the actions of many of the characters are full of intensity this episode the debut of Daenerys Targaryen and the evolution of Gared Tuttle make this an experience any real "Game of Thrones" or Telltale fan can't afford to miss.
The third episode of Telltale's episodic Game of Thrones series marks a triumphant return to form, and makes us wish that episode four was right around the corner.