Game of Thrones: Episode Three - The Sword in the Darkness Reviews
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.
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.
It's still impossible to recommend this series to anyone but Telltale diehards; fans of the HBO show will find it supremely unsatisfying and dreadfully boring, and it's too steeped in lore for anyone else to jump in. The Sword in the Darkness does nothing to change that, but it does push the quality bar just a hair higher, elevating itself all the way into "I guess that wasn't terrible" territory.
The flames of my attention are beginning to wane, my empathy draining, especially with the return of HBO's flagship show. The next episode will need to step it up, in terms of story and in finding a way for me to care about the Forresters again. As of now, this family is coming across as decidedly wooden, in need of a chop.
Following a disappointing Episode 2, The Sword in Darkness puts Telltale's Game of Thrones back on track and sets the stage for an intriguing second half.
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.
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.
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.