Game of Thrones: Episode Three - The Sword in the Darkness Reviews
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.
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
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.
Telltale's journey through Westeros has hit a high point.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Despite the lack of choices, Game of Thrones: Episode 3 is probably the best episode of the bunch. It gives its main characters more purpose, tightens the overarching plot, and moves at a much faster pace than the last two episodes. Thanks to many truly impassioned moments, Episode 3 will leave you full of anxiety and wanting to jump right into the next episode. If you have enjoyed the first two episodes, you should definitely pick up Game of Thrones: Episode 3 – The Sword in the Darkness.
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.
The put-upon Forrester family keeps getting pushed, and in Episode Three you can decide whether a couple of them finally stand firm
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.
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.
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.
We're now officially halfway through Telltale's trip through Westeros, and the twists and turns show no signs of stopping.