Telltale’s third episode of Game of Thrones, ‘'The Sword in the Darkness’, is where the series finally hits its stride.
It’s been a little bit of a bumpy road. Perhaps it was because the series trying to cram in so much character development right from the beginning, but the first couple of episodes are full of clunky exposition, something Telltale isn’t generally known for. That’s not to say that they’re bad experiences- far from it. It’s just that getting us all up to speed on House Forrester (which is barely mentioned in the books) and its five playable characters takes some time, and the game throws a lot at you at once, often in ways that don't make a lot of narrative sense. But now that it's all out there the game is finally showing its promise, and with this third epsiode it's evident that this could be the Game of Thrones game we've always hoped for.
This episode hearkens back to the finest dramatic games Telltale has done, and is perhaps the most tense one yet. We’re still dealing with the fallout from House Forester's near-destruction after the Red Wedding, with their crippled members trying to endure an occupation by the enemy. Anyone who’s played through Telltale's Walking Dead titles knows that familiar feeling of not knowing what to decide, feeling on the verge of a heart attack because of doing the wrong thing, or, in this case, saying the wrong thing.
You've also got to deal with nearly every aspect of this world, from the leader or a house to someone taking the black up at the Wall to a handmaiden in King's Landing, and have to adjust your attitude accordingly. But here, in the third episode, all the stories start to intertwine, to show their true promise. The voice acting remains top notch, especially from the tv series actors, many of whom provide their immense talent to bring their characters back to life.
That's not even mentioning the dragons...
There’s three more episodes for Game of Thrones to show what it can do, and its true place about Telltale's astounding lineup. Can it ascent to the top? No matter what happens- Valar Morghulis.
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This episode was reviewed from a PS4 code provided by Telltale Games. It's also available for nearly every other platform under the sun of Westeros. You can find more about it here.
