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.
It’s very true to the source material in that regard. While there's a lot of action in the game so far, verbal sparring is even more deadly and exciting than physical sparring, as it often feels like a misplaced word or trust in the wrong person will lead to the death of your characters or someone they love.
It doesn't help when the game is so reliant on pride. You, the player, will have to decide whether you want to swallow it. And after seeing all this House Forrester has endured, and is still enduring- you want to defend them. You will want revenge, and justice, especially since the enemy house (House Whitehill) is so blatantly evil. There’s no real subtlety to them- they are all on the Roose Bolton level of evil, straight to your face about their evil deeds, threatening death and worse to your family.
You will despise them perhaps even more because of it, shocked that someone can think so much of their station in life to put yours down in this way. There are sequences in this episode that you will find very, very hard to endure, as you can choose to bend the knee and give up what is rightfully yours and perhaps endure shame from the rest of your family, or stand up for yourself, and perhaps deal with repercussions immediately afterwards and in the episodes to come. As a prideful man myself, these were not easy selections. It’s especially not easy if you’re familiar what usually happens to just characters in the world of Westeros. Just ask Ned Stark how well that works out.
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.
