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Game of Thrones: The Sword In The Darkness Review – Drag-on

Telltale's Game of Thrones has had me enthralled in its clutches since the firs episode hit in December. The developer has carved out an interesting story into George R.R. Martin's mythos that has walked the tightrope of having House Forrester interact with existing characters while also telling its own contained story. Its actually pretty stunning to watch how gracefully Telltale has crafted this narrative in the world of Westeros.

One issue I had had with the narrative up until this point though was that it felt like the writers were treading water. There's been a lot of piece moving to get the characters into a position to pull the trigger and get things progressing. That was fine for the first two episodes because, due to the six episode structure, it meant they were essentially an Act One. Now with the latest episode, The Sword In The Darkness, in the can and the season reaching the half way point, it's time to kick on right? Well, maybe not.

That's not to say what's on screen here isn't great though. This episode, the swift movement of the story really helps to reiterate these character's situations. House Forrester has hit rock bottom since the first episode, and every member, whether they be in King's Landing, The North or Meereen has their own difficulty. Each of the characters you are taking control of is in danger in a whole host of ways. Rodrik Forrester is facing a war with a superior enemy. Asher Forrester is out quite literally wrangling Dragons. Gared has to deal with a decision that could mean death at Castle Black and Mira Forrester is playing with fire in the politics of Kings Landing in a very tangible way.

Mira incidentally remains the most interesting character you are charged with taking control of. The location of Kings Landing has continued to be a perfect match to Telltale's choice system. You are often forced into tough situations, unwittingly making alliances and putting yourself in unwinnable circumstances. Do you swear fealty to the Queen or Margery? The crown or your charge? Mira is the character who has the most complicated social maneuvering and it's always great to revisit her.

Asher is also quickly becoming the most likable of the lot as his charming, roguish nature is a lot of fun to play. Even the weak link in previous episodes, Garet, is beginning to feel more relevant to the story as he's finally given his overarching mission for the season.

Rodrik is the weakest this episode however as he is forced to endure another 'bad' Whitehill overlord. The character is an effective villain, but we already had that with the head of the Whitehill house. At this point, it feels like retreading a worn path. There's an interesting seed laid out in this episode that will no doubt come to fruition down the line, but at this point that partially feels like the overarching problem with the season so far.

We sit at the half point of the entire run and it feels we are still working on promises of revenge to come. All the characters are talking about future confrontations between House Forrester and House Whitehill that, frankly, feels like it should have come to pass or at least be closer to happening by now. The protagonists currently continue to be punching bags for everyone. We're unceasingly encouraged to bite our tongue until the time is right, but at this point, we are three episodes in. The time should have been right by now.

While I can't knock what Telltale are doing as a whole, I just wish there had been opportunity to go on the offensive once or twice. Stories are a series of highs and low peaks that create dramatic tension. As of right now it feels like we hit bottom in the first episode and have continued at that plateau.

I want to reiterate, I am endlessly impressed with how Telltale are handling this license. These episodes have done an increidble job of feeling important to the world while not getting in the way of the happenings of the books or show. What Telltale is doing is no easy task and they deserve kudos. The Sword In The Darkness is a very strong entry into this season and Telltale continue to do great work with this complex license. They also have a cast of characters that are in challenging predicaments that are perfectly suited to Telltale's mechanics. This latest episode contains some of the strongest moments of the series so far, but, and it's a big but, we are still waiting on that all important gunshot.

In the end, this episode is just a stepping stone to the final destination, so if played in one big chunk, this episode might feel fine. At this point though, it feels like a stall for the series that has been promising action from these characters that just hasn't come to pass yet. Telltale have laid all of the ground work for these characters now. It's really just up to them to do something with them now.

Telltale have double-layered the groundwork, it's time for them to build on it.

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