Game of Thrones: Season 1 Episode 3 - The Sword in the Darkness

This may be telltale’s weakest work since the developer became the darling of the games industry with the first season of the Walking Dead, although it’s testament to how solid the output has been during that time that it’s still a perfectly serviceable two-hour slice of prickly politicking.

The issue is that this third episode feels formulaic to its detriment, and the cracks are beginning to show. those memorable choices that you’ve made up to this point? turns out they probably didn’t alter much at all. and the biggies this time around don’t feel so momentous due to a lack of emotional investment in those affected, with things beginning to suffer due to the multiple protagonist structure.

Half of the storylines just aren’t gripping at the moment, with only Gared tuttle and rodrik Forrester providing any real interest. it’s the latter who’s at the centre of most of the drama here, and deciding on an approach to deal with the odious Whitehill clan well written as a bunch of absolute rotters is what’s doing most of the heavy lifting. Facing off against a targaryen dragon as asher should be a series highlight, but somehow it’s as predictable as that increasingly dated control scheme.

Given telltale’s brilliance there’s no doubt thrones will pick up again once the four plotlines intertwine, and there’s some enjoyment in being witness to big moments from the tV show, but right now we’re in a mid-season lull that needs more than melancholic Jon Snow monologues to lift us out of the gloom.