Game of Thrones Episode 3: The Sword in the Darkness Review

In the opening moments of The Sword in the Darkness, the third episode in Telltale’s six-part Game of Thrones series, Malcolm Branfield grimly eyes a rockslide blocking the only escape route for his traveling companions Asher Forrester and Beskha, and says “One wrong move and the whole thing could collapse on us.” That line amplifies the feeling of hopelessness for the scene, but more accurately sums up the state of the Forresters in this episode. All across Westeros, situations turn from bad to worse for the family, and the noose tightens around their necks. Nothing I said or did brought reprieve for any of them, just more despair.

It hasn’t been a fun ride for the Forresters up until this point. They’ve lost loved ones, had enemies invade their homes, and are on the brink of losing their ironwood business. Any attempts at righting the wrongs or defending themselves have failed and put other family members and people in the kingdom in danger. This episode carries the bad omen that we may be looking at the last days of this family.

The Forresters’ sad state of being bleeds into excitement for the player, and is often the subject of teeth-clenching decision making. You frequently make choices knowing that they could lead to a sword sliding across Rodrik’s throat, or Mira being taken away to the dungeon. Almost every choice Rodrik makes in this episode carries significant weight, and it's all wonderfully captivating.

The episode is at its best when the focus is on the Forresters, but falls apart whenever a familiar plot point from the HBO show is interjected. The biggest misstep is the handling of King Joffrey’s wedding; the events of this joyous day are important to Mira’s development, but we don’t get to see the wedding unfold firsthand. Through a flimsy plot point that feels like it was cobbled together as a reason to either not show the wedding or to explain why Mira wasn’t a part of it in the HBO show, she instead stands just outside the festivities, close enough to hear what happens – an awkward way to incorporate such a pivotal sequence. Mira’s story gets on track again afterwards, but seeing her story make weird leaps to maneuver around the show is disheartening.

Gared’s thread (which nearly grounded to a halt in the previous episode) finds new life, offering a tease of world-building that could give Game of Thrones fans something they won’t learn in the show or books. His story is starting to have a fun adventure vibe to it, almost like an Indiana Jones movie. We learn that his destiny lies far beyond the wall in wildling territory. The problem for him: He just swore his allegiance to the Night’s Watch. To help the Forrester family, he’ll likely have to betray his oath and his brothers at the Wall. The decisions tied to doing what's best for the Forresters or the Night's Watch are already tough to make, and he still hasn't left the Wall.

Asher doesn’t get much screen time in this episode, and is used mostly to set up cameo appearances of famed faces from the show. He's part of a crazy battle, and once again proves to be a fun character, even if he conforms to the familiar scoundrel archetype. Gryff Whitehill, who we get to see plenty of as he makes Rodrik’s life as uncomfortable as he can, is also a finely penned character. However, he comes across more like a J.K. Rowling villain along the lines of Malfoy than an unpredictable George R. R. Martin foe.

This episode mostly consists of conversations, but moves along at a nice pace, thanks in large to the tough choices tied to most of the conflicts at hand. Given that I often chose to poke the hornet’s nest (repeatedly in one sequence), I leave this episode unconvinced my characters will survive another day. With three episodes remaining, Telltale’s scribes have a tall challenge in front of them, as it feels like the end is seconds away from unfurling.