Game of Thrones: Episode Three - The Sword in the Darkness

 PC
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Ragequit.gr
    Mar 26, 2015
    93
    Featuring extraordinary writing and the rare ability to completely invest the player into its characters, Telltale's Game Of Thrones stands amongst and actually surpasses the famed TV series' best moments. A high watermark for interactive storytelling and one of the most emotionally resonant experiences you're bound to have with a video game this year.
  2. GameOver.gr
    May 1, 2015
    90
    The decisions we made on the previous episodes truly shine here, in an episode so well written that is the best so far.
  3. Gameplanet
    Mar 27, 2015
    90
    The Sword in the Darkness is the best of Telltale's Game of Thrones episodes yet, and sets up what will no doubt be a dramatic second half of the season.
  5. RPG Fan
    Mar 25, 2015
    88
    If the writing in this episode is any indication of what's to come, they will have another hit alongside their previous masterpieces.
  6. GamesVillage.it
    Mar 25, 2015
    86
    The Sword in the Darkness is the third and the best episode so far. Play it, enjoy it and wait for the new one.
  7. Hobby Consolas
    Mar 30, 2015
    84
    This chapter three gets us feel more identified with the Forrester, has more action and betrayals, the best chapter of the Game Of Thrones Telltale Series.
  8. Cheat Code Central
    Mar 25, 2015
    82
    The pace really picks up this time around, and has pushed me to continue the series when I was about to give it up.
  9. IGN Spain
    Apr 7, 2015
    80
    Telltale's crafting a nice, strong, interesting story, but with George R.R. Martin's work and the studio's past games, it'll take more than just that to achieve excellence.
  10. GameWatcher
    Mar 30, 2015
    80
    The story is really picking up gear and I still love how the consequences to the player’s many choices are very unpredictable, but how great it is will depend on the ultimate question: can you lose the Game of Thrones?
  11. Post Arcade (National Post)
    Mar 26, 2015
    80
    For the first time I could feel seething anger and resentment boiling just under the surface of most of our heroes, and it’s coming close to bursting through.
  12. Destructoid
    Mar 26, 2015
    80
    Where the first two episodes took their time setting up the narrative machine, The Sword in the Darkness finally puts that machine into motion. Telltale's initial promise that each character's actions will ripple out and affect the others is coming to fruition. I only expect to see that even more with the next episode.
  13. Vandal
    Mar 25, 2015
    80
    Telltale seems to be getting everything ready to make an unforgettable second half of this season, delivering at the same time a great feeling of immersion in the GoT universe.
  14. Attack of the Fanboy
    Mar 25, 2015
    80
    Game of Thrones Episode 3 is certainly the most consistent entry in the series, with great action and storytelling throughout. The issues from Episode 2 still crop up though, and more concrete progress is needed to truly satisfy.
  15. Meristation
    Mar 25, 2015
    80
    The Game of Thrones from Telltale reaches an interesting point in this first half of season, with a lot of promising directions that point to another solid interactive story.
  16. The Jimquisition
    Mar 25, 2015
    80
    The Sword in the Darkness sees Telltale’s Game of Thrones start to really hit its stride.
  17. DarkStation
    Mar 24, 2015
    80
    Game of Thrones Episode 3 continued to build on the tension of the previous entries.
  18. GameSpot
    Mar 24, 2015
    80
    Game of Thrones’ third episode succeeds in making you feel like the rest of the season is hinging on the decisions you make. It marks the narrative apex so far, the highest dramatic climax, with its barrage of tough choices in rapid succession.
  19. 4P.de
    Apr 17, 2015
    78
    Painful situations and loads of little decisions: The script manages to weave the tragic family story into the political scene of the Seven Kingdoms.
  20. IGN
    Mar 24, 2015
    77
    A lot is packed into this eventful two-hour episode of Telltale’s Game of Thrones.
  21. Merlin'in Kazanı (Turkey)
    Apr 8, 2015
    76
    Finally, the story is recovering with Episode Three: Sword in the Darkness. But, graphics and animations still look unfashionable.
  22. SpazioGames
    Apr 8, 2015
    75
    The Sword in the Darkness is a good episode thanks to uniformity among the various story lines that had been lacking in The Lost Lords and partly also in the first episode.
  23. Everyeye.it
    Apr 1, 2015
    75
    A well crafted episodes, that confirms the good character building and developing behind the scenes. As usual in Telltale's games, you have a genuine illusion of making true choices.
  24. Worth Playing
    Mar 25, 2015
    75
    Game of Thrones: Episode 3 -The Sword in the Darkness puts the series in a good spot.
  25. Softpedia
    Mar 24, 2015
    75
    It takes the overall story to some interesting new areas, but some aspects, such as the Rodrik sequences, tend to feel repetitive and uninspired.
  26. Games.cz
    Apr 7, 2015
    70
    It is said, that the third day is critical, but it certainly does not say, that the third episode is critical. At least not in the case of “Game of Thrones”, because The “Sword in the Darkness” is the most successful episode so far. After the slow start the series begins to roll and it looks the pace will keep. We hope.
  27. Game Revolution
    Mar 25, 2015
    70
    The Sword in the Darkness stays the course for Telltale's Game of Thrones series, though it still feels like the story is waiting around for something to finally happen.
  28. DarkZero
    Mar 30, 2015
    60
    The final hour of episode 3 is its strongest, where the players are able to shape the character development in some really interesting ways that lead to either a satisfying catharsis or heartbreaking submission.
  29. Gameblog.fr
    Mar 25, 2015
    60
    Maybe the least interesting episode so far. Even if it's well written, pleasant to "play" and if it proposes some cool moments, it's hard to admit that the whole story is progressing. Some situations are a bit frustrating and it feels like a transition episode, stagnating and preparing what is coming next.
  30. IncGamers
    Mar 24, 2015
    60
    An episode where plenty goes on, but neither story nor characters are actually advanced a great deal. The Ironrath Forresters are still miserable hostages, Asher still needs an army, and Gared is still doing Nights Watch duties. A few revelations, plus Mira’s dynamism, keep things from going stale.
  31. God is a Geek
    Mar 24, 2015
    50
    At the middle point, Game of Thrones is losing its momentum and, except for Gared and elements of Rodrik's story, hasn't shown enough progression to get people excited for what's to come.

Awards & Rankings

94
#94 Best PC Game of 2015

User Reviews

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User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 112
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 112
  3. Negative: 14 out of 112
  1. Robobob
    Mar 26, 2015
    4
    As a story, Game of Thrones: Sword in the Darkness is great and fits in nicely with the rest of the Game of Thrones universe. As a game, if IAs a story, Game of Thrones: Sword in the Darkness is great and fits in nicely with the rest of the Game of Thrones universe. As a game, if I can be brutally honest it's not fun to play. Why? First, most of the decisions don't mean anything and the story plays out the same. I would sometimes exit, mid story, and played the current "chapter" so I could change my decisions, but my new choices didn't matter. The ending didn't change. I guess this is needed to move the plot forward because too many radical decisions and the chapter (with the time to develop it) would double in size, or more. Secondly, every time I make a decisions, somehow it always feels like the wrong decision. And there is always a character to inform me of that. And the characters? Man, every character besides the playable ones, are complete and utter a$$h0les. Even the likeable characters from the show like Tyrion and Marjory, are not very likeable. There needs to be more fun and humor to break the constant dread and impending danger that this game bears on your shoulders. Imagine playing a game where there is no real possible way to win? The characters you like get killed and there's nothing you can do. And the choices you make always have grave consequences. Yeah... more like a chore than fun and that's how the game is beginning to feel. On a plus side, this chapter was much longer than the last one. Also there was one dreaded "choose which character lives" moment that's a hallmark of Telltale games and both characters actually survived!!! I'll have to play again to see if choosing the other character changes the story at all. But, then again I feel no real motivation to try another playthrough so see it play out again. I'll only play the remaining chapters because they are paid for in advance, but it is becoming rather... tedious.… Full Review »
  2. WestLil0
    Apr 3, 2015
    0
    Ridiculous. How can this game have a user score of 8.4 is beyond understanding.If this is not enough to steer you away from this game, thenRidiculous. How can this game have a user score of 8.4 is beyond understanding.If this is not enough to steer you away from this game, then good luck because it's very misleading.… Full Review »
  3. BrutalJones
    Apr 13, 2015
    4
    As a huge fan of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice And Fire book series and Telltale's other titles The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us,As a huge fan of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice And Fire book series and Telltale's other titles The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, I was really looking forward to this title. However, I've found myself more and more disappointed with each episode I've played. I wanted to reserve judgment until the first season was complete, but playing the game seems more like a chore that I have to force myself to complete.

    The first, and perhaps the most obvious negative, are the graphical capabilities. Telltale's games were never very impressive in the graphical department, but the Walking Dead was at least adequate, and The Wolf Among Us had some great art direction and used a bright, attractive set of colors. This game, however, fails to reach even a mediocre level. It has a similar style to The Walking Dead, but the textures are far muddier and at a lower resolution. The colors are unattractive; the artists seemed to rely on only a mixture of earth tones. It's not inspired artistically, and it's inadequate technically. Perhaps the artists felt too constrained by being forced to live up to the style of the HBO series. Whatever the reason, the game looks very poor, and it strongly affects the experience in a way that I didn't expect it to.

    This leads me into the bigger problem with the series: Everything in the game seems grating and unpleasant. I play video games for entertainment and escapism, and playing this game is simply not an enjoyable experience. The beauty of the A Song Of Ice And Fire book series is that things feels authentic despite it being set in a fantastical world. It feels real, it feels believable, which is an incredible accomplishment when you're reading about people living through decade-long winters and dragons. This is because in the novels some terrible things happen to some good people, and they good guys don't always win, but some very good things happen to them as well and they do occassionally triumph. The fact that so many bad things happen sets up the good moments as exceptionally triumphant. It makes you want to pump your fist when a character you root for stumbles upon good fortune. It makes the good things that much more special.

    The problem with this game is that so far, throughout the three episodes of this series, only torturously terrible things have happened. There has not been a single moment of triumph. It actually damages any feeling of suspense or tension the designers are trying for, because I've so far been taught by the game that no matter what decisions I make, something awful is sure to happen because of them. Im fact, I'm not even positive that you can avoid any of the terrible occurences from taking place, as I've replayed some sections and made different choices and had nothing change. The same people still die, the same people get angry with me.

    About halfway through the third episode I found myself deliberately making the most aggressive choices possible despite their likelihood of leading to poor situations for the characters, and when I stopped to consider why, I realized that the game had trained my thought process to expect the worst, and thus attempt to get it over as quickly as possible. This is a very bad thing for a game, and playing through these episodes feels utterly masochistic. Literally nothing good has happened to any of these characters through three episodes. They die, they become grievously wounded, they're insulted constantly, etc. It's all absolutely punishing with zero payoff, and my desire to continue playing wanes with each chapter Telltale releases.

    In conclusion: What makes A Song Of Ice And Fire so enjoyable despite its bleakness are the monumental triumphs of characters you've grown to love in the face of so much violence and despair. The writers of this game series simply do not seem to understand this, and as a result playing this game is an incredibly unpleasant experience. Everything about it is unremarkable at best, and ugly and unattractive at worst, from its graphics, to its characters, to its plot.    … Full Review »
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