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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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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