Living in a fantasy world ought to be a lot of fun. Demons to kill, lovers to save, magic to wield, kingdoms to explore. Ought to be. In Westeros, survival is the only aim, ideally without fucking or killing a family member in the process. Easier said than done, apparently.

The geographically spread members of the Forrester’s of Ironwood have so far avoided the above temptations, but are finding their general survival a greater struggle. Whitehill troops garrison the Ironwood, while Mira struggles in the political quagmire of King’s Landing, and Asher seeks his return from the East. Each playable character makes their own, quick decisions, with a slight awareness of how it may affect the others.

As has become clear, these decisions really do alter the fortunes of other family members. A decision by Mira has damaging consequences for the family nucleus at home, but may open up a possible source of revenue for another to take advantage of. Each choice is microcosmic of greater events, but has local, unintentional consequences. Although the body-rate has slowed, the stakes are higher than ever, particularly with the head of each family member potentially mounted on top of them.

The Sword in the Darkness is the best in the series yet. The narrative is coherent, choices tangible, acting stellar, and some of the odd writing in early episodes cleaned up. Interesting from beginning to end, although far from a rollicking affair, Sword holds one’s attention far better than the previous, slightly stodgy scene-setters. The sense of menace creates a level of tension that instils interest in the quick-time events that they probably do not deserve.

Graphically, Game of Thrones still struggles comparatively to other Telltale series; it is neither as striking as The Walking Dead nor as delightful as Tales from the Borderlands. Its quasi-cartoon-semi-realistic style sits uneasy upon the general design and ethos of the brand, while the blur-faze of objects in the distance is becoming unpleasant. Backgrounds, however, are inexplicably delicious in comparison, while the human models have a recognisably humane, understandable quality to their facial reactions.

This probably stems directly from the industry leading voice-acting. The actors make light work of a sometimes staid script, and judge every conversation perfectly in terms of both tone and urgency. It really is brilliant.

Sword in the Darkness is a step in the right direction for the series. Sharp, unhurried yet eventful, the disastrous consequences of small decisions means that every conversation is conducted with the utmost care. It needs to be – one mistake could lead to the deaths of many.