As has been the case with Telltale’s Game of Thrones series, the 4th episode, Sons of Winter, picks up immediately after the events of it’s previous entry. It’s much more focused on action than the prior 2 hour installment and that helps break up what was a very exposition heavy set up for the 2nd half of the story. The four correlating stories shift the view point with good pacing and gives each of the main characters a solid moment to shine. This was the best episode so far for me and really turned the tables on a few repetitive events from previous chapters.
Mira has a smaller role to play this time but makes up for it in a very big decision to make on how to go about getting what she wants. Even though she is stuck in King’s Landing in the Lannister lion’s den she is finding a way to help her family. Gared has no way of proving his actions in episode 3 were justified and unfortunately the game doesn’t give you any leeway in how to handle this with any meaningful action. Rodrik’s story is starting to come around as more interesting as opposed to the retread territory it had been in. Lastly Asher has the most action once again but it’s Beshka who steals the show in her quest for vengeance (or revengeance if this was a Metal Gear game). Her character shows the most growth out of any in this episode.
There are the same graphical issues and hiccups that have been there in this series and it did cause Asher to fall into an early grave, as I could not execute the quick time command. Fortunately the game loads quickly and is forgiving in its check points. The only other minor quibble I have is the characterization of Daenerys which doesn’t fit at all with the way she has been portrayed in the books nor the show. It isn’t jarring so much as it is confusing as to where they are trying to take her character.
Overall Sons of Winter is the best of the entries in the series and pushes the story quickly now that the major pieces of the game are in motion. The action was more robust than its predecessors and the repetitive nature of previous chapters was thankfully absent here. Very much looking forward to the 5th entry, A Nest of Vipers. If you made it this far in this episodic series, I recommend you continue.
