It seems Telltale’s Game of Thrones gets better with every episode. If there’s any lesson to take from Sons of Winter, it’s that actions speak louder than words.

SPOILER WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for ‘Episode 3: The Sword in the Darkness’. If you haven’t yet had pleasure of playing the second episode, do not read on.

Many chickens come home to roost in the latest episode of Telltale’s Game of Thrones. Gared learns that a man of the Night’s Watch can not just kill one of his brothers and get away with it, even if that brother was the man who murdered his father. During Sons of Winter, Gared has to choose whether to stay and face his punishment, or flee beyond the wall in search of the ever-elusive ‘North Grove’.

Asher’s story, which until this point had been floundering and grasping for screen-time, took an interesting turn. Asher, Beskha and Malcolm continue in their attempts to amass an army of sell-swords for House Forrester, and in the process cross paths with a certain platinum-haired queen.

Asher’s involvement in Sons of Winter is particularly pleasing to those who watch the HBO show (I assume that means all of you) as it entails playing a key role in an important event fans have already witnessed. Many tie-in games attempt to do this, and normally it’s as subtle as dub-step at a funeral (I’m looking at you, War in the North), but Telltale proves once again just how talented their writers are by weaving it into the wider-narrative seamlessly.

After the astonishing confrontation between Rodrik and Gryff Whitehill during The Sword in the Darkness, the fate of House Forrester still seems very bleak; that is until an ally finally appears for the beleaguered Lord, and a parley is called between the two warring houses.

Needless to say, Rodrik’s side of the story continues to increase in tension and momentum through-out Sons of Winter. The episode perpetuates the ever-present feeling that a storm is closing in on the humble House, and while Rod’s goal is to weather it for as long as he can, he is relying on the other protagonists for rescue.

Out of the main characters in Telltale’s Game of Thrones, it’s Mira who I would wager will have the most impact. Following the tragic (cough) death of King Joffrey, Mira manages to infiltrate a banquet attended by various lords and ladies, including an obnoxious agent of the Whitehills.

At this gathering, she uses her guile to gather as much information as she can about the forces at work to destroy her House.

Sons of Winter is Mira’s episode, through and through. Whilst the other characters provide entertainment and intrigue during their sections of the episode, Mira’s story is the one that seems to best encapsulate the source material.

Whilst Asher murders his way through half a city, Mira eavesdrops on conversations and plays one side off against another in a bid to cause chaos and get what she wants. She plays the game perfectly, and she’s probably the only character whom I could envisage being a part of the show without being intrusive.

I suppose which character will be your favourite depends on which elements of Game of Thrones you prefer. If you prefer the understated dirty-dealings of Kings Landing, you’ll love playing as Mira as much as I do, despite the fact that her story is by far the least action-packed.

As I’ve discussed in reviews of previous GoT episodes, the hallmark of Telltale games is their habit of forcing the players to make increasingly difficult decisions. Game of Thrones has excelled at that, and Sons of Winter is no different. Although there are no earth-shattering moments like the kind to be found in The Walking Dead, there are a stream of important choices to be made through-out the episode, and I never felt like I picked a single one correctly. That in itself is a huge testament to the effectiveness of Telltale’s method.

Whilst Tales From the Borderlands has been catching the eye (albeit slowly) with its colourful Mad Max-vibe and numerous explosions, Game of Thrones has been patiently tinkering away, building up suspense and intrigue. With Sons of Winter and the episode that came before it, we’re finally getting some pay-off.

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