It's uncanny how much of a turnaround for the series this was. Firstly,. the narrative. Rather than force a continuation from the pre-existing games, S:TWB tells a (mostly) stand-alone story, that focuses and expands on Kate as a character. The dual timeline puts a fresh angle on things, and the writing is a massive step up. Secondly, the production values. This games looks stunning, sounds stunning, and plays beautifully. The voice acting is top-notch, and the European scenery is incredible. But what's the one thing S3 did well? Challenging puzzles. They were often framed poorly, but they were genuinely head-scratching. Oddly enough, this is the one aspect where S:TWB regresses. What we have here is more of a "click to advance" game. A very engaging one, mind. But, it does dim the sense of reward as you progress. If I have one more complaint, it's that Oscar seems to get less dignity with each sequel. Poor old fella.
