Telltale Games returns withThe Expanse: A Telltale Series, its first new property since being acquired by LCG Entertainment.Developed by Deck Nine Games, the team behind the hugely successfulLife is Strangefranchise,The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 1, titledArcher’s Paradox, quickly gets to work emotionally investing players in its world and unique characters. Telltale’s latest effort re-introduces many of the elements that fans loved in the past, but quickly stands out from the studio’s prior work, as its acting, storytelling, and core mechanics mark a significant evolution of Telltale’s tried-and-true formula. These improvements, along with a truly gripping narrative, makeThe Expanse - Episode 1a must-play for fans of both Telltale and James S.A. Corey’s hit book and television series.
InThe Expanse: A Telltale Series, players take on the role of Camina Drummer, voiced by returning actress Cara Gee, in a story set long before the events of the television series.Episode 1sees Drummer acting as XO of The Artemis, a scavenging ship under Captain Garrison Cox, as its crew searches the wreckage of an Earther ship, belonging to the United Nations Navy (UNN).The Expanse: A Telltale Seriesacts as both an on-ramp for those unfamiliar with its universe and a unique origin story for longtime fans. As players discover the episode’s deeper mysteries and build relationships with each member of the crew,The Expanse: A Telltale Seriesprepares to answer crucial questions about what shapes Drummer into the character fans know and love today.
Graphically,The Expanseis Telltale’s best-looking game, to date. Whether Drummer is walking down a tight corridor, or floating through space,The Expanse’s environments boast an incredible amount of detail, while balancing Telltale’s trademark art style. Deck Nine Games injectsEpisode 1’s locations with a mixture of visuals both beautiful and haunting, as the rich and otherworldly color palette of space clashes with the elegant, blood-covered design of the UNN wreckage.The Expanse’s facial animations are a significant improvement, allowing characters to react realistically to dialogue and actions. This, in turn, makesThe Expanse’s characters far more dynamic, with the impact of Drummer’s dialogue choices, and those of the crew, much easier to determine within relationships.
Near the midway point ofThe Expanse - Episode 1, the narrative turns dark, as the Artemis' crew discovers more than they bargained for aboard the Earther ship. Discovering the dismantled corpses of the ship’s crew, and signs of a pirate attack, the crew splits up to accomplish their respective tasks as quickly as possible. It is at this point thatThe Expanseintroduces its core gameplay mechanics, as Drummer must navigate the collapsing internal compartments of the ship for salvage, some of which are free-floating in space. Players are tasked with utilizing various methods of exploration and problem-solving to make their way through each compartment safely, with nearly all salvageable materials able to be missed.
Immediately, the evolution of Telltale’s gameplay mechanics begins to shine through, as the clunky, and often restrictive movement of past titles is replaced with freeform traversal in a massive space. Walking and running as Drummer is smooth, allowing players the freedom to quickly complete tasks or take their time exploring for hidden collectibles and secrets. Most notably,The Expanseintroduces zero-G traversal, allowing players to walk or float through almost every open space, with the option to land Drummer on a compartment’s floor, ceiling, and walls. Zero-G traversal opens the title up for thorough exploration, with various hidden areas rewarding players with unique crew interactions or salvageable materials.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 1’s relationship and choice mechanics have gone through a similar evolution. Rather than boil down the story to three or four major dialogue options,The Expanseleverages explorationto create a system in which Drummer’s words, environmental interactions, and the optional items she finds or doesn’t find combine to determine crew members' fates. While Drummer’s fate is never in question, every other character’s is determined by player choice in these areas.The Expanse-Episode 1still features two major decisions, but the story’s biggest outcomes appear to be determined by episode-spanning exploration segments and personal interactions.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 1puts the intersection of its evolved mechanics front and center, with Drummer’s very firsttutorial conversation impacting a relationship. While exploring the Earther ship, later on, Drummer can discover a hidden item that she believes this character would like. Players then have the choice to mention this item on a call with the character, who replies harshly, leading to another relationship-impacting dialogue choice.Episode 1leaves the topic there, but the choice to give the item to the character is reflected in a trophy/achievement forEpisode 2, denoting its impact on the story.
While the combination ofThe Expanse’s exploration and relationships is a welcome addition toTelltale’s formula, its implementation could lead to frustrations down the road. InEpisode 1, players are able to collect salvage from a number of sources, with many leading to dialogue between Drummer and her crew. However, players are given no guidance as to where the salvage is located, nor how many pieces of salvage exist. Many pieces of salvage can be completely missed as players follow a directional marker to the next objective. to get all crew interactions, players must interact with various areas of the environment, call the crew for feedback, and utilize their blowtorch on hidden locations spanning the wreckage’s many floating pieces. Not until the credits roll will players know if they found all collectibles, and therefore experienced all crew interactions.
The gameplay mechanics ofThe Expanse: A Telltale Seriesare an integral part ofEpisode 1’s story, which tasks fans with piecing together a gripping mystery. While searching the Earther wreck, Drummer discovers it belongs tothe United Nations Navy, prompting questions as to how and why the ship has been completely obliterated. Using items and body parts from among the ship’s officers, Drummer discovers a mysterious data drive within a hidden safe. While the ramifications of this discovery are only briefly touched upon inEpisode 1’s final scenes, leading to its first life-or-death decision, its importance to Drummer’s story and impact on the widerExpanseuniverse seeThe Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 1establish one of Telltale’s most compelling narratives.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 1is a triumphantreturn for Telltale Games, as it delivers one of the studio’s strongest single episodes alongside vastly improved mechanics and an intense introduction toThe Expanseuniverse.The Expansedoes an excellent job of engrossing fans new and old in both its source material and Telltale’s trademark storytelling. While the impact of players' decisions inThe Expansehas yet to be fully revealed,Episode 1presents players with a greater sense of agency than ever before. By delivering a strong kick-off to Camina Drummer’s origin story, and compelling evidence for the studio’s return,The Expanse: A Telltale Seriesis shaping up to be one of Telltale’s best experiences yet.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience the exciting universe of The Expanse like never before in Telltale’s latest adventure, The Expanse: A Telltale Series. Follow Cara Gee, who reprises her role as Camina Drummer, and explore the dangerous and uncharted edges of the Belt aboard the the Artemis. From scavenging wrecked ships in a zero-g environment, to surviving a mutiny, to combating fearsome pirates, you make the difficult choices and reveal Camina Drummer’s resolve in this latest Telltale adventure.A TELLTALE STORY LIKE NO OTHERImmerse yourself in the role of Camina Drummer, the Executive Officer aboard the Artemis, a scavenging ship hunting for a big score in the outer regions of the Belt. You must corral a crew rife with tense relationships and powerful personalities, and make tough decisions that will decide everyone’s fate.EXPLORE THE BELT IN ZERO-GScour shipwrecks, use mag boots to walk on walls and ceilings, and utilize Zero-G thrusters to float through the void. As you fly through sections of ships and the open expanse of space, interact with objects in the world and converse with members of the crew in the largest and most immersive exploration of any Telltale game to date.DIFFICULT CHOICES, GRAVE CONSEQUENCESContend with the unforgiving brutality of space, the politics of a corrupt solar system, the animosities of your crew, and Drummer’s own conflicting responsibilities to the people she cares about and The Belt she has sworn to protect. There is no right or wrong path - only your choices and the consequences they unleash.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 1is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided a PS5 code for this review.
