I went into this one knowing absolutely nothing about The Expanse — neither the books nor the TV series. The only thing I knew about the critical darling IP was that it, indeed, seemed to transcend every entertainment medium it found itself a part of. I typically dedicate a certain amount of prep when entering the atmosphere of such a revered giant, but I decided to go in blissfully ignorant for two reasons. For starters, I believe that an “outsider opinion” keeps the reviewer’s perspective fresh and prevents any initial biases that could sway a verdict one way or the other, especially for those like me who knew very little about The Expanse and may be intimidated by the viewpoints of a hardcore fanatic. And secondly, what I lack in any formal credentials for The Expanse, I more than make up for as someone with an intense adoration for Telltale Games.
When the narrative-driven juggernaut suddenly crashed and burned in 2018, I was devastated. On a “mainstream” scale, Telltale made the “graphic adventure” that harkened back to the classic point-and-click genre (which hadn’t been seen as financially viable for quite some time prior to the studio’s emergence) of gaming cool again. Once that first magical season of The Walking Dead was released, it was off to the races. If it was Telltale, I was there. The Walking Dead, Batman, Sam & Max, Guardians of the Galaxy, Game of Thrones, Tales from the Borderlands, The Wolf Among Us (my personal favorite) — I even gave the weird Minecraft game a chance!
So, when Telltale announced it was “back” in 2019, I joined the public consensus that agreed the prospect, at best, seemed too good to be true. Many of the former creative powers responsible for bringing the company’s best projects to life had been scattered to the wind — joining other game developers if not outright leaving the industry altogether — and it was difficult to be anything more than cautiously optimistic for a total reset. But to get to the point of this needlessly long introduction, it’s safe to say that with The Expanse, Telltale (alongside Deck Nine) has come back with a vengeance to reclaim its crown in a landscape where the graphic adventure subgenre now has some fierce competition abound.
In Telltale’s version of The Expanse, you play as Camina Drummer, an XO (Executive Officer) aboard the Artemis spaceship tasked with keeping a ragtag scavenger crew in line with the promise of impending riches from the “heist of the century.” This isn’t the only time the group has had the proverbial golden carrot dangled in front of them, and after many lackluster gains from previous scavenging missions, tensions are reaching a boiling point. Supplies are running low. Morale is dropping to mutinous depths. The game’s opening scene wastes no time telling players that the ongoing situation has gone nuclear. But before Camina can make a life-altering decision, we’re snatched back hours earlier where Camina and Garrison Cox, the Artemis’ roguish captain, are discussing a nearby space vessel that may hold the answer to their problems.
From The Expanse’s starting moments, one lingering fear of mine was quickly dispelled; this is a Telltale that has committed itself to evolve from its old methods. Where there were noticeable jittery and janky animations and transitions in the “old days,” now scenes play out smoothly with crisp facial expressions that are better than ever. Just watching the minor grimaces, winces, and smirks between characters makes for a far more immersive experience than the previous expectation of merely accepting expected technical shortcomings. Additionally, the sound design is something that particularly impressed me. There are subtle auditory nuances between characters having a direct conversation, speaking to one another while wearing their helmets — slightly muffled speech and all — and crackling, static-lined long-distance radio communication.
Even the way Telltale tells Camina’s story is a major upgrade; The Expanse is more interested in giving players more autonomy than simply choosing dialogue options and enjoying characters’ random thoughts when selecting particular objects. Now (and with the ability to utilize your zero-g thrusters to greatly expand your exploratory capabilities), players are encouraged to take the “adventure” part of “graphic adventure” seriously and search areas for resources and other goodies. It’s possible that Camina will be able to bond with her other crewmates by finding something that taps into a character’s history or knowledge with specific findings. It’s also remarkable that so much attention was paid to rewarding players for thoroughly scouring places for precious loot, giving more purpose to the fact that you’re a gang of scavengers desperately picking through a vessel’s bones to live another day.
Right, you’re likely curious about that zero-gravity part, huh? Yes, you’ll spend a significant portion of this first episode floating around gleefully while exploring — and better still, it controls like a dream! When the game initially introduced the concept, I admit to being afraid it’d be frustrating. But it’s easily the most fun I’ve had in a Telltale game to date. In fact, you need to diligently use zero gravity to reach some hidden nooks, and it was a fantastic way to make the zero-gravity mechanic more than just a mindless distraction.
What I cared the most about, above all else, was the meat and potatoes that was the story and characters. Though one could argue the standard was already set as the overall narrative serves as a prequel to the main happenings of The Expanse’s continuity, Telltale nailed the core cast of characters, especially Camina — someone who already has a mysterious past on her home planet and perfectly balances authority and badassery with lighthearted playfulness when the situation calls for it. During the two and a half hours I spent with Camina and the Artemis crew, enough time was given to endear each character to me and force my hand into the unenviable (likely unrealistic) goal to keep everyone alive — and from turning on each other.
As far as the pacing goes (and without touching upon major spoilers), there’s plenty of uncertainty throughout this first episode — among the Artemis crew and along the scavenger mission you’re tasked to complete. An unsettling mystery underpins the team’s endeavors, leading to Telltale’s signature major decisions where, in one instance, I prioritized the safety of a crewmate over the enticement of resources — a decision I may come to regret considering the overall sense I missed some essential items that may very well lead to certain death later.
It’s entirely too early to say whether or not Telltale can maintain its momentum throughout The Expanse’s scheduled five (six including the bonus content) episodes. However, this was a phenomenal opening salvo proving that the last thing Telltale plans to do is go into that good night. Instead of a defeated former titan spoken about in frenzied, hushed whispers of its glory days, a resurrected legend has officially returned to rumble with the best narrative-driven games in town. I only hope that the end result is an authentic revival of one of the greats and not a pretender wearing Telltale’s hollowed-out husk to fool the masses into believing its lies.
This review is based on the PlayStation 5 version of the game. A copy was provided for review by Telltale Games.
Fantastic
The Expanse arrives with plenty of narrative grace, interesting characters, and fun gameplay implements that put a heavy emphasis on exploration and discovery – but time will tell if Telltale can retain its high-velocity momentum in future installments.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 1