The Expanse: A Telltale Series, Episode 1 | Game Review
Spoiler Alert: Game details included below
With TellTale providing some of the best story-telling and decision-based gaming of the modern era, it came as a surprise to some when they shuttered their doors in 2018. The hits of The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead didn’t seem to be enough to sustain the company already riddled by toxic company management and the stringent nature of the video game industry as a whole. However, in their first major release since its initial shutdown, The Expanse, based off the television show which was based off the book series, aims to reclaim the studio’s spot amongst the best story-telling studios with its signature animation style and psychologically thrilling quests aided by the player’s decisions.
The soundtrack for The Expanse helps set the stage — it’s dramatic, swooning, and symbolizes the otherworldly nature of what the ship Artemis has to offer in the outliers of Jupiter as the first scene follows an ousted captain being thrown into the airlock chamber, his fate to be determined in a later decision by Camina Drummer, before flashing back to a mission to scavenge the UNN Urshanabi, an destroyed and abandoned United Nations Navy ship.
If you are unfamiliar with both the show and the books, the game quickly differentiates the types of characters you will encounter, all with equally looming secrets and motives. You have the Belters, who were born in the asteroid belt or away from the other group of people — called Inners — who were born on the planets closest to the sun. Those born in the Belt have developed a short, blunt, almost German dialect and their own fragmented slang, non-sensical by itself but apparent given context (TellTale also provided the meaning of some of these slang words on Instagram).
The most intimate connection at this point in the game is between Drummer and Maya whom the player meets in a playful wrestling match between the two. Drummer is most intimate with Maya despite their different backgrounds and their playful banter alludes to a connection deeper than platonic friends. Even Drummers expression and vocal inflection is softer in the presence of Maya. This will be an important connection throughout the game.
Quickly, the player can become immersed in the world before making any important decisions. The mechanics of The Expanse feel smoother than past TellTale games while the graphics rest between hyperrealistic and caricature. And perhaps the most relieving feature, a brisk run, to quickly move between objectives. However, once traversing through open gravity, movement can be completely disorienting as you can find yourself twisting and turning one way or another just as one would expect as they travel through space. Trying to rotate and dictate a landing space and sift through the endless void of space would certainly be a challenge to budding video game players.
The allure of the lore in The Expanse is expedited through the excavation of the UNN Urshanabi as it was destroyed at the hands of pirates, particularly Europa’s Bane, the puppet of Touissant, a legendary pirate known for her execution style ambushes as seen in the decapitated heads of the crew of the Urshanabi. Undoubtedly, this character will come back as the climax of the first episodes ends with Drummer promptly being named captain after Cox’s betrayal and her first challenge is facing the threat of whomever pinpointed the Artemis’ drive log.
The weight of the decisions made in the first episode have yet to be fully realized as it mostly serves as a gateway to the mechanics and lore of The Expanse. With episode two yet to come, we have yet to see the importance of locking Cox in the brig or the alliances built with the crew. However, with the scene at the end, it seems that saving Arlen’s leg over choosing the vault easily persuaded him and his twin to side with Drummer as she confronted Cox. The description of the second episode mentions dwindling supplies so perhaps this decision is more faceted than it appears.
This game is episodic and will release the next episode every two weeks. I will be playing and keeping up with the episodes as they release so be sure to stay tuned! I will be listing my important decisions at the very end of these reviews to show how I played the game. I will include the percentage which signifies the percentage of players that made the same decision and star the “major” decisions.
Choices// Archer’s Paradox
Drinking with Cox - shared a drink with Cox (71%)
Khan’s Insult - Drummer snapped at Khan (55%)
Rayen & Arlen’s Fight - Drummer broke up the fight (63%)
Punching Arlen - Drummer ignored Arlen’s provocation (49%)
Wrestling Maya - Drummer got upper hand before Maya pinned her (94%)
Maya’s Prank - Drummer laughed off Maya’s prank (24%)
Khan’s Pirate History - Drummer asked Khan about her past with pirates (21%)
**Rayen’s Crisis - Drummer protected Rayen and lost the vault (72%)
Helping Virgil - Drummer told Virgil the shooting was not his fault (48%)
**Cox’s Punishment - Drummer threw Cox in the brig (55%)