Review: The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 1

After a five-year hiatus, Telltale has returned with The Expanse: A Telltale Series. With all the drama surrounding the company’s bankruptcy in 2018, followed by its acquisition by LCG Entertainment in 2019, it’s fair to have some doubts. Furthermore, Deck Nine are the developers. While they have experience with narrative-driven games, will this even feel like a Telltale game? Well, I can tell you that answer is yes. And while I’d never dare try to dethrone The Wolf Among Us, I will tell you this: The Expanse is shaping up to be one of the best Telltale Games titles yet.

I should start by saying I am a huge fan of The Expanse. The SyFy/Amazon Prime series is genuinely in my top three TV shows of all time, maybe even number one. I have to admit that when I first discovered the details behind The Expanse: A Telltale Series I was a bit worried. With it taking place before the show, how could I really care about the story? Furthermore, I loved Camina Drummer in the show, but could a narrative-driven experience focused on one of her adventures really hold my interest over five episodes? Thankfully, my concerns were allayed early on in Episode 1.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 1 (PC [Reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Deck Nine
Publisher: Telltale
Released: July 27, 2023
MSRP: $39.99

Long live the Belt

In The Expanse: A Telltale Series you take on the role of Camina Drummer, XO of The Artemis, a scavenging ship skirting the uncharted edges of The Belt. Drummer is voiced by Cara Gee, who played her in the show, and she absolutely continues to prove she’s perfect for the role. If you are expecting some good ol’ Belter Creole, don’t worry—there’s plenty of it, Beratna.

The ship’s captain discovers the wreckage of an Earther ship near Jupiter. Based on the fact the ship is out here alone and there’s no public record as to why it would be out there, the captain thinks there has to be something valuable on board. The crew sets course for the wreckage, setting up the events that will pan out over all five episodes.

Like any Telltale game, there’s a big emphasis on choices mattering. With this being just the first episode of five, most of the story threads haven’t had time to result in any sort of consequences for my actions, which is understandable. However, at the end of the episode I had to make what certainly felt like a meaningful choice. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure I made the right one—only time will tell.

Similar to previous Telltale titles, the choices are often not easy. It’s not, “Do you want to save a puppy or drop it down a volcano?” In fact, in most cases, you can even guess what sort of consequences may arise from each choice. From there, it’s up to you to decide what you think is the lesser of two evils. I’m excited to see how much player decisions actually shape the game, because it always felt a bit hit-or-miss in previous Telltale games.

Doors and corners, kid

Graphically, The Expanse is the best-looking Telltale game to date. Even though there’s still the somewhat cartoony style, it looks very clean. Some of the sections of The Artemis are surprisingly detailed, and the vast expanse (hehe) of space looks incredible. Deck Nine really knocked it out of the park in this regard—deep space has never looked so beautiful. Furthermore, character facial animations of come a long way. It’s fun to see Drummer react to an intense situation or banter with her crew, and actually react to it accordingly.

This is definitely still a story-driven game, but the gameplay itself has big improvements as well. Running around as Drummer feels a lot smoother and less restrictive than I remember in The Walking Dead — The Final Season. There’s also a system to float around in zero-G space that reminds me a lot of the similar zero-G segments in Dead Space.

Also, there are even little side missions you can tackle while progressing through the chapter. I’ve yet to see if they will actually influence the game in any way, but they are a nice addition. While exploring the wreckage of the Earther ship I managed to find a laser crystal for The Artemis’ medic, and a cigar for the pilot. There’s even a mission log on the bridge of the ship so you can check your active mission. I also came across several areas where I could pull out my blow torch and slice through a panel to retrieve some salvage. Every time I did my crew would commend me for doing so, but I’m not sure just yet if there will be a practical use for the materials.

I’m excited about the future, beltalowda

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with The Expanse: A Telltale Series — Episode 1. With episodic content, we really won’t have a full appreciation for The Expanse until the entire story is told. New episodes will release every two weeks, so The Expanse should be complete in September. What I do know, is this is a very strong start to the adventure. I’m very excited to see what’s in store for Drummer and the crew of The Artemis.

If you are a fan of The Expanse TV series, this should be a no-brainer purchase for you. Any more The Expanse material is worth checking out. That being said, this story takes place before the show, so it’s not necessary to have watched it to enjoy this entry. Sure, you might not recognize a couple of easter eggs, but the narrative itself is its own. This first chapter does a great job of setting the stage for the remaining four episodes. Regardless of your previous experience, The Expanse: A Telltale Series — Episode 1 is a fun experience in a beautiful universe.