The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 1 Review

The Expanse has become one of the most popular sci-fi television series in recent years. After starting on SyFy, the show was canceled after 3 seasons but quickly picked up by Amazon Prime Video. The streaming service helped the series reach new heights, completing a 6-season run full of intrigue and visually stunning space adventures. With the TV show now concluded, Telltale Games has brought The Expanse universe into the world of video games.

Telltale Games has a long history of creating compelling episodic adventure titles like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Batman. However, the studio went defunct in 2018 before being revived in 2019 as Telltale Games LLC under new ownership. Now partnering with Deck Nine Games, Telltale is back with The Expanse: A Telltale Series.

This brand new game acts as an origin story prequel for the fan favorite character Camina Drummer, played by Cara Gee in the TV show. Episode 1, titled “Archer’s Paradox,” allows players to experience The Expanse from Drummer’s perspective years before the events of the series. It’s an exciting opportunity for fans to dive deeper into her mysterious backstory.

As the first new Telltale property in years, The Expanse: A Telltale Series has a lot to prove. But with its connections to a popular franchise and Telltale’s cinematic interactive storytelling, Episode 1 aims to launch the series on the right trajectory. If you have any doubts about playing the game, stay tuned for our in-depth The Expanse: A Telltale Series review to find out more about it.

Gameplay and Mechanics

The Expanse: A Telltale Series utilizes the studio’s signature cinematic adventure game formula that focuses on storytelling over traditional gameplay. Players can expect to make dialogue choices during conversations that will impact relationships with the crew. Quick-time events (QTEs) frequently appear during action sequences, requiring timed button presses for success. While these QTEs can be frustrating, The Expanse provides accessibility options to customize or remove the timing.

Where Episode 1 shows evolution is in its expanded traversal and exploration systems. Unlike past Telltale titles where movement felt restricted to pre-determined paths, The Expanse gives players much more freedom. When exploring the wrecked UN ship, Drummer can utilize her jetpack and mag boots to walk on any surface thanks to zero-gravity. This verticality encourages searching the decrepit ship thoroughly to find hidden logs, salvage, and story items.

The salvage/inventory system is one of the biggest new additions. As Drummer explores, she can collect valuable materials and objects that can be used to craft upgrades or given as gifts to crew members. Giving certain items to specific characters can improve relationships and even change story outcomes. However, it’s unclear exactly how many items exist or who prefers what gifts. This lack of guidance could lead to frustration if players miss content.

Overall though, the expanded gameplay systems are a refreshing change that diversifies the Telltale formula. No longer does it feel like you’re just moving scene to scene with little player agency in between. The Expanse finds a good balance between cinematic storytelling and actually letting players exist within the immersive sci-fi environments. The freedom of movement enhances the gameplay exponentially while maintaining accessibility for those that just want to experience the story.

Combat and action sequences are still fairly limited, relying on QTEs. But the focus remains on narrative exploration over action gameplay. Fans of the genre should find The Expanse: A Telltale Series an exciting evolution that maintains the studio’s strengths while expanding player choice.

Story and Characters

One of the biggest appeals of The Expanse: A Telltale Series is the opportunity to dive deeper into the origin story of Camina Drummer. In the TV show, Drummer is introduced as a stern, uncompromising Belter faction leader played masterfully by Cara Gee. This game takes place years before as a young Drummer just starting out as XO on the scavenger ship Artemis.

Seeing Drummer more optimistic and less hardened by tragedy is an interesting character study. She’s determined to prove herself to the Artemis crew led by Captain Garrison Cox, an Earth-born soldier. Their relationship starts antagonistic but can evolve based on dialogue choices. Other crewmates include Belter twins Carlo and Baiel, pilot Khan from the outer planets, and medic Virgil from Earth.

The diversity of backgrounds leads to an engaging crew dynamic as prejudices and camaraderie develop. Their first mission together kicks off Episode 1’s plot when the Artemis responds to a distress call from a wrecked UN Navy ship. What they discover is a horrific scene of destruction and dead bodies that leads into a tale of piracy, espionage, and a mysterious artifact that could change everything.

Exploring the eerie, debris-strewn UN ship is reminiscent of classics like Dead Space and System Shock. The rich environmental storytelling through datapads, records, and gruesomeremains paints a picture of how a seemingly routine mission went horribly awry. It heightens the tension while allowing players to piece together theories about what really happened.

The emerging mystery sets up plenty of questions to be answered in future episodes. Who attacked the UN ship and why? What critical information does the secret data drive contain? How will the discovery impact Drummer’s budding career and relationships? Veterans of The Expanse lore will likely recognize connections to the wider universe, but new players are brought up to speed with enough context about the solar system’s political factions and technology to follow along.

Overall, The Expanse: A Telltale Series has laid exciting groundwork with its first episode. Drummer’s youthful optimism juxtaposed against the grisly ship disaster makes for an engaging origin story. The diverse crew brimming with personality quirks and intrigue further invests the player in the relationships. And the eerie mystery at hand raises plenty of stakes for episodes to come. Fans of The Expanse will find this a compelling new lens into the universe while newcomers get a solid introduction.

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Bringing The Expanse to Life

The Expanse: A Telltale Series represents a noticeable graphical leap compared to the studio’s past games. The environments are richly detailed, from the intricate mechanical workings of the ships to the stunning expansive space backdrops. Texture work and lighting are greatly improved with none of the rough edges or dullness that held back earlier Telltale titles. This visual overhaul helps pull players deeper into the immersive sci-fi setting.

The character models also received upgrades, most notably in their facial animations. Expressions and lip-syncing appear much more natural and realistic. This enhances the drama and emotional beats of the storytelling, as you can clearly read the shifting moods of Drummer, the crew, and other characters. These technical improvements were likely aided by Telltale’s new partnership with Deck Nine Games, developers of the acclaimed Life Is Strange series.

Cara Gee’s stellar reprisal of Camina Drummer also brings gravitas through her performance. The supporting cast delivers solid voice work as well, adeptly capturing the unique personalities and accents of the multicultural crew. The sound design overall sets the tense, eerie atmosphere whether in the quiet of space or the flaming debris of a ship catastrophe. And the score’s mix of sci-fi synth and lonely piano melodies fits the mysterious space thriller vibe perfectly.

In terms of presentation and production polish, The Expanse: A Telltale Series hits all the right notes. It honors the top-notch production values of the television show while also modernizing Telltale’s technology to meet current standards. This creates an engaging cinematic experience that looks and sounds like a big-budget sci-fi epic.

Accessibility Features

The Expanse: A Telltale Series includes a robust set of accessibility features to accommodate disabled gamers. One of the most important is the ability to adjust quick-time event (QTE) timing or even turn off the timer completely. This allows players to progress through action sequences at their own pace. There are also visual options like colorblind modes and the ability to enlarge subtitle text size and font.

Overall, The Expanse stands out in its focus on making the experience welcoming to gamers with various physical and cognitive disabilities. While Telltale’s straightforward cinematic style has always been accessible compared to twitch-focused games, the added customizations take things further. Gamers with motor impairments can enjoy the story and make choices without needing fast reflexes. And those with vision or hearing loss have more ways to tailor the visuals and dialogue to their needs.

With gaming technology improving inclusion and opening new audiences, The Expanse sets a great example. It maintains Telltale’s inherent accessibility while expanding options in smart ways. Disabled gamers can explore the rich sci-fi universe and shape Drummer’s story through their own playstyle. The Expanse shows that immersive, story-driven adventures can be inclusive for all players when developers make smart design choices. While more can always be done, Telltale’s return title earns praise for its commitment to accessibility.

A Promising New Frontier for Telltale

The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 1 makes a compelling case that Telltale is back and evolving. While the core of cinematic storytelling remains, the integration of greater freedom through exploration and environmental interaction represents a logical step forward. Drummer feels more integral to the events rather than just a passive viewer. The fascinating characters and eerie sci-fi mystery laid out in Episode 1 have all the right ingredients for a memorable Telltale series.

The outstanding presentation values also showcase Telltale working at the top of their game. The visuals and attention to detail are a noticeable upgrade that honor the quality bar set by the TV show. Evolving the gameplay while maintaining superb writing and production polish is an encouraging sign for the future of Telltale.

However, the episode is not without some concerns. The lack of guidance around the new salvaging/inventory mechanics could lead to frustration. It’s unclear how choices are tracked or how many collectibles exist in each area. Players could easily miss content and relationships opportunities without exhaustive searching. While increased agency is welcome, the execution needs refinement.

But issues like this are typical launch woes for ambitious new systems. Overall, The Expanse: A Telltale Series has enormous promise if the remaining episodes deliver on the groundwork laid in Episode 1. The intriguing murder mystery in space and cast of eclectic personalities has all the makings of a Telltale classic. Drummer already feels like one of the studio’s most complex protagonists. Her backstory here is certain to satisfy Expanse fans eager to see more of the standout character.

For those craving more cinematic adventures, The Expanse proves Telltale still knows how to craft compelling interactive fiction. It expands player choice through exploration while retaining the studio’s accessibility and smart brand of storytelling. The Expanse is off to an exciting start. Now it’s up to the remaining episodes to stick the landing and fully deliver on the ambitious vision. But for fans of sci-fi and Telltale, Episode 1 makes an encouraging case that the best is yet to come.

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