Three quarters of a science fiction series and 25% of a video game. Sometimes a little more and sometimes less. In any case, a curious proportion that gives away its creators: The Expanse: A Telltale Series is the rebirth of Telltale Games in collaboration with Deck Nine (Life Is Strange: True Colors). A return to those formulas and resources capable of blurring the barrier that separates video games and television fiction. With its successes, its clichés and its weaknesses, but with that implicit security of leaving well-known franchises in the hands of Telltale.
In fact, the video game The Expanse works as well as adventure Telltale Games style as a legitimate prequel to the series on which it is based. Being, to all intents and purposes, an interactive thriller focused entirely on the character of Walk Drummer, whose interpretation is once again in the hands of actress Cara Gee. An interesting starting point: depending on our performance, she will be the only one with certain guarantees of reaching the end of the story alive. Or not.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a triple claim for fans of science fiction stories in general, viewers of The Expanse and, of course, those who are comfortable with Telltale’s own coined narrative style that works in those cycles of exploration, discovery and dilemma, generating a branching story at each dilemma and, from time to time, warning us that our Decisions will be remembered by the rest of the characters.
And, in the process, causing side effects within the same episode or leaving us uncertain about the future: this prequel to The Expanse In video game format it comes to us in the same way as the television series itself and, in general terms, most of Telltale’s games: we return to the season format with a story divided into episodic sections.
The good news: Telltale and Deck Nine have raised their joint work so they won’t be seen in the same ones as The Walking Dead’s final season. And, for that matter, they have added new features to their formula to take more and better advantage of the license. In LifeExtra we have already completed the opening episode several times and we are more clear about what is preserved from the previous Telltale sagas, what is contributed from the TV series and what lessons learned are manifested The Expanse: A Telltale Series. Because there are.
The Artemis is not a raider’s ship: it’s a pressure cooker
It’s the 24th century and humanity has colonized the solar system. However, the tension between the three major factions – Earth, Mars, and a confederation rooted from the Asteroid Belt – spills over into the entire known universe, including the crew of the raider ship Artemis.
In front of the ship we have the captain Garrison Coxfrom Earth and to the official Walk Drummer, coming from the Belt. This creates a tricky dynamic, as there’s an interesting bounty on Drummer’s head, but Cox values his ability more when it comes to looting ships or space stations for valuables and priceless information.
At their disposal, a veteran Earth pilot named Khan with a short fuse temperament, the mysterious but efficient doctor Virgil whose past is known only to Cox, the impulsive Martian engineer Maya and, as members of staff, the twins Arlen and Rayen Morozov who sympathize with Drummer’s ideals, although it will be up to him to earn their respect.
In front of all of them: the promise of a mission. Or rather, the mission. A United Nations ship from Earth has been attacked by pirates very, very recently and reduced to rubble and space junk. Cox has known how to understand the situation, he is aware of how long it will take to pick up the remains and anticipates that it could contain objects of great value.
However, there is a palpable tension between the crew members of the ship Artemis. Drummer herself admits that no one becomes a looter because things do well at home, but the truth is that when you have to expose yourself to the unknown in the middle of space, the worst in each one usually emerges. Except in the case of Maya, of course: the only one who sees this mission as an opportunity, and not the umpteenth promise of the captain to get rich.
In the Archer’s Paradox, the first of five episodes of The Expanse: A Telltale Series, we control a Camina Drummer faithful to what was seen in the television series: with a firm temperament, pragmatic mentality. And despite this, and his own motivations, in this story we will have the last word.
A space thriller in which the narrative weighs more than the decisions
At the narrative level, The Expanse: A Telltale Series doesn’t derail too much from Telltale Games’ previous adventures like the walking dead, Batman, Game of Thrones or Guardians of the Galaxy. At the playable level, yes, we find several novelties to take into account. At least, as far as the first available episode is concerned.
From the outset, and this is essential, it is not necessary to know the characters or have seen the series The Expanse: This is a completely original story that precedes everything seen on television. In fact, it doesn’t hurt to keep in mind that Telltale is based on production for the small screen rather than the novels. Telltale’s video game being an extension of television production to all effects.
That said, the way the story unfolds and events unfold is relatively linear: you can explore the interior of the Artemis relatively freely, and once the exploration and looting begins you can navigate in space in zero gravity or walking on the walls What’s more: even in those it is impossible to get lost, since by pressing a button the game tells you where to go.
What the game does not tell you, logically, is what will happen when it is your turn to choose. What consequences will your decisions have, the tone with which you address the rest of the crew or the side effects of moral decisions. Although, following the Telltale tradition, at the end of each chapter we will be able to see the statistics of the rest of the players.
The only way forward The Expanse, or at least in the opening chapter, it is reaching certain points, obtaining an object or interacting with the rest of the characters. When the time comes, choosing between two possible options and more or less half of them will not only affect the predisposition of the rest of the crew, but will also determine their possible survival for the final episode.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series it embraces science fiction and thriller equally. Taking advantage of the joint setting, but generating some constant tension and mysteries without ever going beyond the barrier to terror. Even when in the middle of a looting we find corpses and severed heads. In other words: there is no substitutes nor shocks, but the feeling of suspicion and the certainty that we will find ourselves before uncomfortable decisions.
Of course, Telltale Games and Deck Nine take the opportunity to introduce changes compared to the usual formula of the previous adventures of the house and, in the process, take advantage of the license: The Expanse: A Telltale Series it discards the previous engine and tools and makes use of the Unreal Engine to achieve not only finishes more in line with current games, but much more elaborate lighting, exploration and setting.
However, the first episode of The Expanse: A Telltale Series two or three moments are reserved for the classic QTE (quick time events) that come to be little more than a procedure to give more presence to certain cinematic moments. Reducing practically all the action of this opening section to those moments to give all the weight to the narrative. And what about decisions?
Only when all five episodes are available will we be able to see to what extent the decisions we have made have a real impact on the plot. Because, to be fair, in the Archer’s Paradox crucial moments can be counted on the fingers of one hand. And the same applies to the setting or mobility in zero gravity enriches the set or becomes repetitive. But, even in those, it is unfair to lose perspective: the great purpose of this piece of history is to put us in context. Now it’s time to wait and see where it leads us.
An episodic adventure with the lessons learned from Telltale
The duration of the first of the five episodes in which it is divided The Expanse: A Telltale Series It’s an hour and a half. You can get lost exploring if you want, but even if you decide to put the spacesuit’s mobility and range to the test, you’ll soon realize that free exploration through open space isn’t rewarded with secrets or collectibles.
Telltale invites you to take extra turns in a second game or to experiment with the 10 decisions offered during the first episodebut in the end everything derives from making time until the launch of Coto de Caza, the second episode of the five and the first of them in which (presumably) we will have to face some space pirates with the consequences of the decisions made.
According to Telltale and Deck Nine, the way in which the five episodes are set means that all the protagonists except the Drummer can die at the end of the story. That does not make us immortal, since if we fail a QTE we will see the restart screen from the last save point. But it does promise to give more presence and weight to our decisions than we have seen so far.
In any case, the great successes of The Expanse They are already beginning to show themselves: the way to expand the background of the television series works and the way to offer us to participate in its development will be what defines its true success as a video game. An adventure that evolves based on our decisions, but except for three key moments, for now, the narrative and setting are taken more seriously than the choice we made.
Of course, there is something indisputable: in the absence of seeing the five episodes of The Expanse, fans of Telltale Games will take less than 5 minutes to find the commonalities with their legacy. Being a new vindication of that so characteristic way of offering cinematic stories with interactive elements through video games. No margin for the player to get lost or confused when advancing in exchange for giving him the last word.
plans The Expanse: A Telltale Series They’re also more defined than previous adventures: Instead of offering each episode separately or paying for a season in advance, Telltale Games has committed to releasing a new episode every two weeks to encourage conversation among players.
A success, since that uncertainty is lost when it comes to estimating when the story will continue to advance, which also leaves us with a closed date to know the end and the consequences of our decisions: on August 21 we will have more clarity about who lives, who stays by the wayside and, most importantly, to what extent we ourselves have had the reins of the history of The Expanse: A Telltale Series.
Card of The Expanse: A Telltale Series
- Platforms: PC (Epic Games Store), PS5, PS4, Xbox X|S and Xbox One
- Multiplayer: No
- Developer: Deck Nine
- Company: Telltale
- Release: July 27, 2023, with a new episode every 2 weeks.
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