[Editor’s note: This review encompasses episodes one, two, and three of The Expanse: A Telltale Series]
Inside minutes of firing up the primary episode of The Expanse: A Telltale Sequence, you may be confronted with a sequence of life-or-death decisions. Although some decisions could appear trivial at first, almost all of them end in “[character name] will keep in mind that” showing within the top-left nook of the display, leaving you to marvel what precisely will occur if that selection comes again to chew you a couple of episodes later. These sorts of narrative decisions and penalties are a staple of the Telltale model and, at first look, one would possibly mistake The Expanse for a clone of the studio’s earlier video games, reskinned to replicate the suitable franchise–but this could not be farther from the reality.
Upon nearer inspection, it turns into clear that Deck 9 Video games–the studio that developed Life Is Unusual: True Colours and is Telltale’s co-developer for this project–has fairly actually added a brand new dimension to the usual Telltale formulation. In The Expanse, gamers can freely discover the three-dimensional recreation surroundings, a primary for Telltale, because the studio’s earlier video games supplied little or no alternative for exploration and freedom of motion.
This modification to a normal third-person perspective works wonders for immersion, particularly given the sport’s massive, detailed environments. The power to listen to Camina Drummer’s internal monologue–something by no means seen on the show–also performs an enormous half in bringing the sport to life, creating a way of connection between the participant and the sport’s protagonist. Within the tv present, Drummer is understood to be slightly reclusive, not often sharing her emotions aloud. The choice to allow us to hear her internal ideas is a daring selection, but it surely works extremely effectively as a result of recreation’s stellar writing and the efficiency of Drummer’s voice actress.
Cara Gee (who performs Drummer in The Expanse tv sequence) reprises her function as soon as once more and Gee’s highly effective, emotive efficiency makes all of the difference–it’s exhausting to think about the sport with out her. Not like the tv present, Telltale’s The Expanse permits us to see a brand new, barely extra weak facet of the usually reserved, enigmatic Belter by serving as a prequel that particulars what Drummer’s life was like main as much as the occasions of the tv present. Interacting with objects will immediate Drummer to audibly share her ideas on the matter at hand, and this mechanic is a wonderful strategy to introduce Drummer to gamers who is probably not acquainted with the present.
After all, the sport additionally features a group of recent characters, all of whom serve aboard the scavenger ship Artemis alongside Drummer. From the gruff, aged pilot, Khan, to the contrasting personalities of the Morozov twins, Arlen and Rayen, Telltale’s characters really feel real, like they might simply as simply match into The Expanse tv present or the e book sequence upon which it’s based mostly. Your opinion of every character will change wildly because the narrative unfolds, but it surely all the time seems like these characters are every rising in a selected path, not continuously wavering backwards and forwards between reliable ally and free cannon with a hair-trigger. It is a sharp distinction to the supporting characters of earlier Telltale video games, like Kenny from The Strolling Useless sequence, who ceaselessly bounced between “useful companion” and “egocentric fool who randomly activates me when the plot decides it wants a twist.”
Since Telltale’s The Expanse is a prequel to the tv sequence, Drummer’s plot-armor is thicker than the hull of the Artemis, however her fellow crew members aren’t as fortunate. On the finish of the fifth and closing episode, gamers can discover themselves with no crew members left alive besides Drummer, or with your complete squad saved, relying on the alternatives Drummer makes. Regardless of being solely 5 episodes lengthy (with a sixth DLC episode set to launch this fall), the sport’s characters are intriguing and plausible sufficient for gamers to rapidly kind attachments, making it all of the extra devastating whenever you fail to avoid wasting one in every of them.
Other than the flexibility to freely roam and discover, probably the most notable distinction between The Expanse and Telltale’s earlier tasks is the higher-quality animation. Deck 9’s dedication to placing visuals is straight away obvious throughout the first jiffy of the sport. As a substitute of the cartoonish, stylized character designs of Telltale’s earlier video games, The Expanse boasts extra reasonable graphics and cutscenes that do not continuously minimize to a close-up shot to cover wonky animations–mainly as a result of there weren’t any wonky animations in want of hiding in my time with it. Cutscenes are extraordinarily detailed however even exterior of cutscenes, the sport’s inside environments really feel lived-in and alive, whereas exteriors set within the vacuum of area really feel appropriately monumental for a franchise referred to as The Expanse.
The sport’s largest visible triumph is undoubtedly the characters’ facial motion-capture and animations. Earlier Telltale video games usually struggled with facial expressions, leaving characters wanting stiff and unusual. However Deck 9’s animations are clean and reasonable, with characters usually sharing understanding seems to be that make you marvel what they’re considering, or having temporary exchanges with Drummer that consist solely of physique language and facial expressions. The optimistic impact of those moments can’t be overstated–every body of each cutscene is executed with function, and between the characters’ lovable (and typically love-to-hateable) personalities and the developer’s willpower to create cinematic cutscenes, it usually feels such as you’re directing an episode of the tv present, not simply taking part in a recreation.
However one of many recreation’s strongest options is that, above all, it achieves its aim via a narrative that’s sturdy sufficient to face by itself. Some cutscenes have awkward gaps and pauses between traces, but it surely’s a uncommon prevalence, and you will by no means meet an NPC who spends a stable three minutes word-vomiting exposition at you earlier than sending you on a fetch quest, which is a serious plus. In terms of each dialogue and actions, Drummer is nearly all the time confronted with solely two choices, however surprisingly, these choices by no means really feel like binary “good” and “unhealthy” decisions. Drummer is not merely good or unhealthy, a renegade or a paragon–she’s simply Drummer, a lady who has needed to make extremely tough choices all her life. It is uncommon that you will come throughout a selection the place one choice instantly feels prefer it’s the apparent “proper” selection, until you have discovered environmental context clues that time you in (what seems to be) the fitting path.
[Cutscenes are] executed with function, and between the characters’ lovable (and typically love-to-hateable) personalities and the developer’s willpower to create cinematic cutscenes, it usually feels such as you’re directing an episode of the tv present, not simply taking part in a recreation.
Regardless of the sport’s narrative arc hinging on varied dialogue decisions, The Expanse strongly adheres to a “present, do not inform” coverage, utilizing environmental storytelling in a method that makes the sport’s ranges enjoyable to discover even when there is not any loot available. It is all the time price having a look round, particularly when on board the Artemis. In reality, the Artemis is the place you must do probably the most wanting round, as objects Drummer can examine usually reveal useful clues that make tough choices a lot simpler. If Drummer notices a defaced poster on the wall, the subsequent time you examine it, there could also be extra graffiti added to it. If she feedback on an unsecured merchandise in a crew member’s quarters and returns later, it’s going to doubtless be mendacity on the ground in a number of items because of getting knocked round in zero-g.
Sadly, zero-g motion is the sport’s largest flaw. It seems to be beautiful and reasonable from a visible perspective, however in observe, utilizing Drummer’s vac-suit thrusters sends you floating throughout the infinite expanse of area at roughly the identical velocity as an exhausted tortoise. The go well with has two speeds: sluggish, and barely less-slow. Once you’re searching down an merchandise for a facet quest in a large ship graveyard, the belief that you could backtrack is prone to be accompanied by a pissed off groan as a result of period of time it’s going to take to retrace your steps. When you drift too far into area, a notification seems, informing you that you just’re leaving the protected zone. This, mixed with the darkish and infrequently disorienting areas Drummer should discover early on within the recreation could make some ranges extra irritating than they should be.
One other weak spot is the collectible mechanic. As you progress via the sport, you’ll acquire varied valuables scavenged from derelict ships. Drummer usually feedback on what the merchandise is, and which NPC crew member would possibly discover it helpful. However there is not any stock for these things to be seen in, no alternative to provide them to anybody, and it’s totally tough to inform in the event that they’re simply there to provide completionists one thing to do, or if they really have an effect on the plot. The primary collectibles you may want to fret about are made very obvious–they seem as facet quests within the recreation’s mission log, and are separated from the scavenged loot. The largest drawback right here is that every degree has a degree of no return on the finish, but it surely’s by no means clear what precisely will set off it. In Chapter 2, as an example, the primary quest duties you with discovering three gasoline sources, and likewise provides you two facet quests with extra objects which might be vital to particular characters. However in case you full the primary quest earlier than finding the facet quest objects, you may instantly be thrown right into a cutscene and won’t be able to return and proceed your search until you restart the episode. A easy immediate asking you in case you’re prepared to go away as soon as you have accomplished a important quest (which regularly consists of a number of phases, making it even more durable to discern how shut you’re to ending it) would immediately clear up this drawback.
Nonetheless, the sport shines in nearly each different class. One significantly spectacular feat the builders by some means managed to drag off was making Drummer’s phrases and actions plausible, irrespective of which decisions you make whereas taking part in as her. Whether or not it is amputating an harmless man’s leg in the midst of a spacewalk or deciding to “area” a troublemaker (learn: toss them out of an open airlock with no vac-suit), Drummer executes no matter choice you select in a way that does not appear out of character for her, even when the choices offered are polar opposites. Although Drummer’s dialogue response choices are normally restricted to solely two decisions, these choices nearly all the time work flawlessly in relation to authenticity. The dialogue selection descriptions are quick, however The Expanse avoids forcing the participant to decide on a line of dialogue based mostly on a deceptive description–Drummer would not blurt out one thing fully surprising in a tone you did not intend for her to make use of. You will not end up considering, “I did not imply for her to say it like that,” a problem usually seen when RPG dialogue choices are too quick or too imprecise.
The sport’s writing is, with out query, its best energy. You will chuckle out loud at every little thing from snappy comebacks to humorously penned datapad entries. However similar to the tv present and e book sequence, the sport’s humorousness fortunately doesn’t endure from a Marvel-esque must throw in a self-conscious joke each time there is a second of pressure, as an alternative managing to remain completely balanced within the “Goldilocks zone” in relation to comedian aid. Moments of levity are there when acceptable, however intense scenes are given time to breathe–as are tender moments between Drummer and her love curiosity.
The chemistry between Drummer and Martian ship mechanic Maya Castillo is palpable from the second they meet. In the end, it is as much as you to resolve whether or not Drummer will pursue her romantically, and given the truth that Maya’s the one romanceable NPC within the recreation, pursuing her looks like a forgone conclusion. In most RPGs, romance and survival aren’t inherently tied collectively. In The Expanse, romance is an ethical conundrum from the second it presents itself. The Artemis is a small ship–people are sure to search out out, and crew members will usually allude to the concept one particular person or one other is being proven favoritism even earlier than you might have the chance to pursue Maya. Different reasonable dilemmas additionally outcome from this potential romance. When you do not reply to Maya’s romantic overtures, will the provide be gone for good, or will Drummer get one other likelihood to make a transfer? The sport provides itself room to evoke these questions of morality and logistics by specializing in a single relationship. One would suppose that Maya’s presence alone means it is meant to be. Maybe it’s, however the recreation’s environment continuously communicates reminders that each transfer Drummer makes has a butterfly impact on the remainder of the sport. The largest romantic dilemma most RPG protagonists sometimes face is selecting which NPC to woo. However The Expanse forces you to reply higher, extra attention-grabbing questions. Not simply, “Am I curious about her?” however “Is that this a good suggestion proper now? Is it a good suggestion in any respect?”
Telltale’s Expanse is a masterclass in narrative design, and subsequent playthroughs will reveal that, in contrast to a few of the studio’s earlier choices, nearly each single selection the participant makes does have a novel end result. The Expanse would not current you with the phantasm of selection, the place you are continuously making choices, however just a few of them really matter. It cleverly makes use of environmental clues, delicate facial animations, and different non-verbal hints to mean you can discover solutions to your questions, slightly than spoon-feeding you expositional dialogue. Whether or not your aim is studying extra about Virgil, the ship’s secretive medic, or just determining who stole Khan’s BBQ sauce, Telltale’s Expanse leaves no stone unturned, and no free finish untied.
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Greater than that, The Expanse has what I have been trying to find in Telltale video games since The Strolling Useless Season 1: soul. Characters do not feel disposable, demise would not really feel inevitable, and happiness would not appear as hopelessly out-of-reach because it does in Sport of Thrones or The Strolling Useless, which makes for a refreshing change. The Expanse shouldn’t be populated with throwaway characters who already really feel doomed to be a sufferer for the sake of drama, or soulless zombies who may be killed with no second thought. When you hearth a weapon in The Expanse, you’re altering the lifetime of an actual human being, and the sport makes certain you understand it. As a result of each NPC companion may be saved, being unable to avoid wasting one in every of them (or having to make the painful selection to not) hits exhausting, even when that character poses a major danger to Drummer or the remainder of the crew.
In a world of monumental RPGs with seemingly countless facet quests and large maps, The Expanse: A Telltale Sequence is a refreshing change of tempo, and proves that typically, much less is extra. An amazing RPG would not essentially should be a 60-hour journey; it simply must convincingly drop you into one other particular person’s magboots. The Expanse does that after which some, forcing you to make tough choices that may hang-out you lengthy after you have completed taking part in.