The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Embrace the Vacuum [Review]

In preparation for Owlcat’s upcoming RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, set in The Expanse universe, I decided to watch the show. Why it took me this long, I honestly don’t know. Because it’s excellent, as it reminds me of the cool sci-fi underground crime world of Mass Effect 2—where a mercenary’s life is only worth as fast as he is on the trigger. From here on, one thing led to another, and I got curious if the show has seen any other game adaptations. And to my surprise, yes, in fact it has, in the form of a Telltale style game in The Expanse: A Telltale Series, which we are reviewing today. 

Drummer
I usually don’t like prequels much, but in this specific case, it works well—as both entertainment and keeping the lore intact. In The Expanse: A Telltale Series, you play as the belter scavenger Camina Drummer—when the typical space junk hits the Epstein Drive, so to say. Your XO promises one last haul way too good to pass up, and while things stink of problems from the start, you and your crew decide to go for it nonetheless.

Since Telltale games live and die on their narration, I won’t go into too many details here, but as expected, the story ties in satisfactorily into the plotline of the show—super dangerous weird blue alien goo included. Camina Drummer is also a damn appealing character, which has me waiting with anticipation to see more of her in the TV show. I’m currently two episodes in for season two, so I only got a small taste of her so far. And from what I can tell, she seems to basically be the same from the game. That is awesome, and overall, the game’s storyline adds to the enjoyment of learning more of this fascinating sci-fi world as I go along in the show.

However, the plot outside the META is simply okay, instead of good. The story starts out well enough, and builds up fairly slow. Yet, when the action starts, it never lets go for you to breathe to take it all in. It’s strangely structured, with how Drummer is just thrown into one situation after the next, without letting the player get to know the characters involved. For example, the main antagonist isn’t presented until the final stretch of the game. A bit late, particularly when you already have one narratively better bad guy to contend with…

Belter life
One aspect I genuinely enjoyed was the deep dive into belter lore, told with some nuance. Their grievance is understandable, being the spacers everyone (Earth and Mars) takes a dump on regularly. From the show, I got the impression that Belters seem somewhat unhinged, with a constant chip on their shoulder—willing to kill or die for the cause of a free Belt, even if it means taking down just one Inner before expiring themselves. The game expands on this, and explains that it’s not that clear-cut black and white, but I still think that belters are a tad nuts. I suppose deep-space living where the sun never shines will do crazy things to one’s mind! 

Zero-grav gameplay
Telltale games are not known for their riveting gameplay, and The Expanse: A Telltale Series is no exception. Yet they did spice things up by adding zero-gravity exploration, which has you floating around gloomy space stations where the floor switches places with the ceiling, or why not the walls. It’s actually pretty cool, with the developers getting serious mileage out of this new mechanic—a little too much some might say. 

Considering it’s the only gameplay mechanic we get outside of walking and picking dialogue options, it’s a welcome addition. It fits the theme of the game well, being in space and all. I especially liked the extravehicular activity segments that had you gliding from ship to ship with only the spooky dark void of space as the backdrop. I also got the feeling that more was planned here, as the first episode had fairly big areas to explore with side-quests that are easily missed. Sadly, this is dropped entirely after the first two episodes and becomes the typical linear Telltale visual novel-esque game. Not saying it’s bad, but it proved that these guys can craft more than just good stories. It’s just a shame the ambition fizzled out that quickly. 

The space look
Visually, The Expanse: A Telltale Series looks great, with it probably being the best a Telltale game has ever looked. The same goes for the animations, which are just top-notch—out of a technical viewpoint, at least. It does lack interesting environments and architecture made to mesmerize, as most places you will visit throughout the game often feel bland and grey. There are a couple of areas that spark wonder, but they are few and far between. It’s a missed opportunity that feels more like rushed development than lack of flair from the designers. 

Music and voice acting are another story, and are excellent quality through the whole game. Much to them getting the actors to voice their roles from the TV show, like scoring Cara Gee to do Camina Drummer again. She sure has a fascinating voice, mastering the odd belter dialect. The other voice actors are also good, and so is the music, and general atmosphere of the world of creaking spaceship interiors.

Conclusion
The Expanse: A Telltale Series is an entertaining game that sadly has a front-loaded story, followed by odd pacing issues that become worse the deeper you go into it. It’s still rather interesting, if you come to the game from just watching the show. But if you take the narration from a stand-alone perspective, it’s too short and doesn’t reveal much about the world or its characters. 

In simpler terms: prior knowledge of the show is paramount to truly enjoy the game. However, even then, the story can feel a little weak, which naturally drags down the overall impression. Yet, if you can find the game cheap like I did (three euros), and like the TV series, this is definitely well worth the purchase!

Thanks for reading.

– Thomas