With Episode 3, The Expanse: A Telltale Series reaches the midpoint of its story. After the end of the second episode, we find Drummer and her crew piloting the Artemis toward the coordinates found on a data card in the first episode. Episode 3 begins with the Artemis approaching the location of those coordinates: an old derelict space station.

Interestingly, this is one of the earliest created space stations. It was built shortly after the creation of the Epstein Drive, which allowed interplanetary travel in the solar system. This station existed before the term "Belters," and before the formation of the OPA. This station was home to some of the first humans to leave Earth and settle in space.

[caption id="attachment_399107" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 3 (PC [Reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Deck Nine
Publisher: Telltale
Released: August 24, 2023
MSRP: $39.99

A monumental narrative episode that connects with the show

Until this episode, The Expanse: A Telltale Series has kind of been its own standalone experience in The Expanse universe. More specifically, it takes place before the events that unfold in the six-season television series. However, in Episode 3, the overall narrative actually connects with the show and gives us a more detailed look at the events leading up to it.

Honestly, I was curious if Deck Nine would end up doing this, but wasn't too sure if it would. After all, the events of The Expanse: A Telltale Series are canon in The Expanse universe. Part of me felt like it would just be its own separate standalone story that simply takes place using a character we came to love from the show. But let's be real here. If the goal is to make this a truly memorable experience, it would probably have to connect to the show in some way. Now that it does, the story definitely feels more impactful and meaningful. I'm more interested in seeing where we go from here with the final two episodes.

[caption id="attachment_399125" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The gameplay loop continues

I had stated in my impressions of Episode 2 that I was afraid every episode would be exploring ship wreckage. For the first two episodes, that's what we were doing most of the time. Fortunately, we step foot in an actual space station for the majority of this episode, though exploring a structure in zero-G is obviously very similar to exploring what's left of a derelict ship.

While Episode 2 introduced a laser-dodging gameplay mechanic, Episode 3 features a new puzzle. For several spots throughout the space station, you have to direct power via cables to connect a grid of power boxes. It's honestly very simple and not difficult at all; you just trace where which cable goes to the next box and activate it. Once again, The Expanse: A Telltale Series is primarily a narrative-driven experience. However, it is nice to see the developer try to throw in some new gameplay elements with each episode, no matter how simple they may be.

[caption id="attachment_399111" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Yep, my choices mattered

In Episode 2, it felt like my choices were starting to matter. But, in Episode 3, it's very clear that my choices do in fact matter. Two big things happened at the end of the episode that made me curious—did I affect this outcome? In standard Telltale fashion, at the end of each episode, you get to see how your choices compare statistically to the choices of other players. While it appears one of the big things that happened does in fact happen no matter what, it appears as though the other big thing can be prevented. Sorry for the lack of detail here, I don't want to spoil anything.

However, it gets even more interesting. Out of pure curiosity, I speed-ran through Episode 3 again, specifically trying to change the outcome. Don't worry, I still planned to use my original playthrough going into Episode 4. With these types of titles, I find it most interesting to live with your choices. But I was surprised to find out that despite changing things, I still had the same outcome. I could be wrong, but I think it was actually a choice I made at the end of Episode 2 that had an effect on the outcome in Episode 3, which is great.

[caption id="attachment_399128" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

A solid experience so far

As we head into the final two episodes, I'm overall feeling pretty happy with The Expanse: A Telltale Series so far. My only issue with it so far may be the length in comparison to the price point. The Wolf Among Us was $14.99 for five episodes that totaled close to 10 hours. So far, through three of the five episodes of The Expanse: A Telltale Series, I'm at a little less than four hours. And the price is $39.99, over double the price compared to The Wolf Among Us.

Not taking the length and price into consideration, this has been a fun trek through the universe of The Expanse. And, I feel like it's about to get even more interesting as we head into the back half of the story.

In two weeks we will take a look at Episode 4. And on September 21 we will reach the conclusion of The Expanse: A Telltale Series with the final episode.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher. We're saving the score for the final episode to encompass the complete experience.]}

The post Review: The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series picks up right where the first episode left off. Things were in a bit of disarray, so the opening moments of The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 2 are a bit hectic. However, Camina Drummer is now the captain of The Artemis, which means our choices should now matter more than ever. Even though we're technically still in the first half of the series, by the end of the episode I certainly feel like things are moving forward.

[caption id="attachment_395756" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 2 (PC [Reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Deck Nine
Publisher: Telltale
Released: August 10, 2023
MSRP: $39.99

A familiar gameplay loop

I have to admit, Episode 2 is very similar to Episode 1. We start out onboard the Artemis, before encountering a ship debris field. We navigate the wreckage, find a few hidden items, then finish out the episode back on the Artemis. Don't get me wrong, the narrative moved forward in Episode 2. But with each of these episodes only lasting about an hour and a half so far, I'm starting to worry a bit.

Listen, I understand...this is The Expanse. It makes sense that we've spent all of our time in the depths of space so far. But, that doesn't make it a fun gameplay loop. Space looks just as beautiful as it did in the first episode, but navigating the derelict ship felt a bit too much like I had just done the same thing. It would be cool if we get to explore a station at some point, or even maybe visit Earth, Mars, or even another planet. Even though that's highly unlikely given the overarching narrative of The Expanse, I do think it would be cool to do.

About halfway through the episode, there is a new gameplay element in which you have to navigate the wreckage while dodging the lasers from drones that are searching for you. It's nothing game-changing, but it is nice to see Deck Nine trying to add some new gameplay mechanics into a narrative-focused title.

[caption id="attachment_395755" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Choices do seem to matter

While I seemingly made some big choices in the first episode, I wasn't sure if they were actually going to end up mattering or not. Furthermore, I went out of my way to complete some "side missions", obtaining various items my crew had requested.

To my surprise,  the choices I made actually seemed to impact what happened throughout this episode, which is great. Also, it seems like going out of my way to gather those extra items also made a difference too. For example, in Episode 1 our medic had requested a new laser crystal for our surgical device on the Artemis. I was able to find it and in Episode 2 someone required a surgical procedure. The procedure was seemingly effective specifically because I found the laser crystal. I am a bit curious about what would have happened had I not found it.

As a side note to The Expanse fans, this is definitely the Camina Drummer from the show. As I said in my impressions of Episode 1, Cara Gee knocks it out of the park. I'm really glad they were able to get her to reprise the voice of Drummer. There are a few choices you have to make throughout this episode, and they certainly felt like Drummer options. At the end of the episode, we catch up with our crew on the Artemis. We really get to see the effects of Drummer being captain, which I'm sure is setting up future episodes.

In two weeks we'll take a look at Episode 3 at which point I think we'll have a good idea of the direction The Expanse: A Telltale Series is taking.

The post Review: The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

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.

[caption id="attachment_393844" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

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.

[caption id="attachment_393870" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

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.

The post Review: The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Episode 1 appeared first on Destructoid.

New episodes will arrive every other week

Telltale Games is premiering the first episode of The Expanse: A Telltale Series this summer. The first installment will go live on July 27, with more episodes to follow in the weeks after.

The Expanse series will be episodic, with five episodes in total. After the first drops on July 27, each episode will follow two weeks after each other, putting the targeted end date in September.

There's a standard edition for $39.99, or a Deluxe Edition for $44.99 that will give 24-hour early access on PlayStation or Epic, and also future DLC. Yes, Telltale confirms DLC is on the way, though it doesn't clarify what shape that will take.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzG5WI5ak1g

All part of the churn

This new Expanse series arrives from the revived Telltale Games, under LCG Entertainment. While it's rolled out games like the Shadow Edition of the Batman Telltale series, The Expanse is one the studio has been building up to for a while, in collaboration with Life is Strange: True Colors developer Deck Nine.

Telltale also confirmed that The Wolf Among Us 2, its follow-up to the previous Fable adventure, is delayed into 2024. The shift is to avoid crunch, and move from Unreal 4 to 5, according to an IGN interview at the time.

This will be an interesting one to watch, to see what the new Telltale is putting out. Deck Nine's involvement certainly has me intrigued, as True Colors was a really solid entry in the Life is Strange series, and I'm a fan of The Expanse too. Opting for an episodic structure similar to what old Telltale popularized has me curious about its reception, though. At the very least, it will be weeks between episodes rather than months.

We'll see if the sci-fi drama's gradual rollout works. The Expanse: A Telltale Series premieres on July 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Epic.

The post The Expanse: A Telltale Series kicks off its episodic run in July appeared first on Destructoid.

Gear up for launch next year, Belters

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is setting a course for launch. The sci-fi narrative adventure set in The Expanse universe is aiming for a summer 2023 release window.

The Telltale series showed up today, as part of Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022. The series will follow beloved Belter captain Camina Drummer, in a prequel set before the events of The Expanse show.

In the gameplay shown today, we got a look at some of the zero-G navigation and space sections. Looks like there will be the usual quick-time events, as well as some tough choices to make.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdU8hhftinE

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is being developed by Telltale and Deck Nine, the makers of Life is Strange: True Colors. Today, the team set a release window of next summer in 2023.

The post Telltale’s The Expanse looks to take off in summer 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Just caught in the churn

Gamescom Opening Night Live is less than a week away, which means we're steadily seeing which games are pre-announcing their show appearance. Today, showrunner Geoff Keighley and Telltale Games confirm that the latter's The Expanse series will show off a first look at gameplay during the showcase.

The Opening Night Live stream is airing on Twitch and YouTube, on August 23 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. The show's expected to run for two hours, with over 30 games on stage to show.

https://twitter.com/telltalegames/status/1559933630104752128

The new Telltale series is from the reformed Telltale Games, which was bought and revived after the first Telltale Games had to shut its doors. This new Telltale, under LCG Entertainment, is the one working on The Expanse: A Telltale Series alongside fellow narrative game studio Deck Nine and Alcon Interactive Group.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13h1mxJUZjc

No risk, no reward

I am pretty curious to see what this combination has in store for The Expanse. While the new Telltale is fairly fresh, Deck Nine proved its mettle with Life is Strange: True Colors, a really phenomenal entry in the series.

The story will follow Camina Drummer, who Expanse fans will remember as the all-around-badass Belter from the series. It takes place prior to the events of the series, following Drummer's search for a mysterious treasure on the fringes of the Belt.

While IP adaptations were Telltale's go-to during its original run, The Expanse is a new franchise for the company. It's also one that could, in my opinion, really benefit from a narrative-focused approach. The tensions and politics of the Solar System playing out in verbal standoffs through Telltale's systems could be a good time, if done well. We'll learn more at Gamescom Opening Night Live.

Telltale is also working on The Wolf Among Us 2, which we got a look at earlier this year. That's set for sometime in 2023.

The post The Expanse: A Telltale Games Series will get a gameplay first look at Gamescom ONL appeared first on Destructoid.

I'll believe it when I see it

Last week's Game Awards were full of lots and lots… and lots of announcements, but one that particularly stood out to me was the trailer for Telltale Games' return with their new title The Expanse. It's a bit jarring to see the studio's name nowadays, like it's the zombified corpse of a once dear friend.

When I was a little baby gamer who really loved story-focused games but didn't have the mechanical skills to play anything else, Telltale was my go-to. From the tough but lovable characters in The Wolf Among Us to the kickass licensed soundtrack from Tales from the Borderlands, they're still some of the most stylized narrative experiences you can find in games today.

Telltale was beloved not only by me, but basically the entirety of the gaming community, so I think I can speak for just about everyone when I say we were devastated to hear that the studio was shutting down in 2019. I also watched the Noclip documentary about the breakdown of the studio, which made the heartbreak of it all the more palpable.

If you aren't familiar, Noclip is a production company that makes crowdfunded documentaries about games. In May of 2019, they released a near hour-long film interviewing some of the former Telltale employees about the company's final days. They speak of backbreaking crunch, poor leadership who bit off more than the studio could chew, and the constant looming threat of layoffs and closures. Many of the employees were completely blindsided by the news that the studio went under, who were told that they only had thirty minutes to gather their things and exit the building after the meeting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-2nNksMBpg

Anyone who was on social media at the time of Telltale's closing, though, will remember the outpouring of love and support for the former Telltale developers on social media. Plenty of game companies made posts directed specifically at those affected by the closure, as they could provide them jobs at their own studios. Even the release of the Noclip documentary was cathartic, as one developer wrote in the comments on YouTube: "As another Ex-Telltale dev, thanks for this. This provided so many of us with some serious emotional closure, thank you."

So I was shocked to hear in December of that same year that Telltale would potentially return with a second Wolf Among Us game. Surely they had rallied up everyone who had been fired and reformed the team to keep going, right? Nope. The name and rights of the studio had in fact been sold to LCG Entertainment, a new holding company that had been formed in an attempt to revive the brand. "There is still a huge fanbase of Telltale players and that's one of the main reasons we decided to make this investment, said LCG co-head Brian Waddle, while at the time only hiring back a few, if any at all, of the previous Telltale developers.

In fairness, there's a chance that LCG has in fact brought the former devs back on board, but there hasn't been much coverage of the topic since the initial media storm died down. So that brings me to my main point: as far as we know, henceforth all of the Telltale games we're going to get will be with a team that is at best mostly new to the brand, and that makes me skeptical beyond all belief. Recapturing the magic of the originals is difficult enough as is, but that's made even more difficult when you're missing major players that made our favorite games what they were.

I'm not saying that a new group of people won't be able to make awesome games, it's just that something about Telltale's return leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe it's the part of me that was also hurt from a project I cared about getting shut down with little warning, but something feels wrong about the previous devs being unceremoniously let go, just for all of their work and assets to be sold to the highest bidder, who can then use that to ride the coattails of the name that they worked so hard to build. It'll be hard to enjoy something new if it feels like it was built on top of the graveyard of the thing I loved.

That initial hit of dopamine when we see our favorite developer's name flash across the screen can be addicting, but every once in a while I want us to stop and think about how that name got there in the first place. I want us all to be able to play amazing games all the time, but I also want them to be created in the healthiest, happiest, least-exploitative way possible, and regardless of the sketchiness of the current Telltale situation, the evocation of its name alone should be enough to make us stop and think.

Besides the labor practices, I also just want them to make good games that are fun to play and pay homage to the Telltale formula while also iterating on it. We've launched into a new console generation since the studio's shutdown, and the fans and the namesake deserve only the best if we're going to do this again. If we must revivify the corpse of Telltale, then by god, just make it good.

One encouraging moment we also got from The Game Awards, though, was a trailer for the narrative adventure game Star Trek: Resurgence from a new indie studio called Dramatic Labs, whose team is comprised of former Telltale employees. If they weren't able to be rehired by the LCG, it's heartening to see that these devs are still out here making the types of games that they love. I'm glad they can return on their own terms.

The current team at Telltale recently released a short update, but it was cryptic at best, and focused entirely on the games rather than the teams making them. From where we stand, there's really no way to know the full story, unless some of the former or current devs speak out more substantially. Part of me is curious to give the new titles a try when they come out, but until then I'll definitely be taking everything they say with a grain of salt. Shutdowns can happen out of nowhere.

The post I’m skeptical of Telltale’s return appeared first on Destructoid.