REVIEW: ‘The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 1’ Creates An Origin For A Fan Favorite (PS5)

Fans of The Expanse rejoiced when the show was saved by Amazon after its third season cancellation by Syfy.  Amazon’s intervention would pay off as the show would go on to complete its very strong, critically acclaimed six-season run. So it’s only fitting that a developer that went through its own death and resurrection would return with a video game adaptation of the sci-fi hit. The Expanse: A Telltale Series, lets players experience the world created by James S.A. Corey through the eyes of Camina Drummer. Camina is one of the most popular characters in the television adaptation. She does appear in the novels, however, her character was expanded upon and rose to prominence in the show. The events of the game take place years before the show and allow the fans to create an origin for Drummer. It becomes an even bigger deal when you take into account that Drummer only appears in two of the novels as a mostly background character.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a game broken up over six episodes (five core and one DLC), with each episode having roughly 70-120 minutes of gameplay depending on your style. Telltale does an excellent job hooking players by setting the mood with the game’s opening menu. The visuals and score make you feel like you’re starting another season of the television show. This game provides many accessibility options, including visuals for colorblindness and controlling the size and font of captions. However, the most important accessibility option is the ability to control the speed of quick-time events, even to the point of turning off the timer completely.

In the past, Telltale games only really gave you freedom through the choices that will impact an eventual outcome. Maps of some past games like The Walking Dead and Wolf of Among Us felt like they were operating on rails and were often limited to what was going on in a specific small area. Due to the nature of The Expanse, Telltale took things a step further in allowing more freedom of movement in their control scheme.

One of my favorite moments playing this episode is when the game’s tutorial finally took off the training wheels and allowed me to take full control of the jet pack and mag boots. Being able to explore space and wreckage is such a huge part of the show, and I was pleased to see Telltale expand on their gameplay style to achieve that. Controls are simple and very responsive. The graphics are crisp and have a consistent frame rate without noticeable clipping. Telltale games aren’t known for being taxing on hardware, but the game remains visually appealing.

The characters are brought to life by excellent voice actors, with Cara Gee and Shohreh Aghdashloo reprising their roles of Camina Drummer and Chrisjen Avasarala respectively. Jihad Milhem and Omid Dastán Harrison play a pair of Belter twins, and their mastery of Belter Creole play an important role in player immersion. The clash of cultures and principles is the driving force of the narrative of the novels, the show, and the game. It’s important that this crew not only sound different but interact differently with other characters and the player based on their cultural background.

Twins from The Belt interact with Drummer like she’s a big sister or even mother to a degree. Maya Castillo (Isabel Chavez) is very much a product of Martian military indoctrination. Jarred Harris was not brought back to be Anderson Dawes for the game, however, Stephen Frost does such an excellent job that I forgot it isn’t Harris. Other members include Captain Garrison Cox of Earth, pilot Khan Tran, who has a mysterious background, and medic Virgil Marks of Earth. These are the lives that you’re responsible. The choices you make and the things that you find or don’t find will determine if they survive or not.

Some may scoff at Telltale Games’ episodic format, but I think it’s an excellent option for older gamers, gamers that have hectic schedules, or people that may have issues gaming for extended periods of time. They have accessible control schemes and are short enough to not consume hours of your day while long enough to feel accomplished when it’s over. Telltale did a great job of capturing what it’s like to watch an episode of The Expanse. Thorough exploration is not just encouraged but rewarded and will have a direct impact on how your story unfolds. The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 1 is an excellent first entry that will hopefully garner the kind of following that led to Wolf Among Us getting a sequel.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is off to a great start with Episode 1. It offers all the important things that a fan of the show would need to feel at home if this is their first time playing a game from Telltale and it offers enough new mechanics to grab the interest of long-time Telltale fans.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 1 is available now on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The remaining four episodes will release every two weeks with the DLC episode releasing sometime in the fall.