The Expanse: A Telltale Series Reviews
With its stunning graphics, captivating narrative, well-crafted characters, and seamless integration into the game, the legendary studio is back and continues to redefine its legacy and narrative graphic adventure genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The first two episodes of The Expanse: Archer's Paradox are a solid beginning. They're mostly there to introduce the setting, the tone and the characters, but that's really all it needs to do. How well it holds up as an entire story isn't something we'll be able to judge for a few months, but isn't that how most TV shows go? As far as quality as an adventure game/interactive movie, The Expanse is a strong return to form for Telltale Games. If you've missed Telltale's games, even if you're not a fan of the TV show, it's worth trying out The Expanse. If nothing else, maybe it'll get you interested in the shows.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series brings back all the features we've seen before in Telltale games, both the good and the questionable. The transmedia text is great, and the rhizomatic bifurcations look promising, but combat and exploration systems remain shallow and unappealing. For fans of the genre and/or the franchise, a treat. For others, not so much.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Narrative-driven prequel for The Expanse show
Episode 1 of The Expanse: A Telltale Series is designed by and for the fans, but sci-fi aficionados will appreciate its worldbuilding and deep atmosphere. Those that like a good story will enjoy their time exploring the UNN Urshanabi.
The game is a great addition for fans of this universe, who will glimpse what might have happened before the first series. Newcomers will find specific dialogue and things strange and make no sense to them, and unfortunately, they won't get any explanation.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Telltale & Deck Nine's Expanse prequel weaves a compelling-enough yarn, but archaic design elements could tempt even ardent fans into spacing it.
“The Expanse: A Telltale Series” will undoubtedly please fans of the series while offering enough to engage newcomers. It’s a game that respects its source material while daring to add layers of complexity.
I’ve found The Expanse: A Telltale Series to be a solid attempt to re-establish Telltale as the king of adventure games once again. They were able to consistently hit their release deadlines for each episode, and with all now available, it’s the perfect time to check this one out. If you’ve ever had any affinity for the show, or Telltale’s prior efforts, you’ll likely find something to enjoy here.
Telltale's The Expanse reinvents their mechanics while being a faithful inclusion to the lore that fans of the books or Amazon's TV series will get the most out of.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series feels like a fairly decent return to form for Telltale Games after its temporary closure. As a fan of The Expanse, I can attest that this Telltale series represents the show, and the character of Camina Drummer in particular, very authentically, and it was a joy to return to that setting and explore it from a different perspective. Despite those positives as a fan, the series also suffers from feeling especially short, linear and low-stakes. While The Expanse: A Telltale Series certainly has its high points, diehard fans of The Expanse or Telltale Games' previous output are likely the only ones who would get much out of the experience.
The Expanse is in excellent hands. Telltale has crafted a wonderful opening duology for its comeback story in episodes one and two. For fans of the developer’s past work, you’ll be happy to know this is a Telltale game through and through. The episodes may be briefer than in the past—at 90 minutes each so far—but they showcase some of the best writing, choices, and animations that the studio has offered to date. Gone may be the walkers and the fairy tale creatures, but The Expanse: A Telltale Series promises scavengers, politics, and even space pirates. I can’t wait to play episode three.
To begin, you play the role of protagonist Camina Drummer. She soon becomes commander of the ship Artemis. Her crew are salvagers who scavenge for wreckage in space. Like any good narrative game, you'll have to make choices that will have consequences for the story. QTEs (quick actions) add an interesting element to the development of the story in The Expanse: A Telltale Series.The script is well written and the result is that you always want to know what happens next. Unfortunately, the controls in space aren't ideal and can be frustrating. On the other hand, it's not catastrophic, and the graphics are rather pretty.To fully understand the story of the members of the Artemis, I recommend that you read as many of the recordings as possible and delve into every nook and cranny. You'll learn more and become even more attached to the characters.Finally, the choices you make are represented in a chart. You can see this in the third image in the slideshow below. Don't worry, the titles don't mean much and I'm not divulging any important secrets.
Review in French | Read full review
The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 1 demonstrates some potentially interesting gameplay mechanisms, notably with the mag boots and the zero-g movement. There may be a need for minor tweaks, but the overall foundation appears strong enough for a satisfying experience when the full game is finally released. Even though it's still very early but The Expanse: A Telltale Series has much potential but doesn't quite live up to the hype of making an explosive comeback like some fans may have hoped. While the overall concept is intriguing, the gameplay itself falls just short of captivating players. Then again, the narrative is very absorbing, and the new angle provided by introducing Mag boots and zero-g exploration is quite interesting. Go for it if you're a huge fan of The Expanse universe or old Telltale Games such as The Wolf Among Us, Batman: The Telltale Series or The Walking Dead, but don't get your hopes up for a revolutionary new gaming experience.
Playing this particular game feels like being part of a very well-structured high-end space drama. Stakes are raised every so often to keep you engaged. A triumphant return not too often seen on the gaming landscape, The Expanse: A Telltale Series hits the ground running and doesn’t stop. By the time the first episode’s credits are rolling, you’ll be utterly hooked and counting down the days for the next release of this masterful tale.
The first episode of The Expanse: A Telltale Series captures what’s great about both The Expanse and Telltale games. That’s the sort of synergy behind the studios’ best games of old, and it leaves me excited that their return could end up as one of their stronger efforts. Despite some concerns about the more action-oriented gameplay late in this episode, I’m certainly excited to see where things go next.
So for now, episode one is a good start. Very much a Telltale interactive story. And if you’re down with that and not too much actual gaming you’ll be satisfied.
A good start for the new Telltale. The use of a consolidated engine like Unreal is a good choice for improving the performance and also adding new characteristics like exploration (it is enjoyable to fly in the void) that enhances the previous Telltale games. The game also captures the setting of the TV series thanks to the participation of some the original cast actresses. If you are a fan of The Expanse or a sci-fi addict, this is the game that you should play in the next months.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Archer’s Paradox is a fantastic way for Telltale to reannounce itself to the world, doing what they do best, while working with one of the best narrative studios in the world. The Expanse: A Telltale Series starts off in an affirming, hard-hitting way, with fun mechanics, optional objectives, and some impactful decisions that will certainly have wide-reaching implications. Slight graphical hiccups, sound quality issues, and a short length do hold this one back a bit, meaning it’s not among Telltale’s best, but none of that is anywhere near enough to stop me from getting hyped for what comes next.