Software:The Expanse: A Telltale Series

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Short description: 2023 adventure video game
The Expanse: A Telltale Series
The Expanse Telltale 2022.jpg
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Telltale Games
Director(s)Stephan Frost
Producer(s)
  • CK Kindregan
  • Jessica Valdez
  • Sarah Kent
Designer(s)Christopher Sica
Programmer(s)Thomas Marnell
Artist(s)
  • Emerson Oaks
  • Anthony Jones
Writer(s)Jonathan Zimmerman
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
ReleaseJuly 27–September 21, 2023
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is an episodic adventure game co-developed by Telltale Games and Deck Nine. Its current five episodes were released between July and September 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It is a prequel to Alcon Entertainment's television series The Expanse.

Gameplay

The game is played from a third-person view. The player can move around various environments, and use point and click actions to interact with objects. Non-player characters (NPCs) can also be interacted with, triggering dialogue choices that change the trajectory of story events and will affect how other character view the player, helping to determine the ending of the game.

The player controls Camina Drummer, the XO of Artemis, an independent salvage vessel traveling across the Solar System before the events of the original series. The ship's crew scavenges abandoned starships for valuable parts and cargoes using zero gravity equipment, with the main story revolving around a wrecked ship with a highly valuable cargo, and the consequences of their decision to take it.

Development and release

On December 9, 2021 (2021-12-09), the game was originally announced at The Game Awards 2021.[1] On May 17, 2023, the first episode was announced for July 27, 2023, with four additional episodes to be released every two weeks thereafter.[2] On July 24, 2023, a bonus episode, "Archangel", was announced for fall 2023 at San Diego Comic-Con, featuring Shohreh Aghdashloo's character.[3] "Archangel" was released on November 20, 2023.

Episodes Release date
Episode 1 - Archer's Paradox July 27, 2023 (2023-07-27)
Episode 2 - Hunting Grounds August 10, 2023 (2023-08-10)
Episode 3 - First Ones August 24, 2023 (2023-08-24)
Episode 4 - Impossible Objects September 7, 2023 (2023-09-07)
Episode 5 - Europa's Folly September 21, 2023 (2023-09-21)

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic(PC) 76/100[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
GameSpot9/10[6]
IGN7/10[8]
PCGamesN8/10[7]
VideoGamer.com8/10[9]
CGMagazine8/10[5]

The Expanse: A Telltale Series received generally favourable reviews, according to Metacritic.[4]

GameSpot praised the game's writing, narrative design, Cara Gee's performance as Drummer, character-driven gameplay, and visual animations, but criticised the zero-g movement and collectible mechanic.[6] Similarly, IGN also lauded Gee's performance, writing, and visuals but opined that it "struggles to find engaging mechanics outside of its dialogue scenes, relying too heavily on quicktime events and mediocre movement challenges."[8]

References

  1. Clark, Nicole (2021-12-09). "The Expanse: A Telltale Series is in development" (in en-US). https://www.polygon.com/22826567/the-expanse-telltale-series-announcement-in-development-camina-drummer. 
  2. Ivan, Tom (2023-05-17). "Telltale's The Expanse episodic series launches in July" (in en-GB). https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/telltales-the-expanse-episodic-series-launches-in-july/. 
  3. Kaan, Serin (2023-07-24). "The Expanse: A Telltale Series' bonus episode brings back fan favourite Shohreh Aghdashloo" (in en). Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-expanse-a-telltale-series-bonus-episode-brings-back-fan-favourite-shohreh-aghdashloo. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 "The Expanse: A Telltale Series" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-expanse-a-telltale-series/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  5. "The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 1-3 (PC) Review - CGMagazine" (in en-CA). 2023-08-15. https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/the-expanse-telltale-pc-review/. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 "The Expanse: A Telltale Series Review – Choices That Matter" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-expanse-a-telltale-series-review-choices-that-matter/1900-6418098/. 
  7. "The Expanse: A Telltale Series review - in space, no-one can hear you cry" (in en-US). 2023-07-25. https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-expanse/review. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 Handlen, Zack (2023-08-04). "The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episodes 1-3 Review" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/the-expanse-a-telltale-series-episodes-1-3-review. 
  9. "The Expanse: A Telltale Series review - to infinity and beyond" (in en-US). 2023-07-25. https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/the-expanse-a-telltale-series/. 

Bibliography

External links