The Expanse Episode 2: Unveiling the Imperfections in Telltale's Storytelling Method

Highlights

The Expanse: A Telltale Series focuses on relationship-building and exploration, with players' approach to exploration having the biggest impact on the series narrative.

Players have a great deal of decision-making freedom in the game, although those who approach it with a traditional Telltale series mindset may overlook vital interactions. The game's exploration segments enable players to uncover hidden items that are pivotal to the narrative, underscoring the significance of every decision made while exploring.

The triumphant return of Telltale Games is marked by The Expanse: A Telltale Series, developed by Deck Nine Games, renowned for their work on the Life is Strange franchise. Unlike previous games, The Expanse focuses on relationship-building and exploration, with decision-making playing a crucial role. However, the implementation of freedom of choice in this approach has its flaws, as Episode 2 highlights. Many players are unaware that their minor decisions during exploration have the most significant impact on the series' narrative.

Based on James S.A. Corey's popular book and television series, The Expanse: A Telltale Series offers an original prequel story centered around the beloved character Camina Drummer. The first two episodes feature segments where players freely roam open space, search for salvage, and navigate crew relationships aboard their ship, the Artemis. However, The Expanse diverges from the traditional Telltale formula by placing more emphasis on decision-making, especially when it comes to exploration. While this format provides players with a great deal of freedom, those who approach the game with the expectations of a typical Telltale series may miss out on crucial interactions.

The Expanse Delivers a Title in Which Decisions Truly Matter

The most pivotal moments in The Expanse: A Telltale Series take place on the Artemis, where the story is driven by conversations. However, unlike other Telltale games, the depth of these discussions heavily relies on how players choose to spend their alone time. The Expanse's open-world salvaging sections offer complete freedom to players, allowing them to explore space and wreckage without any time constraints or indication of the amount of salvage available. While previous titles have claimed that player decisions matter, it is in these exploration segments that Telltale truly delivers on that promise.

The opening chapter of The Expanse: A Telltale Series offers little guidance, enabling players to learn about the game's mechanics and salvaging system through their own experiences. While they are provided with a destination marker and main objective, players are free to search ships, rooms, and floating wreckage for hidden items. While some of these items may seem insignificant, others turn out to be vital to the game's narrative. Consequently, The Expanse places importance on every decision made during exploration. Rather than presenting players with a couple of life-or-death choices, the game introduces the element of spontaneity, where opting to explore one of the various optional rooms in real-time could determine the fate of any crew member in future episodes.

The Expanse Episode 2 Highlights A Flaw In Its Approach to Freedom

The opening chapter of The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 2 emphasizes the importance of the optional salvage obtained in Episode 1. One example is when Drummer has the option to give a salvaged cigar to another crew member, leading to a bonding experience and gaining a crucial codeword for future episodes. Additionally, players can utilize another optional salvage to uncover hidden details about the ship's cook. By revisiting this crew member's location, players can encounter a significant moment of relationship-building, despite it being obscure.

Regrettably, Telltale fails to convey the true significance of exploration in The Expanse - Episode 1, resulting in many fans missing out on the major moments of Episode 2. The Results page shows that 66% of all players overlooked a single item that determines the survival of a certain character, highlighting the issue of players solely focusing on the storyline in Episodes 1 and 2. As we head into Episode 3, the consequences of these small decisions could have far-reaching implications. Therefore, players who wish to ensure the survival of their crew should thoroughly explore every corner and hidden area from the very beginning of Episode 1.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.