The grand return for Telltale Games fell a bit flat with the underwhelming opening episode of The Expanse: A Telltale Series. Not only was it bereft of the developer’s famed storytelling, the acting quality also seemed below par. Alas, a series cannot be judged so soon and episode two, “Hunting Grounds”, has now arrived to try to salvage the situation.
Does it manage to steer The Expanse: A Telltale Series back on course, or is this episodic adventure destined for mediocrity?
*Warning – spoilers ahead for episode one*
Episode two picks up where the cliffhanger left off, with pirates hot on the trail of the Artemis and its crew. With former Captain Cox either released into space like garbage for his treacherous act of trying to kill Drummer, or given a slight reprieve by being locked up in the brig, the responsibility of decision making falls to our protagonist. Thrown in at the deep end, Drummer takes the advice of a crewmate to lay low in a nearby graveyard of shipwrecks, hoping for the hunting party to lose track of them. Whether it’s a good idea or not will unveil itself as the rest of the episode unfolds.
You’ll be spending the majority of your time in zero-g, which isn’t a bad thing as this gameplay aspect has been the strongest and most interactive so far. Exploring the ships in the graveyard for salvageable items is important for the future survival of those on the Artemis. Seeking out useful items or spotting objects of interest is rather enjoyable once more. It’s quite a risky escapade however, with the searching for supplies interrupted in favour of some neat moments.
In a fresh twist, stealth comes into play here and you’ll find yourself floating through nearby abandoned hulls due to hostile drones. Avoiding their targeting beams is critical for survival and it really tests your patience. Monitoring the drone movements before making your move is the order of the day. It’s an unexpected, yet welcome, activity. There are also a couple of QTE sections that could have a ‘game over’ outcome, but one of them is quite repetitive in regards to the inputs required. Furthermore, the actual on-screen command is very small at times; it is tricky to see.
On the character front, it’s still hard to build relationships because a huge portion of the conversations are done via comms. Hence, you don’t get the face to face interactions often enough to feel real connections, but for the rare occasions it allows that, it’s much better. The voice acting is improved first and foremost; even the strange Khan voice sounds more natural. It also highlights the importance of salvage items; a particular find led to a proper heart to heart that allowed Drummer and Khan to bond. Genuinely, it’s the most engrossing dialogue in The Expanse: A Telltale Series to date.
There’s definitely still work to do though, specifically in showcasing the entire supporting cast. And another slightly disappointing is in the choice department. Sure, I don’t expect every decision to make an instant impact, but at the moment nothing really matters. Perhaps the latter stages of the adventure will see every consequence come into effect though, so persevering with it is all anyone can do right now.
Despite the vast improvement on the inaugural offering, a couple of technical issues arise. Textures sometimes take a little too long to load and at one point, an entire character model was invisible before eventually popping in. There are also irritations involving the camera while exploring the ships, where everything goes pitch black because the walls of the area block the view. It’s easy to get lost and confused!
On the whole, episode two of The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a remarkable improvement on the opener. The zero-g section is exciting and tests your stealthy skills, while the storytelling is slightly better thanks to the voiceover quality and a worthwhile conversation. Unfortunately the interactions with the crew are few and far between, so that’s a shame. It’s also disappointing to see a few easily avoidable issues arise, which marr the enjoyment a tad.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series is almost at the halfway point and it’s building up a head of steam. Still, just hang fire on a purchase for the time being.
