There’s ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ astronauts, ‘nuff said.

A true beltalowda wouldn't hesitate to press the purchase button, sa sa ke?

Let me start by saying that both the show and the book series this game is based on are fu*king excellent. It’s easily one of my favorite shows, period. This game doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the universe. It’s a blend of noir, hard sci-fi, political intrigue, war, and more. It largely keeps the science as realistic as the story really allows and it does so to some pretty great effect. It feels plausible in a way few space operas do.

The first season starts a little slow, not bad in any way just slow, it has a lot of world building and character introductions to fit in, but once it kicks in… it fu*king flies. They adapted everything but the last 3 books because of a massive time jump that pretty much makes it a new show but it does complete its main arch and dangles a little more if they ever get the chance for a sequel series.

I honestly can’t recommend it enough. The game does a nice job of introducing you to Drummer, a fan favorite character, but doesn’t open up too much with the overall plot of the show/books which I’m thankful for because it’s a wild ride that goes places you won’t expect and plays with genres in very fun ways. Love how the series has come full circle, since originally, even before books, The Expanse was prototyped as a tabletop RPG.

As a big fan of the show though, I can say with confidence the game is very true to the atmosphere of it. The game feels like another season of the show. I really enjoyed it, hearing the theme tune play from the main menu made me a little emotional. They really nailed the look and feel of The Expanse universe and it was a genuine thrill playing the protagonist. I teared up a few times. It's hard to tell whether it would be appreciated as much for those who don't have the knowledge of the lore, but I still think it’s a very solid story. If you want to enjoy the game more, just watch the show before playing the game, it's a masterpiece and you will learn a lot about this universe. You’ll gain a deeper appreciation for some of what happens in the game and some of the characters who show up.

Gameplay is a big leap, way more interaction which was lacking in later Telltale Games. There is not a massive time spent with your crew but I still came away thinking it was a very dynamic group. The episodes are short but only if you aren't one for exploring. I must have put over an hour into the wreckage exploration alone. When I first went out into it, I was overwhelmed with how open it was and how small it made me feel, they did a fantastic job at creating that feeling visually. And I just love Maya and Drummer together. Fantastic ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ relationship.

It’s a bit slow at times - mostly because a game can rarely be as fast/dynamic as an actual movie/TV series - but the tone is perfect. Solid writing and dialogue, great exploration (the zero-g section was amazing) and good characters. There’s some hard choices that (potentially) have a ton of impact like whether or not to space a traitor, and side quests that might end up having a major effect or not on the story, which is much different from Telltale’s old formula.

I thought the star of the show in the game was the exploration. I really liked all the characters as well, but the exploration is what really felt straight up out of the show to me. I don’t think the novelty of that ever wore off for me. I also really liked the ending between episodes as it reminded me of how the show would always end episodes with really interesting hooks.

Again I think anyone could pick up the game and enjoy it, that said... I think at the absolute minimum to get the most out of the game you should read a quick worldbuilding recap just so you know the generic factions, state of the galaxy etc. The game very much expects you to know specific terms and what each faction is. I wouldn't say it'll make or break the experience but it's just good to know exactly what is what.

Overall it's definitely worth it but just know it's more like an interactive novel/movie vs a game. Personally I love these types of games. Detroit Almost Human, Until Dawn, The Quarry, Dark Pictures Anthology are some of my favourites. It’s the perfect kind of game for me - slow, meditative, exploration-heavy, story-heavy. If you like things to DO in a game, it’ll be boring. But if you’re looking to explore ships and watch the show while looking for easter eggs etc. It’s perfect.

Yeah it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth when exclusivity ends and I support it. It's like they can get away with it. Saying that... I like Telltale, I like the Expanse and I wanted to play this game. I hate that I’m weak like that, but there’s a DLC about Avasarala with a warning about how much she swears, as a big simp of her how could I say no to that?!

Buy it and enjoy it beratna, soon you won’t be no inya but a proud beltalowda.

10/10

Underrated. Best graphics yet from TellTale. Amazing voice over work. Good story for any fan of The Expanse.

Nice background story to the Expanse. Feels pretty much like the TV show. The game is full cutscenes with dual choise dialogues and a few action scenes were you need to press buttons in the right combination quickly. Sometime you will also have dialogues with a timer for the choices. As a fan who read all books and seen the TV series, I really enjoyed playing it. Drummer is a nice charater to play even if she is in the TV series an merge of different charaters of the book. Here you play her resembling the pirate Michio Pa from the books.