The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 2 Review

Reviewed On: PlayStation 5
Also Available On: PC, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One
Price: $39.99 USD – Standard Edition or $44.99 USD – Deluxe Edition ~ (Both are Digital Only)
Developer: Deck Nine Games
Publisher: Telltale
Episode 2 Release Date: August 10, 2023

Please Note: A review code was provided by Telltale but does not influence the opinions in this review.

I already reviewed Episode 1 and the different aspects around the game including the music, art, graphics, etc. You can check out that review here. To recap the episode quickly though, I had to make two massive decisions. My options were to either cut off a leg or destroy a vault on the wreckage. I chose to cut off the leg. The second decision was to send someone out of the air lock or put them into the brig aboard the Artemis ship. I chose to keep the person alive and lock them in the brig. I am not mentioning the names of these crew members because I want to keep spoilers to a minimum. Now, Captain Drummer is leading the crew and things have definitely taken an interesting turn in many ways. In terms of what happens in this episode, well… look below at some of the key moments.

***Khan is becoming a fan favorite of mine. Captured on PS5.***

In the second episode, there were a few different things that were happening to our motley crew. At the beginning of the episode, the crew were being hunted by a group of pirates trying to prevent them from finding something out. They escaped from the pirates by hiding out in an abandoned shipwreck. From there, you need to find a few things that will help you with the missions to come, along with finding some interesting pieces of equipment that will make different truths come out. One of these individuals that you can get more information out of, is Vergil (the medic), that can be done by obtaining a hacker data cube somewhere in the shipwreck area. What is Vergil hiding? Is anyone else hiding anything? Does Maya have a secret interest in someone on the ship? Well… in order to discover these things and more, you need to look around for the clues and items to uncover truths.

***Toussaint is going to be a critical player I am betting. Captured on PS5.***

After the first chapter, I hoped for a bit more variety in the gameplay and I got what I wanted in that regard. There is still the open area of exploration, multiple options to get to the objective, finding collectable items, and a lot more. Now, they added two other things that provide more gameplay to the game. These are fighting and more QTEs (quick time events) that are needing to be completed more than in the first episode. The other is stealth sections and not being detected by drones. These may be subtle in terms of just slight changes, but it keeps the players on their toes in terms of a bit more for gameplay sequences.

***Lasers are not friendly… Captured on PS5.***

The voice acting, music, audio, art, and everything else I previously talked about in my first episode review hasn’t changed, really. Everything is just as good or even better than before, including the eerie music when exploring the areas, the fantastic music that plays from Maya’s music player in the ship, awesome voice acting, and very nice artistic work. This is my first true Telltale game so I personally think I was just judging the first episode before a bit too harshly as I thought I knew what I was getting into, but I didn’t. I am getting the point of the idea that the game is a story driven game, with choices that you make having side effects on the crew and can even affect the plots that occur in the game; which in my opinion is absolutely my favorite thing about the game so far.

The second episode was one that I honestly really enjoyed a heck of a lot more than the first one. I am getting to see more of the characters, the charm, and the wonderful appeal that is Telltale. This time, I seriously enjoyed connecting with all of the characters and I am starting to feel like I want to continue to learn more about each of the character’s back stories of how they came to work on the Artemis. My favorite characters are ones that are being a bit more open with Drummer, but still hold secrets that are being slowly cracked open, and I am loving the journey in which I’m learning more about the whole team. I wonder what is going to happen in Episode 3. Based on the first episode, I didn’t think The Expanse would grab me the way it does now. However, this game may end up being one of my top 20 games of the year! Stay tuned for my next piece when episode three comes out.