Telltale and developer Deck Nine are back with another episode of The Expanse. You’ll definitely want to sit down and have a drink (or a couple) to cool down after this one. Episode three might be the most important one of the series yet, but also the most gut-wrenching. Additionally, fans of the show might notice some story connections to the original series in this episode. Let’s dive right into it, because I am still reeling from that shocking cliffhanger. (Don’t worry – this review will be spoiler-free!)
We’re back on the Artemis with Drummer and her fellow crewmates investigating the mysterious space station the coordinates (found in the Urshanabi in episode one) led them to. They are welcomed by a cryptic voice message that gives them the hope of finding the big treasure, “MK Core,” which Cox had previously promised. Drummer and Maya set off to search the abandoned Belter station that pretty much feels like bad news from the start. What is the MK Core? We still don’t know yet, but it sure can’t be good.
As Drummer and Maya navigated their way deeper into the mysterious station where everyone seemed to have vanished, I was left with dread coiling in my stomach. Sure, it looked as spooky as any abandoned settlement, but as the story unraveled, the ambience felt closer to a tragedy paralleling reality. Something bad happened to these people, which I won’t spoil; however, let me tell you, it left me feeling heartbroken and despondent.
Not everything in this episode was gloom and doom. Drummer and Maya’s small conversations were a pure delight to witness. You could say both were more than friends now (depending on if you selected to spend the night in Maya’s room during episode two) and were bordering on dating territory. Their interactions felt more personal and intimate as did their dialogues. There were moments between them that made me squeal with joy. If you couldn’t tell, I am totally on board with this ship!
By keeping the same gameplay mechanics as the previous episodes, episode three of The Expanse is more story driven. As opposed to the action we got in the previous episode, this episode was more focused on exploration, dialogue, and interaction with the environment. In order to find the MK Core, Drummer and Maya have to activate the reserve power for three sectors within the abandoned Belter station. Most of the gameplay takes place during this mission alone as Drummer finds her way to reroute power through the junction boxes in order to gain access to the command center in each sector. There is one small fight sequence towards the end that is again a bunch of QTEs as expected. The most surprising thing was this episode not having any side quests, which was a welcome change as it surely would have ruined the pacing for me.
The final moments of this episode might be the most intense, unanticipated, and nail-biting the game has ever been so far. As much as the previous episodes didn’t have major choices that affected the story immediately, episode three of The Expanse does the opposite of that. I would recommend overthinking your choices during this one as they’ll greatly affect the narrative.
Once the credits started rolling was when I realized the Telltale brand is truly back in all its glory and some more. As someone who has been playing their games for the past few years now, The Expanse wasn’t what I thought it would be. But this episode certainly proved to me that no matter what franchise it is, Telltale games always manage to deliver jaw-dropping moments in some way or another. As Drummer is standing at the cross-roads of her life, lost and hopeless yet with a glimmer of fighting spirit, I am once again in awe of a protagonist like her. Which begs to answer the question by end of episode three, “What will Captain Drummer do now?”
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