The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 4 review - A series in freefall

While the previous episode of The Expanse: A Telltale Series was a dud, the end set up the promise of a new conflict that I'd hoped would shift the series toward something more dramatic and meaningful for the final two episodes.

I expected the toughest choices so far, and I'd hoped to sit here and write that things finally get better as the game draws toward its finale. However, despite The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 4 setting up an explosive finale, the road to it is paved with another episode that's more filler than killer.

All in your head

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The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 4 picks up immediately after the previous episode, with Drummer left alone on the asteroid as her crew who betrayed her jet off into space with the newly discovered MK Core. 

With less than 10% oxygen and no one to help her, Drummer is forced to find a way off the asteroid, which results in a trip through the mining shafts to find a transmitter strong enough to beam out a distress call and hopefully get saved. 

This section takes up the majority of the episode, starting with a simple puzzle before turning into another slog through linear corridors as you open the occasional door and Drummer slowly succumbs to hypoxia.

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I'm in two minds with this section, and while from a gameplay standpoint it's just as boring as the worst parts of Episode 3, stunting any momentum the story had previously, it does reveal some interesting aspects of Drummer's character. The issue is it feels divorced from the actual wider story going on in the series. 

It feels too late for a lengthy exposition piece about Drummer's past, detailing her guilt from her previous associations with the OPA. At this point, most of the story has already happened; the drama has reached a peak and established a clear motive for what I want - and that's getting back to my ship to kick some a**.

This does nothing but waste time at a critical juncture in the narrative to build up a backstory that could have been explored more meaningfully in a prior episode when the narrative tension wasn't beginning to bubble.

Illusion of choice

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The other major issue with this episode is how little impact you as a player seem to have on it. The post-episode summary highlighted seven choices I could make, all of which were dialogue options - the majority of which were with yourself during Drummer's hypoxia-fuelled self-therapy session. 

None of the decisions were impactful story choices that could have shifted the stakes in any way. None of them seemed to even create a new permutation to follow along with. It all felt on rails in the worst kind of way, an illusion of choice so transparent that it's more like an illusion of gameplay. 

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In stark contrast to the lack of effective gameplay in this episode, its filmic qualities are put on display with some of the most cinematic camera angles and shots in the series yet. It's like the devs knew they had to compensate for the linear environments and gameplay, but it's hardly enough to make up for the void of player agency.

The Verdict

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The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 4 is largely forgettable, following the same blueprint of the previous episode: a slog of dull gameplay that occupies most of the runtime before a brief end finally picks up enough momentum to jolt you awake for the credits. 

However, this time you aren't even presented with a single meaningful choice set piece to ground the events in your own interpretation of the character, displaying such a stark lack of player agency that it doesn't even feel much like a Telltale game.

2/5

Reviewed on PC. Code provided by the publisher.