As much as I love the book series by The Expanse, and I also liked the television series, I choose to talk about this francise now only because the Telltale series will be released soon!
For the uninitiated, this genre of video game had an episodic nature and usually narrated prequels or sequels of famous series. Why do I say had? Because the manufacturer went bankrupt.
Let's get to know some history before moving on to The Expanse.
A few words about Telltale!
Telltale Games was a video game company based in San Rafael, California. It was founded in 2004 by a group of former employees of LucasArts, another famous video game manufacturer. Telltale became famous for introducing the concept of "episodic graphic adventure", characterized by branching stories and decisions made by the player that influence the progress of the plot itself.
The games of Telltale they are distinguished by a particular graphic style, inspired by comics, with an appearance that recalls the strokes of hand-drawn tables. Furthermore, the main feature of their games is interactive narrative, where the player's choices affect the outcome of the story. The decisions you make can have significant repercussions on your interactions with other characters, the storyline, and future events.
Among the most famous titles of Telltale Games are:
- "The Walking Dead"
Based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series, the game focuses on the story of a group of survivors during a zombie apocalypse. The plot involves strong emotions, difficult choices and a strong characterization of the characters. - “The Wolf Among Us”
Set in Bill Willingham's “Fables” comic book universe, the game follows the character of Bigby Wolf, a werewolf investigator who moved to the city of New York, on a series of murders in the world of fairy tales. - “Tales from the Borderlands”
A comic adventure based on the universe of the popular video game “Borderlands” by Gearbox Software. The story focuses on two protagonists who try to obtain wealth and survive on the dangerous planet Pandora. - “Batman: The Telltale Series”
A game based on the famous Gotham City superhero, where players make decisions as both Bruce Wayne and Batman, affecting the story and relationships with the characters.
Unfortunately, in 2018, Telltale Games filed for bankruptcy and closed. However, many of their creations still remain highly regarded by narrative game enthusiasts for their emphasis on engaging story and complex moral choices. And now it's up to The Expanse!
Let's get to know The Expanse better
The Expanse is a science fiction novel series written by James SA Corey, a pseudonym used by the author duo composed of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. The series is set in a distant future where humanity has spread throughout the Solar System (and beyond).
The novels of The Expanse they mainly focus on the political, social and scientific events that take place between the Earth, Mars and the Asteroid Belt. The plot develops from the discovery of a mysterious alien protomolecule that can influence the fate of humanity. The protomolecule and its consequences constitute the main thread of the series.
The Expanse is an epic science fiction story and, like all good science fiction, combines elements of adventure, politics, space exploration and mystery. The series deals with topics such as the colonization of space, the conflicts between human factions and the implications of encountering alien civilizations. Modern themes transposed into a future key and perspective. As always, science fiction is cloaked in unreality to talk about reality. A clear example of why Vonnegut was relegated to science fiction. They couldn't categorize him as a sociologist, right?
The book series of The Expanse consists of nine novels, published between 2011 and 2021. The titles of the novels are as follows: Leviathan's Wake (2011) Caliban's war (2012) Abaddon's Gate (2013) Cibola Burn (2014) Nemesis Games (2015) Babylon's Ashes (2016) Persepolis Rising (2017) Tiamat's Wrath (2019) and Leviathan Falls (2021). The series was critically acclaimed and won several literary awards, as well as being complimented by writers such as George RR Martin.
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In addition to books, The Expanse, has become a popular television series and role-playing game. The television adaptation was produced by Syfy and later by Amazon Studios, and ran from 2015 to 2022. The series has received widespread acclaim for its faithfulness to the novels and its realistic depiction of outer space. It is known for high-quality special effects, complex storylines and well-developed characters. Yet we still hear explosions in space.
So what will The Expanse game be about?
It will be about one of the most beloved characters in the novel and television series. Nothing less than Walk Drummer and what he was up to before the events of the first season of the series.
The authors of the game not only consulted the writers of the series, but also accepted their advice and their directives on how to set everything up. This also allowed the game to analyze some aspects of the canon of the universe The Expanse that had not been treated previously.
Undoubtedly good news. Now it's up to see if the public will appreciate the work.
Conclusions
To complete the good news, we can immediately confirm that the game, although it will not be dubbed into Italian, will still receive a translation into our language. Something not taken for granted these days, but which, at the same time, is taken for granted for this manufacturer.
I don't know about you, but I will gladly play it and can't wait for it to come out on July 27th this year!
