The Expanse didn't remind me of a Telltale game, or even some of Deck Nine's other games like the Life Is Strange series. It just didn't feel like it had the same passion behind it - like they just didn't care much for the property. Instead, it offered a disappointingly linear story, with minimal room for player agency or meaningful decisions. One of the criticisms of later Telltale games was that there wasn't enough gameplay. I was one of those critics, but having played this game, I now realize that a little bad gameplay is better than a lot of bad gameplay. The Expanse had way too much tedious exploration of empty, boring environments, rewarding the player with empty, boring dialogue. The game had some promising ideas, but none of them felt fully fleshed out. What's particularly worrisome is the possibility that this game might hurt Telltale's chances of a comeback. I was one of their biggest fans, and I hope to be again some day, but unfortunately this game just didn't make the landing, for whatever reason. Still rooting for you, Telltale!
Awesome little game for the point and click enthusiast but it is very short. Like ten minutes short. My only gripe is - considering the length - I think the asking price is too high. (It'd be better at a buck or so.) I really want to see a full length game from Octavi. Dudes got real talent.
Jenny Leclue has some fun / charming moments. I’d describe it as being: 60% visual novel, 30% hidden-object game, and 10% puzzles. First, the positives: You can tell a lot of work went into the game. The art and animation are both excellent - with clean, colorful backgrounds and animation that really makes the characters and world come alive. There’s also a lot of variety in the environments - which is great. The writing is good and really shines in some areas. Jenny, the protagonist, is done particularly well. She has a great personality and is very likable. The overall story does kind of drag in some places but is generally OK. For the negatives: The first is the ‘hidden-object’ mechanics. You’ll spend a lot of time moving the cursor around a mostly static screen - hunting for ‘clues.’ This, combined with no mouse support, makes the job especially tedious. Use a controller if you have one. There’s also no voice in the game yet - which means reading lots of dialogue instead of watching all the great character animation. (It’s my understanding that they’re planning to add voice later. I think this would improve the game quite a bit - provided it’s done well.) Lastly, the music gets repetitive. Clicking through dialogue with the same music looping over and over, made me kind of sleepy. I was leaning toward three stars, but settled on four because of the high polish, and the promise of a VO patch.
One of the first things you’ll notice is a squeaky clean interface. Very Deponia. Everything feels really solid and intuitive. The artwork is very crisp, clean, and colorful. I didn’t think much of the art in the previews to be honest, but in the actual game, it really shines. The puzzle design is your standard adventure game fair. Pick up objects with left click, ‘look at’ with the right. Using and combining items feels very natural. Drag and drop. Some adventure games overcomplicate this aspect. This game gets it right. The story is quite good. Larry get’s transported into the present day and runs into the more absurd aspects of our modern society. Some of the dialogue options are a little less that excellent. Still, all in all, it’s very enjoyable. All the voice actors do a fine job. There are a few other minor issues here and there. Nothing major. It was fun to see the age verification questions back in the beginning. Although, some of the questions were a little too ‘help me google.’ One area where I am going to ding the game is the price. $30 is on the high side for an adventure game these days. $25 would have been better. Next to Al Lowe himself, I can’t imagine anyone making a better Larry game. Certainly, better than Larry Reloaded in my opinion. If you’re a fan of p&c adventure games, you should get this game. It’s a lot of fun.
If, like me, you've been a little critical of recent Telltale games for their lack of gameplay and formulaic design choices - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with this one. Here are some of the big changes. 1) You actually control Clem and move around the environment! This is a big deal! There is much less of that "auto-pilot" sensation that other recent games have had. 2) The graphics. I think they are a LOT better than A New Frontier. A lot grittier and more fitting to the storyline. Telltale has been trying for years to get that authentic "comic book" feel. This is a big step in the right direction. 3) The pause screen has the original music! That was so nice! 4) The combat. Gone are the quicktime events. (Sort of.) It not nearly so staged as it used to be. **SPOILER** [If you remember at the end of the first The Walking Dead when Lee was cutting through the walkers to get to Clem...} Thats kind of what the new combat is like. **//SPOILER** The writing and voice acting are both excellent so far. I have one nitpick so far. There is a small bit of lag after each interaction. You look at an object, the "cutscene" ends... Then there is a moment where you're stuck. It lasts for a second or two. A little obnoxious, but not that big of a deal. This game is a great leap forward for Telltale. A redemption of the brand. I'm very excited for the rest of the season!
