Telltale Games have had a great couple of years. The first and second seasons of The Walking Dead, along with The Wolf Among Us, have established them as a powerhouse in the gaming industry. They’re well-known for their ability to weave character-driven narratives that cause the player to develop personal bonds with the characters. On the other hand, the Borderlands series has never had the strongest story. Pandora’s well-written characters (particularly Handsome Jack) and humour have always been the highlights of the series, so it is interesting to see Telltale attempt to put its own stamp on Borderlands series.
Tales From the Borderlands takes place after the events of Borderlands 2, and its lead playable characters are Rhys and Fiona. As soon as the first episode of Tales From the Borderlands begins, it’s obvious that Telltale’s usual graphical style is a match made in heaven. There’s very little difference between Tales From the Borderlands’ graphics and those of the main series, which should make the transfer over from free-roaming FPS to point-and-click adventure a lot easier for most players. Of course, you don’t get to gun down hordes of enemies with a fire-element gun, but you barely miss that as you make choices that form your own Pandoran adventure.
Rhys and Fiona are both interesting characters; Rhys is a typical Hyperion businessman out to earn his own fortune, obviously influenced by Handsome Jack, whereas Fiona is a con-artist that focuses on looking after both herself and her sister. Between these two, you couldn’t get a more unreliable pair of narrators, so the story does get a little muddled in places, albeit in a humorous way that makes up for any confusion it causes. The conflict between the two central characters is centred on a mythical vault key and a briefcase filled with money, with Rhys looking to get one over his back-stabbing bosses after being passed over for promotion, and Fiona just looking to get rich. You experience both sides of the story as it is being told to an unknown third party, leading to a few interesting moments where scenes are replayed from the perspective of the other character.
The game does differ greatly compared to The Walking Dead, in that the tension and dread that permeates every decision is replaced by the usual sharp humour that fittingly featured in previous Borderlands games, reminding you that this is a Borderlands game, first and foremost. There are still moments, however, that cause you to pause and consider the possible consequences of the various choices you can make, such as choosing to fire a gun that contains just one bullet. Admittedly, Tales From the Borderlands could use some more tension, as during its quietest moments it can be slightly dull, despite the attempts to fill such moments with humour.
Honestly, Borderlands 2 was one of the funniest games I’ve ever played, and Tales From the Borderlands feels a lot like a continuation of it. The differing perspectives of Fiona and Rhys lead to several embellishments that lead to arguments between the two characters, resulting in hilarious revelations of what actually happened. Touches like this bring something that The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us could not bring, and expectations are high for the next episode of Tales From the Borderlands.
If you enjoyed The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, or even just the Borderlands games, then Tales From the Borderlands should definitely interest you. It doesn’t feel as grand or dark as Telltale’s previous games, but its humour and characters are enough to justify buying it. Obviously, there aren’t too many big decisions in this first episode, but the few there are should give you a few seconds pause to consider the consequences. That’s what we love about these episodic series from Telltale Games, and they’ve really set up the beginnings of a great adventure from the Borderlands source material. Just keep in mind that, although it’s cut from the same cloth as The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, this really is something should be taken on its own plentiful merit.
Tales From the Borderlands Episode 1 is available for PC, Mac, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One for £4.99 or for £19.99 for the season pass giving you a saving in comparison to buying each episode individually.