Review - Tales from the Borderlands

Tales from the Borderlands is one of Telltale's masterpieces, and an exercise in proving that comedy has a place in modern gaming.

GAMEPLAY



Tales from the Borderlands has the usual Telltale formula; make choices and fight in QTE's. That formula is expanded by being able to scan things so you can get more of the lore and easter eggs, being able to save money for various choices like buying outfits, adding a member to your gang etc. The game has two main characters, who both provide unique options of roleplaying them thanks to their set personality that the player can further influence down the path they want them to evolve. Choices make the story events divergent, most of them for half an hour, so the game warrants at least two playthroughs. If you are not interested in dramatic aspects of the story, the hidden jokes and jokey choices alone make it worth replaying.

STORY



The story is excellent as per Telltale standards and it follows a corporate man Rhys who is desperate for a promotion and a thief Fiona who has an unique opportunity to set herself up for a lifetime with the dirty cash. They search through the wastelands of Pandora in search of a Vault Key that is supposed to open the Vault full of unimaginable treasures and dangers. In this search, the main pair encounter many of the hilarious Borderlands characters like Zero and Athena and some original characters like August, a bad ex-boyfriend, and Gortys, the cutest robot in universe. The dramatic nature of the story is excellently juxtaposed by the brilliant humour that varies from simple jokes to physical humour and character traits. Telltale's writing does not make any event seem out of place and has you crying one moment at the big death then laughing next moment at jokes, some of which are lowbrow, but still work thanks to brilliant delivery of voice-actors. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, and it is confirmed that game will not get a sequel due to the death of Telltale. Despite that, the story is still satisfying and worth experiencing.

GRAPHICS



Telltale nicely replicates the Gearbox's graphic style in mainline Borderlands game, but there is still some roughness. Models look great and animations are decent, but locals are drab due to the game being set in a wasteland. The sections in space are a welcome change, but they are not long. Characters are unique and graphics do a great job of making them feel like their own character, not just a replica. In fight scenes, most enemies like bandits and skags are copy-pasted, but the choreography is great so it does not stick out like a sore thumb. Directing is great, and it shows in scenes of physical comedy and slapstick where it is obvious that the director has the perfect comic timing that is punctuated by animators' great work.

VERDICT



One of the voice actors is Patrick Warburton. If that does not convince you to play it, nothing will. In all seriousness, Tales is a great game that is also arguably the funniest game ever. People who do not want comedy will still enjoy this game due to its strong dramatic elements and nice choreography in fight scenes. It has five episodes that contribute to the overall lenght of 10 hours which is decent for a story-based game that has potential to be replayed. The game also has an unique position in that it can serve as a gateway to two different types of games; other Borderlands games that are FPS, and other Telltale games that share the similar narrative structure and gameplay. If you like the game, this means that you have plenty of options after you finish it if you are looking for a similar experience.