If you’ve read my previous reviews of other episodic games you’ll probably know the rules by now. Each episode will get its own micro review and each is written based on the assumption that you’ve probably played the previous entry in the series, therefore you won’t mind some plot points and spoilers that make reviewing it a hell of lot less of a ballache, due to the fact it’s almost impossible to review a series of anything on an episode by episode basis, without giving a little of the game away.
This is especially true of something that is likely to have as many twists and turns as a series about two professional liars trying their damnedest to recount a particularly tall tale to a rather angry looking man with an itchy trigger finger. So to be on the safe side don’t read past the next episode you are likely to play, unless you don’t care about potential twists and/or major plot points being revealed and/or ruined.
TLDR: Don’t read past the next episode that you intend to play as there may be spoilers.
OK, got it, good.
So without further ado here’s our review of Tales from the Borderlands.
Like a rock band that made a very famous album which was a complete departure from their roots but sold in the millions, Telltale stormed to success with their adaptation of The Walking Dead. It was gritty, it was morose, it was one of the best games of 2012. It was also, for those of us that were fans of Telltale Games before its release; a complete departure from everything that came before it.
Telltale of course were the studio that was founded to finish making a sequel to Sam & Max Hit the Road and ended up making another trilogy of games starring everyone’s favourite Freelance Police. This was before moving on to Monkey Island, Wallace and Gromit and Strongbad. Tales from the Borderlands is not only a return back to their comedic roots, but a return to form. (Walking Dead Season 2 wasn’t all that great, ok. I said it. The Wolf Among Us on the other hand was superb)
Tales from the Borderlands is Telltale at their best, using their uncanny ability to take others fiction and make it their own, creating a game that doesn’t simply borrow from the Borderlands universe but enriches it.
Episode 1 Zero Sum
Tales from Borderlands starts how it means to go on, with a kick straight to the head and then a bout of diplomacy carried out with the aid of a shotgun, as the game’s dual protagonists Fiona and Rhys are forced to explain the events that led them to their current and rather sticky situation to their captor- a rather pissed off fellow wearing a rice picker and a gas mask, waving around a rather large gun.
It’s at this point that the two unlikely companions take it in turns to recant their tale of a heist gone horribly and hilariously wrong.
Starting with company-man Rhys – an executive at Hyperion (Borderlands version of Evil Inc.) played by Troy Baker in rather fine form, Having recently been screwed out of a promotion that was going to set him up for life and demoted to the position of janitor by his rival Vasques (Patrick Warburton), Rhys hightails it to Pandora in order to get his own back by stealing a deal for a ‘genuine’ vault key right from under his new boss’s nose.
Stealing ten million dollars from the company vault with the help of his friends Vaghn and Yvette and Vasques’ brand new car Rhys and co take a trip to the World of Curiosities run by crazy Hunter S. impersonator Shade, in order to make the deal, and everything goes according to plan…
Meanwhile, Fiona, a Pandoran grifter is preparing to pull the greatest scam of her career. Selling a fake vault key to some Hyperion stooge, along with her sister Sasha and surrogate father figure upstanding citizen, Felix the trio set off to a dingy bar to convince a local fence called August that the key is genuine.
…OK I lied. Its a complete fiasco. Rhys gets attacked by bandits on the way to the deal. Barely scraping by with the help of a rather chirpy loaderbot. The vault key isn’t ready. and the mark almost realises its a fake. But at least Rhys blows everyone’s minds with a stirring speech that saves the deal. No, wait that’s not what happens at all. He begs and pleads with August to sell him the key.
You see, you can never quite be sure how tall the tale either Rhys or Fiona is telling, though the other will quickly interject to put the other straight. It does make for some hilarious moments, including Fiona’s version of when they first decided to work together and Rhys‘ aforementioned speech that blew everyone’s minds.
As you would expect the deal is an absolute catastrophe and the pair end up working together in order to reclaim the loot, stolen by a local bandit with Zer0 from Borderlands 2 along for the ride, providing a few laughs of his own.
But I’ve already said too much. I dont want to spoil the ending. Lets just say it goes from rIdiculous to flat out awesome and you’ll love it.
The opening chapter of Tales from the Borderlands does a brilliant job of welcoming both fans of the mainline series and newcomers to the crazy world of Pandora. Rhys and Fiona are easily the best characters that Telltale have come up with since Lee and Clem. Tales from the Borderlands certainly has the potential to be Telltales best series to date, if Zer0 Sum is anything to go on. It simply never misses a beat. Mixing a hilarious script, ludicrous set pieces and solid performances by the principle cast. I just cant wait to see what happens next.
Episode 2; Atlas Mugged
Starting right where the last episode left off. In the deserted Atlas lab under the raceway. After activating a mysterious artifact that reveals a map of Pandora, the group learn of the Gortys Project that may lead our hapless hustlers to a vault. With the cash from last episodes bungled deal still smoldering, the team decide to change tack believing whatever the project turns out to be will be worth a whole lot more loot than the botched vault key deal.
Attempting to find out more about the project Fiona unwittlingly sets off an alarm, after failing a retina scan, which leads her to the body of an Atlas general that may help them find out some more info. One problem; they need his eyes which are still very much attached to his head, easily rectified with some backyard surgery. I’m not usually squeamish but Telltale seem to be masters at making my skin crawl. In fact I’ve gotten to wondering about the mental state of some of the guys working there, Someone is obviously obsessed with performing DIY surgery; this is the third time in three games.
Whilst this is going on Rhys continues to freak out after seeing the ghost of Handsome Jack, falling off a nearby mezzanine and cracking his skull open pouring blood everywhere. Ok, maybe not everywhere but there was a lot of blood.
Following a clue left by the poor eyeless sod in the Atlas lab the group set off to the destination marked on the map to hopefully find some more clues. However whilst crossing the wastes to get there, Hyperion, well Vasques decides to attack the group from orbit, which riles up a nearby Raks nest which then charges the group’s caravan. Like most of their scrapes the group barely make it out alive and again find themselves separated; with Vaghn and Rhys stranded in the desert whilst Fiona and Sasha take their now wrecked home back to Hollow Point.
Whilst there the pair find a way to ‘catch a ride!’ if you know what I mean, taking their now wrecked motor home to Skeeter, who, impressed with Fiona’s skills at the races offers them a sponsorship deal.Its a great scene, providing another chance for players to practice their grifting skills as well as a welcome cameo for fans of the previous games by a much loved character.
Meanwhile Rhys and Vaghn run into more trouble in the desert. As Rhys continues to be be haunted by the digital ghost of Handsome Jack that no one else can see, After an awkward conversation with Vaghn Vasques turns up to collect on his debt so to speak, but luckily Jack decides to help Rhys out for his own selfish reasons and upgrades Rhys’ bionic eye like a homicidal version of Al from Quantum Leap.
This whole scene introduces an interesting dynamic to proceedings and a choice that will probably have some interesting consequences later on as to whether players make Rhys attempt to keep Jack’s existence hidden from the others, or try to convince them that he’s real and that he’s not just going crazy.
Though episode 2 isn’t quite as action packed as Zer0 Sum, like a good second track it eases off just enough whilst still keeping the tempo brisk. Switching gears from high octane set pieces to focus on character development, providing some more intimate moments and delving into both Rhys and Fiona’s Past only helps to further endear the pair to the player. Sure they’re both jerks but you can’t help but like them. Especially during one great scene between best bros Vaghn and Rhys with even the Loaderbot getting in on the fist bumping bro love bro,bro bro bro… ok that’s not how I talk. At all.
Building upon the solid foundations of the season’s opener Atlas Mugged was worth the wait, keeping up the same infectious energy of the opening whilst cooling things down with some more subtle moments amongst all the usual backstabbing, misdirection and mayhem, before ending with a reveal that’s sure to have some interesting implications for all involved going into the seasons midpoint. Lets just hope the next episode doesn’t take so long to get here.
