I’m not going to lie; the Borderlands games were a struggle to get through, especially the first one. Whilst they were extremely fun and gratuitous, especially when playing with friends, they were very lacking in the immersive plot and memorable character department. With very few cases of voice acting in the first game, at times, I felt like I was grinding on an MMO not really giving a monkeys about the quest I was on.
For this reason, Tales from the Borderlands is a refreshing continuation of the saga that’s genuinely hilarious and action-packed, yet still plays with my emotions because of its immersive story, like the many Telltale games before it. After playing their previous The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and The Wolf Among Us series, I’ve come to expect great things from them. It’s also interesting to see a lack of guns, as you play as a Hyperion lackey and a con artist, which would usually be seen as a failing in a Borderlands game.
Set after the events of Borderlands 2, you start playing a Rhys, the aforementioned Hyperion lackey, who is just trying to make his way through the corporate hell that his job is, among people who would stab their ‘friends’ in the back for the smallest pay rise. Events transpire and Rhys decides to get back at one of these types of ‘friends’ who has caused him to lose his promotion and become a janitor. The con artist you play as is Fiona, who has lived in a slum-like cave town without parents for her entire life and must get involved in a scam involving a priceless artefact. This artefact is the bargaining chip Rhys wants to get so he can win his job back, but nothing goes according to plan, and the tales of the two are entwined.
The con artist you play as is Fiona, who has lived in a slum-like cave town without parents for her entire life and must get involved in a scam involving a priceless artefact
Tales from the Borderlands escapes the self-aware humour of the other Borderlands games, which, although it is amusing at times, can become repetitive. The novelty of a swarm of ‘midget psychos’ screaming that they want to eat your eyes wears off after the umpteenth time it happens. Thankfully, Tales from the Borderlands offers genuinely witty comedic interludes which are heavily reliant on what dialogue option you choose for your character. There aren’t many moral questions to ask yourself in a world like Pandora, and in this respect it very much differs from Telltale's The Walking Dead. Having said this Telltale still manage to kill off your favourite characters out of nowhere, in the Game of Thrones-esque style they’re well known for.
Tales from the Borderlands is definitely something to play if you enjoy Telltale games but didn’t very much enjoy the original Borderlands games. Personally, I could never get into The Walking Dead television show but the Telltale game is one of the most moving games I’ve ever played. That’s what Telltale are good at; they make you fall in love with what you normally hate.