Tales from the Borderlands is Telltale's spin on the world of Pandora.
The first episode, Zer0 Sum, does a great job of establishing the
familiar manic tone of the Gearbox games and matching it to Telltale's
tried and true adventure game formula. The game follows Rhys, a manager
at a Hyperion factory who has just been passed over for a promotion, and
Fiona, a con artist trying to stay alive on the harsh world of Pandora.
The Good
Unlike
their recent Game of Thrones release, Telltale has avoided alienating
players new to the world of Borderlands by establishing the setting
without explicitly throwing out references to the main series. The plot
plays out as a verbal retelling of the story by the two main characters,
each character telling their own version of events leads to a very
interesting episode and allows for some of the games most hilarious
moments.
The Bad
Those that are used to Telltale's
standard darker dramatic tellings will not find their fix here. Tales
from the Borderlands, although featuring plenty of gratuitous heartache
and violence, has its roots in manic humor and randomness.
The Verdict
Telltale
knocked it out of the park with this one. The main series, although
humorous and fun, sometimes lacks the immersion that helps drive the
unique setting for Pandora home. Tales from the Borderlands remedies
this by connecting players to two of the regular citizens of the
forsaken world and lends a sorely needed personal connection to the
series. The approachability of this entry is also fantastic, allowing
veterans of the series or newcomers to get equal amounts or enjoyment
from it.
