New Tales from the Borderlands
Review
New characters with new stories
by William Thompson
reviewed on PC
A change of scenery…almost
Borderlands fans have come to love the combination of shooting, looting and humorous characters of the series for over a decade now. Playing as a vault hunter players traversed across Pandora and then various other planets in search of the treasure inside the mythical Eridian vaults, shooting and looting anything that crosses their path. The episodic Tales from the Borderlands changed the formula by introducing a narrative adventure game to the series.
New Tales from the Borderlands follows the familiar style of the original Telltale game with players taking on the role of three characters – each individually playable as separate converging storylines. Early on, it almost feels as though the writers have followed in the mould of George R.R. Martin where the characters stories go back and forth. This is until their stories finally converge due to the Tediore attack on Promethea – a planet already ravaged by war. Come to think of it, it does sound like a futuristic version of Game of Thrones.
Diverse Characters
Firstly, there is Anu, a somewhat socially awkward scientist and inventor. Working for Atlas, she has been conducting strange experiments that her employer is hoping will decimate their opposition. However, her current unrefined invention is somewhat of an anti-gun, instead transporting ‘victims’ away from the battle. The only problem for Anu, is that she does not know where they go or how to reverse the result. Octavio – Anu’s brother, is her complete opposite. He’s a gung-ho wannabe entrepreneur who has grown up on the streets of Promethea and is always looking for a quick buck without the hard work. His best friends are a robot hitman known as LOU13 and a taco selling vendor. Our third character Fran is a wheelchair bound owner of Fran’s Frogurt which was decimated during the attack on Promethea by Maliwan troops. She has anger issues, but with her history, she has every right to be angry at the world – or at least certain aspects of it.
Besides our three protagonists, New Tales from the Borderlands is full of diverse characters, from the previously mentioned robot hitman LOU13, to a wisecracking gun who never shuts up and even a misunderstood bandit. It is our heroes, along with these characters that helps to keep the narrative interesting throughout the entire game.
Not all about the story
Interspersed throughout the game, Gearbox has decided to add some mini-games in an attempt to add some action into the mix. Unfortunately, some of these mini-games can reduce the flow of the story and at times can feel like they’ve been added as filler. Quick-time events are a feature, and completing them correctly will result in positive results for our characters. Failing the simple tasks as one character however can result in negative feedback from the other members of your little group, or can even result in death (although like in Borderlands, death is never permanent)
Borderlands titles have been all about the guns, and even in this adventure game, there is a limited amount of gunplay that is scattered throughout the game. However, if you’re after true Borderlands style shooting and looting, you’re out of luck. The shooting mini-game is a basic aim-and-click affair. There is no need to get a headshot or a critical hit, as players just need to hit the target for them to fall.
Looting still features in the game, with lockboxes and other Borderlands loot holders littering the locales that our heroes visit throughout Promethea. The cash you collect has various uses, but the most enjoyable things to collect are the Vaultlander figurines. These figurines are scattered throughout the game and, once found, can be used in another mini-game. The mini-game resembles a Pokemon battle or a fighting game such as Tekken where the player must correctly attack and dodge via quick-time events. Each combatant has a health bar and the aim is to reduce the enemy Vaultlander figurine’s bar. Like the other mini-games, the battles do detract somewhat from the flow of the story, but do offer a change of pace
Sights and sounds of Promethea
The art style will leave gamers in no doubt that this is a Borderlands title, even if it isn’t the trademark genre of the main series. Each of the characters have been give the cel-shaded treatment that players will be familiar with. The locations too are nicely varied and look superb, and although you will be visiting a host of new areas, they all have a familiar feel. Whether it is the sterile nature within a large corporate spacecraft, to the dingy streets of Promethea, each of the settings fit in well with the characters and the storyline.
And despite the game having a reasonably serious tone, it is full of the trademark Borderlands humour. The timing of the jokes and the delivery by the voice actors is superb. Octavio could be regarded as the comic relief, but there are times when LOU13 steals the show. Indeed, LOU13 has almost become my favourite Borderlands character with his robotic wit. The wonderful voice-acting gives each of the main characters an identity of their own and they perfectly represent each of the current predicament that our characters face.
Trademark Borderlands, different style
The team at Gearbox have done a wonderful job of recreating the adventure game style that Telltale has perfected. The introduction of the mini-games does provide for change of pace, but they do detract from the flow of the story. However, the trademark Borderlands art style and humour together with the wonderfully diverse set of characters and well told narrative makes New Tales from the Borderlands a must for fans of Borderlands and adventure games.
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8.0
fun score
Pros
Well-told story, wonderful characters and superb voice acting
Cons
Quick time event mini-games are hit and miss
