Tales from the Borderlands Ep.1 Review
I think it’s safe to say that when players think about the Borderlands series, they picture blasting monsters with huge guns and snagging some awesome loot. In the adaptation by Telltale Games, Tales from the Borderlands, an entirely new approach is taken. In a gaming world so often driven by combat, it’s a refreshing take to see a focus on the story. The very format of the game fits the stereotype with other Telltale games; players are tasked with wandering their surroundings and examining everything in the area. Particular dialogue choices are forced to be made carefully-seeing anything could have consequences later on. All of these things have been done in previous Telltale games, but yet they still leave me interested and itching for more.
While the war between Hyperion and Pandora is still ongoing, it’s interesting for developers to shed light on Hyperion’s side of the rivalry; where some of these “bad guys” seem to be only lackies. Players take on two different roles within the first episode, both explaining different sides of a story to a third party. Approximately three years after the descent of Handsome Jack, players step into the shoes of Rhys, a Hyperion employee that finally landed a job in the higher-ups of Hyperion-granting him access to advanced technology. Rhys’ left eye is an “Echo Eye”, allowing him to scan certain objects to acquire more information. In addition, his right arm is completely robotic-allowing him to communicate with others, as well as call down Loader Bots for more help.
It’s once Rhys finds himself meeting with his boss, Hugo Vasquez, that he becomes demoted to janitor. In an effort to get back at Vasquez, Rhys decides to scheme with his two Hyperion friends, Vaughn and “Lunch Leech” Yvette.
On the other side of events, there’s Fiona. Fiona is a Pandoran con artist who relies not on what’s given to her, but what she already has: wit and a way with words. Resources are quite scarce compared to the main series; Fiona is given a single pistol containing a single bullet; it’s up to the player to understand when to use it.
The first episode, Zer0 Sum, focuses on primarily two things: a briefcase full of cash and a vault full of incredible things. Simply put, Rhys wishes to gain back his influence at Hyperion (and more), while Fiona is just looking for a way to get rich quickly. The story is then tossed back and forth between the two characters, allowing players to experience the different scenarios through the eyes of both leads. This setup allows the two characters to argue about how the events actually played out, ending in absolutely hilarious results.
Tales from the Borderlands draws much influence from the main series, creating a wacky western-ish vibe, but delivers a much more realistic approach as well. While the signature Borderlands comedy is still there, fighting instances feel more real when players become more emotionally invested in the characters. Tales of the Borderlands delivers an incredible story-driven experience leaving players refreshed and aching for more.
The perspective used by Telltale Games on this wacky universe is a tale worth listening to.