
- #Tales from the borderlands game stops at game over full#
- #Tales from the borderlands game stops at game over series#
The game has five episodes, and during those episodes, you control Rhys at some parts of the episode (called chapters), while others, you control Fiona. actions done to NPCs or any environment will cause different dialogue to be said to reflect those actions). Like its other series, The Walking Dead, some parts of the story will actually change to reflect the decisions you make (i.e. Like almost any other game from Telltale Games, this is a story-driven game with QTEs and click-and-play elements. However, this would lead to a chain of events where Rhys teams up with Fiona, a pickpocket who made the key to scam Hyperion, resulting in an adventure where the two and their allies look for vault while on the run from Hugo.
#Tales from the borderlands game stops at game over full#
This bullet train rarely slows down, and it really demanded my full attention in order to piece together exactly what was happening and why.When Hyperion employee Rhys, gets demoted by Hugo Vasquez, who becomes the new senior vice president by jettisoning the old one, Henderson, who promised the guy the promotion, he and his friend Vaughn overhears him making a deal to buy a Vault Key, and decides to go to Pandora to get it before he can. Storylines with Valerie, Handsome Jack, the Vault, and the mysterious stranger in the framing device are all wrapped up, which is great, but it certainly feels a bit exhausting at time.
#Tales from the borderlands game stops at game over series#
Because of the events of Episode 5, I have theories on possible playable characters, settings, and enemies, which makes me very excited to see how Telltale’s series intersects with the Gearbox sequel.If there's one knock against Episode 5, it's that it tries to cram so much into its brief duration that I was oftentimes left hoping for a quiet moment to catch my breath and gather my thoughts. Also, this episode does a fantastic job of setting the pieces for what the world of Borderlands 3 might look like. For example, depending on your decisions, you might have a run-in with some of the series’ most iconic characters. The Vault of the Traveler is also packed with effective nods to Borderlands past, present, and future. The sense of hopelessness in Rhys and Fiona, all set to the tune of James Blake’s Retrograde sets an effective tone for the rest of the finale. While the style and soundtrack have remained consistent throughout this season of Tales from the Borderlands, The Vault of the Traveler delivers by far my favorite opening credits musical montage. It reminded me of the great scene between Bigby and The Woodsman in The Wolf Among Us Episode 1, which made me feel like I was choreographing a gigantic Hollywood action sequence. Though they still basically amounted to quick time events, it felt like my choices actually mattered. The third act culminates in a massive battle ripped straight from an episode of Power Rangers, but infused with Telltale’s patented humor. I was really happy that every character I’ve grown to love, from Handsome Jack to Loader Bot, all got a moment to shine.Įven the action scenes - generally a weak point in Telltale games - pop with energy and excitement. Likewise, players who were relegated to comic relief throughout the series suddenly and effectively gain emotional, dramatic weight. Over the course of a single, incredibly written and acted scene, characters I had hated became powerfully sympathetic.

I also really love how my expectations for the finale were completely subverted.

Knowing that how I chose to have Rhys and Fiona act toward those around them had actual ramifications retroactively made me like and appreciate previous episodes even more. Everything from how much mercy I showed in Episode 1, to how I treated an ally in Episode 3, to how much money I spent along the journey (which, up until now, seemed to be a frustratingly useless mechanic) funneled into the final act in meaningful way that gave me a really great sense of authorship over the finale. I’m really impressed at how Episode 5 takes the entire breadth of your choices into account in a more impactful way than any Telltale game in recent memory. Telltale has always been at its best when its stories deal with shades of gray, and Tales From the Borderlands absolutely captures that.

I spent much of the episode looking back on the choices I’d made throughout the season, and genuinely wondering if I'd made the right decisions. The stakes reach new heights as Fiona, Rhys, and company have to come to terms with the destruction they've caused and really ask themselves, "Has this all been worth it?" After a series filled with so many hilarious moments, I was honestly surprised at how impactful these emotional, contemplative moments truly were. After the wheel-spinning disappointment of Episode 4, The Vault of the Traveler wastes no time in a runaway approach to the finish line.
