Tales from the Borderlands
I mention all this because when I first started playing the series back in May 2019, the game was being pulled off from Steam. Usually when the series finishes, the first episode comes out for free while each consecutive one comes out for around $5. This means the final price ends up being $20. That alone isn't bad for 10 hours of gameplay. The ending of the game also made me curious if there would be more to consider in Borderlands 3. However, sources say union laws decided that fate. Since chronologically the game comes after Borderlands 2, before and after Borderlands: Pre-Sequel, and before Borderlands 2 5th Campaign DLC that was released this year helps explain why certain events appeared missing in Commander Lilith & The Fight for Sanctuary.
The Good: For a game that barely has any gameplay or DLCs I will admit that I find this game to be the best in the series. Just take any episode's musical introduction and tell me otherwise. Since the game focused on the characters more than the previous games, I have never felt more emotional invested. Borderlands 1 chat was all written down in quests, Borderlands 2 let other people talk to you, and Borderlands: Pre-Sequel actually had unique dialogue between your character and various personnel in the game. But Tales from the Borderlands was built around having actual conversations. Not only this but you choose the dialogue. I have never laughed, cried, and worried more about the characters than in this game. That actually means a lot considering some of the events in Borderlands 2 and Claptastic Voyage DLC. And they have some awesome voice actors: Troy Baker, Laura Bailey, and Patrick Warburton of all people.
The Neutral: Some people might classify the game as a "Walking Simulator" like Firewatch where you just look around, clicking things to progress the plot. Other than deciding what to say in any given situation, your time will be used engaging Quick Time Events (QTE). I would have voted this to be a pretty terrible idea if it wasn't for the fact that it was done really well. 'Q' is used for exerting pressure, 'E' for final push, WASD keys are utilized as the arrow keys, and your right hand sits comfortably on the mouse. Failing a task will either provide you with humorous death scene, a clumsy reaction, or an alternate pathway in the story. It isn't like they instantly give you a game-over every time. They do warn you if there are any QTE going to happen when you pause the game by changing the blue background to a red one. I only failed one QTE in the whole game. All the important choices are recorded and compared with everyone else who played the game. You can "rewind" and choose alternate choices as well. I just wish it wasn't locked behind their website. I was also glad that the previews at the end of each episode showing off the following one don't reveal that much of the plot.
The Bad: Sadly there are still things I could find fault with. Although a lot of your choices do matter, a lot of them don't. I made sure from the start to be honest with my friends but somehow in episode 4 they still got mad at me for "withholding information". In the first episode, I made a sincere choice to fire my weapon but it ended up killing the guy. I only wanted to scare him or wound him a little. Reminds me of L.A. Noire where catching someone in a minor contradiction would have your character start accusing him of murder. Sometimes you "lose" no matter what you do, kind of like those Choose Your Adventure books. After awhile you just sort of expect plenty of narrative tropes to stir up drama and plot holes that don't make sense. Also expect people to suddenly get cleaned-up even if they were covered in blood moments ago or received a nasty mark from battle. Expect something gross to happen in every episode. I mean, it is Borderlands. But there were two particular events - scooping an eye out with a spork and retrieving a ripped-off face from a bandit - that completely grossed me out.
Review: Fans of Borderlands will enjoy revisiting the various people and areas from the series through the lens of a couple of nobodies. New players may or may not enjoy the crude humor, gross elements, or unorthodox settings of the Borderlands universe but might enjoy the awesome story-telling, alternative plot decisions, and epic moments within the game. If you look beyond the ludicrous Hollywood drama and sweep under the rug mistakes the game does make throughout the episodes, you will certainly find something worthwhile.
10-11-2019