The world of Borderlands returns in Gearbox and 2K's new choice-based, graphic adventure game, New Tales From The Borderlands. As with all games in the series, a bout of new cell-shaded mayhem brings with it snark, chaotic characters, and a unique gaming spectacle. Following the nobody protagonists: selfless scientist Anu, her brother the street-smart Octavio, frozen yogurt fanatic Fran and their robot, LOU13. The cast will run into villains and friends alike who interweave throughout the story and provide their own agendas.
The game has been contentiously received, with some fans citing the narrative has plot holes, however, unlike Tales From the Borderlands, Telltale Games had no stake in this development. And in spite of having tough shoes to fill, the New Tales From The Borderlands expands upon the already beloved world. The game may not be for everyone, but is a testament to the studio going out on a limb and trying something new with their game and the Borderlands intellectual property.
In the game, players will progress through cinematic episodic adventures making choices to help the ragtag bunch of lovable losers try and change, and maybe save, the war-riddled city of Promethea, which is a year on from the end of Borderlands 3. Combing QTEs and shootouts as well as decisions that decide the outcome of the character's stories, New Tales From The Borderlands is somewhat of a spiritual successor to Tales From The Borderlands, but putting the emphasis on the underdogs trying to make small changes with big impacts.
The story takes place over five parts, cataloging hectic battles with a monster invasion. So where to start, and what to do?
4 Green For Grab
Death to Soulsbornes is what looting and shooting are to Borderlands. In the starting hours of the game, after the opening cinematic cutscenes, players may want to move on to the first objective. However, it is best to explore the surroundings first for anything that is glowing with a green outline.
These outlines indicate an item that is lootable and may contain cash. The places containing loot can be all sorts of weird and wacky, from trash cans to boxes that could be misinterpreted as mere set dressing. Cash is an added benefit in the game for purchasing additional outfits for characters from the store, giving a real sense of individuality and style to each playthrough.
3 There's Nothing Cute About Missing A QTE
The game which plays like one big cutscene at times (thanks to the cell-shading aesthetic and transitions to gameplay) intersperses the witty dialogue and character repartee with QTEs, or Quick Time Events, that offer player choices within a limited time frame. These choices can be arbitrary (from chilling frozen yogurt with Fran) to story-heavy decisions, which will not be spoiled here.
Missing the QTE events can throw a real wrench in the works by going down a path that the player did not intend to follow. Do not worry though, New Tales From The Borderlands has a handy replayable mission option, where people can go back and make the correct (or intended) choice that they missed in the first place, so do not fret too much as there is a method to the madness when attempting to clear all endings. However, it is best to stay focused in the first place, so the prompt isn't missed when it first comes around.
2 Minigame Madness
New Tales From The Borderlands introduces an addictive mini-game, incentivizing the players to collect plastic figurines in the likeliness of many famous (or infamous) Borderlands characters. The figurines, or Vaultlanders, number 20 in total: 16 collected in-game, 3 accessed via Gearbox's SHiFT software, and another which is part of a preorder bonus.
The collectible aspect of Vaultlanders really speaks to both the completionist part of a gamer's brain and the almost child-like enthusiasm of adding to one's collection. These plastic treasures embody famous characters that appear within the Borderlands series from new and old, to varying degrees of rarity. Some figurines that players can find include:
- Phuong
- Salvador
- Amara
- Claptrap
Vaultlanders aren't merely for show or the self-gratification of scratching the gotta catch 'em allPokemon itch. The subsequent fighting game implements a satisfying gameplay loop too.
1 Plastic Punch Out
When fighting Vaultlanders it does take on a very Pokemon-style system. Each figurine has its own strengths and weaknesses including better dodging or bonus damage to enemies inflicted with status effects.
Fights are determined by QTEs, that tell the figurine to attack or evade, and are reminiscent of a retro arcade button masher like an updated version of Rock 'em Sock 'em robots. Evading an opponent's attack inflicts stun and allows for the player to deliver a quick and potent counterattack that is sure to leave their foes reeling.
New Tales From The Borderlands is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and Microsoft Windows.