It has been over a month since the release of 2K and Gearbox's New Tales from the Borderlands, the successor to Telltale Games' Tales from the Borderlands. While New Tales from the Borderlands may have a different development team and mostly new cast of characters, it still adheres to the formula laid down by the first episodic title with the series' signature humor, madcap action, and focus on decision-making. Players may be in charge of how the game progresses, but the culmination of their actions and the finale they end up with comes about in an unusual way.
Things worked out differently in the original Tales from the Borderlands, with a final episode that was mostly told through flashbacks. This setup removed a lot of the tension, as well as the peril that players may feel for certain characters - they already knew their fates. The four main characters all survive until the end of the game, and although fans are able to make choices, the endings are fairly limited. New Tales from the Borderlands has more options and a unique parameter for success.
New Tales From The Borderlands' Different Endings
While players are still able to shape the narrative of the final episode by choosing the actions and responses of the main trio Fran, Anu, and Octavio, there are some aspects that players have to build up over the course of all five episodes in order to get a certain ending. Alongside their death-defying antics and chaotic adventuring, the three unexpected heroes have to work on their relationships and their "Skateboard Score."
LOU13, the hilarious and well-mannered robot assassin, will assign numerical values to the decisions that players make throughout each episode, which determines how strong the overall team's bond is. In addition to the Skateboard Score, there are also scores for individual relationships, like Brain 'N Brawn (Anu and Fran), Sis 'N Bro (Anu and Octavio), and Frogurt 'N Taco (Fran and Octavio). Having even scores across these relationships and not favoring one over another is vital to achieving the perfect ending.
Why New Tales From The Borderlands' Ending Requirements Seem Strange
It makes sense to have a good equilibrium between the three main characters so that they're an effective team, but there are some dynamics that seem odd. For example, creating a strong sibling bond between Anu and Octavio will actually bring about a "bad" ending in New Tales from the Borderlands, as this unbalances the three-way friendship. That means while some players want to bring the brother and sister pair closer, their choices are limited between going too far and not far enough if they want to achieve the best ending.
Some may want to sacrifice one of the three characters in New Tales from the Borderlands to tell a story more to their liking, as favoring certain bonds can mean one of the protagonists will die. This can lead to some sweet payoffs, like Anu and Octavio opening a consulting business, or Fran and Anu settling in for a quiet life as they run the diner together. However, these endings inevitably mean that players lose LOU13, and that might just be a step too far. To get the best ending, players can't develop one relationship significantly more than another, and while this may feel like a weird choice, it does mean everyone gets out of the game alive.
New Tales from the Borderlands is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
