New Tales from the Borderlands — Review
Synopsis: Decide the fates of altruistic scientist Anu, her ambitious, street-wise brother Octavio, and the fierce, frogurt-slinging Fran. Claw and con your way through five thrilling chapters!
Cast: Michelle Rambharose, Diego Stredel, Lucia Frangione, Temapare Hodson, Samantha Ferris, Ray Chase, Cherlandra Estrada, Christian Lagasse, Marguerite Hanna
Developer: Gearbox Studio Québec
Writers: Anthony Burch, Lin Joyce, Doug Lieblich, Amanda Schuckman
Publisher: 2K
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Also available for: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows
When Telltale started releasing Tales from the Borderlands in November of 2014, they were at the top of their game. They had just released the first two seasons of The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, all critically acclaimed games with stories that impacted players. Yet there they were, about to tell a story in the world of Borderlands, a property known more for its loot-driven gameplay loop than its story. But Telltale was still able to tell an emotional story filled with deep characters, fun set pieces, hilarious moments and a sustained mystery across its five episodes. The game is still highly regarded, with hopes that a sequel would one day come from Telltale—hopes that were squashed when the studio closed in 2018. 2K acquired the property and has now released a spiritual successor in the form of New Tales from the Borderlands.
Taking place after the events of Borderlands 3, New Tales puts you in the shoes of three different characters as the weapons manufacturer Tediore invades Promethea. First, there is Anu, an anxiety-ridden, high-strung, pacifist scientist working for Atlas on a device to “send enemies on vacation” instead of killing them. You also play as her estranged brother Octavio, a street-smart young man desperate to become wealthy any way he can—despite a much lower IQ than his sister and poor impulse control. Then there is Fran, the hoverchair-bound owner of Fran’s Frogurt, who has deep-seated anger issues and an abundance of self-confidence. Of course, their stories intertwine as they work together to survive Promethea’s turmoil.
New Tales is very much a modern narrative adventure: you’ll spend most of your time making dialogue choices for the different characters or performing quick-time events and then watching the effects and repercussions. The game tracks relationships between the trio, which impacts how things end up for the group. There are short sections where characters can explore, scan items and solve small puzzles, but these are outweighed by dialogue and QTEs. Occasional mini-games appear, like “Vaultlanders” (a collectible figurine combat game that still boils down to QTEs) or Octavio’s hacking mini-game—something the game even lets you skip, which says a lot. There’s a notable lack of variety to keep things engaging.
The limited gameplay variety is amplified by a middling, unevenly paced story with leads who can be hard to like. The game starts strong with solid introductions and a number of memorable supporting characters, but soon feels like it’s treading water—and most of those side characters disappear, except for LOU13, an assassination bot and friend to Octavio. Too often, getting a joke in takes precedence over growth or consistency: Octavio can swing from epiphany to doing the dumbest thing possible in a heartbeat. That said, the hit rate on jokes is decent, and Brock—the sentient Tediore gun who becomes Octavio’s adversary—got a laugh out of me every time he appeared.
The middle chapters meander through unnecessary misadventures, leaving too much to resolve in the final chapter. That last stretch ends up overstuffed; attempts at heartfelt moments fall flat and the conclusion feels a little unsatisfying. While the game runs roughly 10–12 hours, it feels longer.
One of the game’s biggest missteps is trying to replicate the credits/musical moments from Tales from the Borderlands. In that game, great set pieces and brilliantly edited montages set to standout tracks became iconic. Here, the musical montages feel like hollow echoes: a somewhat relevant song plays over the trio doing busywork. It would have been better not to try than to invite the comparison.
Some will still enjoy this, but most players hoping for another taste of Tales will likely feel let down. With characters that often read as caricatures more than fully formed people and a generally unremarkable story, this entry is forgettable if you’re looking for anything beyond a steady stream of jokes.
