Tales from the Borderlands Episode One: Zero Sum (Review)

When it was announced in 2014 that Gearbox Software and 2K Games would be teaming up with Telltale Games for a Borderlands entry, it left a lot of gamers scratching their heads in confusion. How could two companies who are so different from each other possibly find equal footing in such a fast-paced franchise? The answer to that question came in the form of Tales From the Borderlands.

For those you who are familiar with Telltale and the type of titles they produce, you know that they’re not exactly known for action-oriented games. That’s not to say that their critically acclaimed titles such as The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead and A Game of Thrones aren’t fun to play. They’re just not as fast as most AAA titles. This means they require a little more concentration to play, which might be difficult for those of you who has spent years honing your button-mashing skills. Every decision you make in this game affects the characters. So choose wisely, because even fictitious heroes – or antiheroes – need a few allies.

The first episode “Zer0 Sum” takes place after the downfall of Handsome Jack, which falls somewhere after Borderlands 2 and before or after Borderlands the Presequel(depending on what order you play them in). Things on Pandora are still comically dangerous and Hyperion still wants to rule the Galaxy by means of the vaults and whatever oversized monsters lie within. In a nutshell, things are just as they’ve always been. Then enters Rhys, the protagonist (or antagonist?), a Hyperion employee who has been working with his friend Vaughn to climb the corporate ladder. There’s only one thing slowing him down . . . his new boss, Hugo Vazquez. After being demoted to janitor, Rhys decides to take things into his own hands by stealing a vault key out from underneath Vasquez’s nose. With Vaughn in tow, they travel to Pandora where they meet a whole cast of shady individuals, including con artist Fiona and her younger sister, Sasha. Through two different points of views and a several dialogue choices, you watch their day go from bad to worse through their various encounters with bandits, thieves and everybody’s favorite sword-wielding vault hunter, Zer0.

While you do encounter a some familiar faces along the way, Moxxi, Handsome Jack, Marcus and Shade among them, there is one character whose presence does not go unnoticed: Claptrap! After three full length games, Claptrap has become a staple of the Borderlands series. His annoying commentary and occasionally hilarious catchphrases have made him one of the most memorable characters, not just in this series, in the videogame industry as a whole. It’s possible he’ll show up in future episodes, but don’t count on seeing him at any point during this two hour adventure, which as a whole is entertaining enough. However, despite Telltale’s reputation for weaving a great narrative, there aren’t many people who play Borderlands for the story. All it really does it hold the action together as you move from one area to the next, shooting anything and everything you can (including your friends). That being said, this game is good for anybody looking to dive further into the Borderlands mythology. But if you’re looking for the same thrill offered by the other entries in the series, you might be a little disappointed. The first two episodes are now available for download, with more coming soon.

Score: 6 out of 10

Played On: Xbox One

#Borderlands #TalesFromTheBorderlands #TellTaleGames #ClapTrap #Zer0