Tales from the Borderlands

Pandora trades gunfire for sharp dialogue and spectacular bad decisions in this episodic adventure set after Borderlands 2. The story follows Rhys, an ambitious Hyperion employee with corporate fantasies, and Fiona, a cool-headed con artist chasing a life-changing score, as both claim ownership of the same stolen fortune. Their forced partnership spirals through shady deals, murderous bandits, old rivalries, Vault Hunters, and the kind of chaotic set pieces the Borderlands universe does best. The tone stays hilariously irreverent, but beneath the jokes sits a surprisingly warm tale about trust, friendship, and learning who deserves a second chance.

Players alternate between Rhys and Fiona, hearing their competing versions of events through a clever flashback structure that makes each narrator feel unreliable in entertaining ways. Most of the action revolves around timed dialogue choices, environmental investigation, simple inventory-style puzzles, and quick-time sequences during chases, fights, and other disasters. Decisions shape conversations, character relationships, and smaller story details across the five episodes, while the larger plot remains tightly authored enough to keep its momentum. Rhys also uses a cybernetic eye implant to scan people and objects, offering comic observations and occasional clues, whereas Fiona approaches problems with a thief’s instincts and a practiced talent for manipulation.

What separates Tales from the Borderlands from its shooter-heavy parent series is how well it understands that Pandora’s best weapon is its cast. Its cel-shaded presentation, excellent voice performances, energetic licensed soundtrack, and confident comic timing give every episode the feel of an interactive animated crime caper. Familiar faces and lore reward Borderlands fans, yet the plot explains its essentials clearly enough for newcomers who have never fired a gun on Pandora. Anyone who enjoys The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, or character-driven adventures with meaningful role-playing choices finds one of Telltale’s funniest and most polished stories here.