More than being simply a good episode, like so many others on the telltale games assembly line, episode two of the bright and breezy tales From the borderlands marks a refreshing departure from many of what twD and twau veterans will recognise as telltale clichés.
The transparently signposted live/die decisions and lingering shots of the Sims-esque facial contortion take a backseat here to smartly written, canon-friendly giggles. episode one set a solid foundation of character comedy within gearbox’s world of post-apocalyptic wastelands controlled by weapons companies and populated by bandits, and atlas mugged recognises that the best way to tee up the laughs for the rest of the series is to build those characters further. Such is the craft behind TFTBL’s ensemble cast that by the second half of this two-hour episode you’re often smirking in anticipation of what a given character will say, because you’re able to second-guess how they feel about the situation as it emerges.
This instalment sees rhys, Fiona, and their tagalongs (including the ‘weirdly buff’ Vaughn, who gets all the best gags) pursued by anonymous bounty hunters and series icons alike as they try to piece together what atlas was up to on Pandora prior to Hyperion’s takeover. Once again it’s well-paced and varied in how it asks you to interact, and though you don’t often feel like your actions have far-reaching consequences, its linearity is a happy tradeoff for the sharp characterisation and dialogue on offer here.
8/10
The transparently signposted live/die decisions and lingering shots of the Sims-esque facial contortion take a backseat here to smartly written, canon-friendly giggles. episode one set a solid foundation of character comedy within gearbox’s world of post-apocalyptic wastelands controlled by weapons companies and populated by bandits, and atlas mugged recognises that the best way to tee up the laughs for the rest of the series is to build those characters further. Such is the craft behind TFTBL’s ensemble cast that by the second half of this two-hour episode you’re often smirking in anticipation of what a given character will say, because you’re able to second-guess how they feel about the situation as it emerges.
This instalment sees rhys, Fiona, and their tagalongs (including the ‘weirdly buff’ Vaughn, who gets all the best gags) pursued by anonymous bounty hunters and series icons alike as they try to piece together what atlas was up to on Pandora prior to Hyperion’s takeover. Once again it’s well-paced and varied in how it asks you to interact, and though you don’t often feel like your actions have far-reaching consequences, its linearity is a happy tradeoff for the sharp characterisation and dialogue on offer here.
8/10
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