2014 saw the release of Tales from the Borderalnds, a title that attempted to combine the typical style of Telltale Games video games with the crazy universe of borderlands. The experiment was particularly successful, and many enthusiasts asked for a direct follow-up. Today, in 2022, something is finally available that comes close to those requests, albeit made by a completely different team development and with completely different main characters. The work we analyze in review is New Tales from the Borderlands, which only partially convinced us.
A strange universe
The story tells of Anu, an altruistic but anxious scientist, Octavio, an unintelligent and naive boy who puts his heart into everything he does, and the irascible owner of the yogurt shop Fran. The three characters seem at first unrelated to each other but, as the adventure continues, family and work connections will become more and more evident, as they try to survive together with the umpteenth invasion of Promethea caused by some multiplanetary company.
The game developed by Gearbox Software it is, by its very nature, a work mostly narrative, which is why we will not proceed further to talk to you specifically from the plot, avoiding spoilers. The important thing is to know that the spirit of the franchise is not betrayed, seeing as the general tone is constantly over the top and without ever taking yourself seriously.
In this sense, it is also admirable as would not be - again - absolutely necessary to know the rest of the series to enjoy the title in its entirety. Some characters and cameos may not be familiar to an "ordinary" user, but soon even a player not used to the series will be able to get involved in the crazy world building.
However, creating a good setting for events are not the only elements to make a script effective, and unfortunately New Tales from the Borderalnds fails in almost every other respect.
The main characters previously described can arouse a certain curiosity at the beginning but, as the hours go by, it is evident that none of them can overcome the stereotyped elements or character limits, evident from the first minutes. The work tries to offer a message of individual and family growth, but patchy and hasty.
The comedy slowly loses its effectiveness, continually trying to interest the player with pop culture references, catchphrases of some kind or the infinite amount of double entenders. The only ones who manage to be genuinely funny from start to finish are L0U13, Brock e the soldier fixed with the statuettes, unlike the other secondary characters, such as the freelance boy or the bad girl on duty who do not have a minimum of personality.
Something went wrong
In general, it seems that the written history of Doug Libelich, Amanda Shuckman and Anthony Burch doesn't know where to go to opinion. In all five episodes the i narrative holes, forcing of all kinds and moments that simply lengthen the broth.
One of the biggest flaws, highlighted in this New Tales from the Borderalnds review, is the lack of any sensation of progression. In this style of products, the interactivity of the story is important, since the player must feel the weight of their choices within the events. Unfortunately, the feeling is that of following a TV series without real user influence.
To tell the truth, in the first two episodes the general situation looked much better. The characters interacted with the world, conversed with other characters and above all the choices seemed to have real consequences in the events. Perhaps for budgetary reasons or development conditions, even many of the faces in the first part they practically disappear, without having any kind of importance for the continuation of the events.
However, we appreciate the attempt to create a more intimate narrative of the three protagonists, since the important thing is not so much the action we choose, but the like we decide to undertake it. There creating a good relationship it not only leads to an ending of some kind, but also to more positive developments and dialogues.
Gameplay?
The gameplay of the work is extremely simplified and practically non-existent. The game primarily aims to tell and observe a story, but it requires the player to keep the controller handy for some specific sections.
Sections in style QTY they are definitely a good example, but the main part they are the choices in the dialogues, with the strengths and weaknesses previously described. In general, the dynamics are typical of these gaming experiences, where to make a decision you have to press a button within the set time.
The Gearbox Software developers therefore do not have any kind of claim, but they preferred "stay on the safe side”With the typical gameplay of the genre. A certainly not very courageous but understandable choice, given that it is the first product of this kind developed by them. The strong point is certainly also the localization in various languages for writing, including the Spanish.
The most playful section is l'exploration: in these phases the player takes control of one of the protagonists to find important points of interest within a small map. These stages are quite uncomfortable to control, full of invisible and generally not funny walls. Furthermore, it is extremely easy discover the interactive elements as they are particularly distinct on a visual level.
In the course of the adventure, however, there are gods minigames, able to vary the events and offer greater entertainment. Unfortunately, as with the rest of the product, the playability of these is all too simple, resulting in redundant and predictable.
The border lands
In this New Tales from the Borderlands review we haven't spared any flaws, but we certainly can't fault it the visual element and character design. Style cel-shaded is the typical one of the series, which manages to convey a universe as crazy as it is fascinating from every single pixel.
The same positive opinion goes to the party direction of production, readable and light for the user. The animation it is also full of virtues, which seems to be looking at some kind of cartoon for adults, full of life and features. In this sense, the good dubbing in English helps to make the product stand out further.
The Nintendo Switch we tested it is made with criteria, with slightly long loading times and some textures that load slowly, but that do not reveal bugs or game-breaking glitches.
Review
- New Tales from the Borderlands (Provato su Switch)6.5Voto Finale
Gearbox Software's work has an uninteresting story, with stereotypical and predictable main characters, the comedy doesn't work very well, and the player has a low feeling of overall interactivity. However, the product is not to be thrown away given some good ideas, stylistic and directorial care as well as a port for functional Switch. In general, Gearbox still has a lot to learn for this genre of products, but if it manages to develop the most successful points it is likely that they will be able to take a good path in the future.
