Andrew McMahon
Thankfully, I was dead wrong about the game and was blown away by how phenomenal the writing, performances, and choice system turned out to be. Due to this and the built-up anticipation of almost a decade of waiting, the bar was set high for its sequel, New Tales from the Borderlands.
I mean, how could Gearbox possibly manage to one-up the comedy and characters fans came to love in the first game? Once again, I was proven wrong.
New Tales from the Borderlands is somehow even better than the first installment, featuring even more absurd humor, a wider variety of dialogue choices, and a full roster of insane characters, each brimming with their own alluring personalities. To start, there’s our three new protagonists: Anu, Octavio, and Fran.
Anu is a brilliant scientist with a bleeding heart, which causes considerable interior conflict, as she works for the money-hungry military corporation Atlus. Octavio, who also happens to be Anu’s adopted brother, is a wannabe entrepreneur that has way more confidence than sense. Fran is the smartass, badass owner of a Frogert shop that has suffered from some setbacks (sporting a solid -3.5 satisfaction rating).
From the get-go, I immediately loved Fran and Octavio’s personalities. Octavio is akin to an even goofier version of Rhys, while Fran is pretty much Pam Poovey from Archer if she was placed in a floating, weaponized wheelchair. Anu definitely was the weakest of the three, as her personality, dialogue, and overall vibe were a bit awkward.
Honestly, though, it doesn’t take long for Anu to come out of her shell and begin to blossom a bit, especially when the trio ends up together following yet another corporate invasion and some chaotic coincidences. She actually proves pretty invaluable to the comedy of many situations, serving as the straight man to the over-the-top antics of both Octavio and Fran.
There’s a point in the story where the group creates a device that lets them heal almost any wound. Naturally, Fran and Octavio’s first thought is that they want to have a quasi-pillow fight… but by shooting each other with bullets instead of tossing pillows around. What results is pure comedic chaos, as these two idiots are simultaneously laughing and screaming in pain while Anu is freaking out the entire time.
When Anu finally decides to join in on the fun, naturally, she ends up taking things too far and almost ends up getting someone killed. Because, of course, she would. The writing and comedic timing of that scene is pure gold, and a perfect encapsulation of New Tales from the Borderlands’ excellent comedic tone. The writing, in general, is just so nuanced and clever, as it leans so far into the over-the-top personalities of so many of its cast without needing to resort to toilet humor or annoying caricatures like Claptrap.
Alongside their unique personalities, each character also has their own specific gadgets that lead to fun mini-games and situations. Anu has high-tech glass that allows her to scan objects, Octavio can browse people’s social media and hack their devices, and Fran can freeze and knock out enemies using her hoverchair.
While these gadgets didn’t really revolutionize the gameplay, they serve their purpose well, providing similar scavenger hunt and puzzle-like mechanics fans came to enjoy in Tales from the Borderlands. Octavio’s social media jailbreak is probably the best of all three, as it provides interesting insight into all the characters we meet.
Alongside their gadgets, each character also engages in miniature figurine fights throughout different pats of the story via a game called Vaultlanders. The mode is a QTE 1v1 battle where you attack, dodge, and counter enemy figures with varying stats until their health bar is gone.
Now, admittedly, even as a side mechanic, Vaultlanders is a pretty weak gameplay feature, as it’s just far too simple and one-dimensional. However, its inclusion in the game leads to some of the most hilarious interactions in the game, as you’ll always end up playing it when you find a Badass Superfan from Tedior popping up in the most random situations and locations.
I’m not exaggerating when I say the conversations and scenarios surrounding this guy are worth the price of admission for this silly side game alone. I mean, I literally found him in a mortuary cabinet at one point because he had to downsize from the fridge he was living in before. What’s amazing is that he isn’t even close to the best side character in the game.
There are so many amazing recurring or one-off characters in New Tales from the Borderlands that are responsible for not only building the world but also for just being downright hilarious. Whether it’s the wholesome psycho Stapleface or the lovable explosives expert Radon, there are just so many different personalities that shine through in the game that it almost feels impossible to pinpoint a moment where things felt even remotely dull.
Arguably the most impressive feat that New Tales from the Borderlands manages to accomplish, though, is that they somehow replaced the Loader Bot-shaped hole in my heart with an even more hilarious and wholesome robot named LOU13.
LOU13 is an assassination robot that is programmed to eliminate anyone that has a bounty on their head, with the caveat being he must hear them state their full name before completing the contract. Being that it’s the world of Borderlands, contracts can be taken out for something as mundane as stepping on your neighbor’s grass.
Even though he’s programmed to be an assassin, LOU13 is a rather cheerful, albeit literal, companion and makes every situation and conversation he’s a part of even more hilarious, even though he’s usually not trying to be. Whenever Octavio goes on a big monologue or exaggerates a story, this assassination robot is either there to call him out on it or question him about the specifics to a comically literal degree.
A simple remark from Octavio, like “You’re alive! I thought I lost you,” would spark incredibly wiry and dry responses from LOU13. No, he’s not alive. He’s a robot. And no, you didn’t lose him; neither he nor Octavio have changed locations. This is just a small example of the kind of dry comedy that can come from the robot, and it only gets better once there’s more people to riff off of.
LOU13 somehow manages to get even more interesting as a character as the game progresses, as existential crises start to pop up, along with a sudden desire to become the mentee of a stripper. Yes, it’s as weird and interesting as its sounds. I know it’s blasphemy, but I honestly think I love him as much, if not more, than Loader Bot from the first game, which is a pretty monumental feat considering how funny that sarcastic bro-mech was throughout the whole game.
Despite having a pretty linear story, with some relatively significant choices thrown in here and there to lead to different outcomes, I can’t wait to play through New Tales from the Borderlands multiple times. No matter what dialogue choice you pick, they are all just so good.
The cohesion system in New Tales from the Borderlands also adds to the replayability, as different choices and interactions between Fran, Octavio, and Anu result in positive or negative ratings from LOU13, who uses a Skateboard-based system to monitor how well they work as a team. So even though you’ll end up in a pretty similar place by the end, the journey you take to get there is considerably different.
Speaking of story, New Tales from the Borderlands also goes on a pretty distinct path storywise when it comes to its direction, which I loved. You see, instead of making the entire adventure lead up to finding the Vault and its treasures at the end of the game, the story has the protagonists venture into it in episode 2.
Without spoiling too much, the sequence is pretty amazing, as the lead-up to finding the Vault is intense, as the entrance is filled with both Tediore soldiers and terrifying alien enemies that you have to avoid via QTE events. Sure, this might not be the most thrilling gameplay compared to the shooting and high-intensity action of the other Borderlands games, but it does help give the story more of a down-to-earth perspective.
It also helps that the QTE events aren’t as obnoxious as Telltale Games in the past, as New Tales from the Borderlands doesn’t rely too heavily on needing to get them all right instantaneously, though you still need to at least be paying attention to get the prompt right. A smaller focus on this allows the game to add in more conversation and story mechanics, which is where it truly shines.
Once inside, the group doesn’t find the riches they’re looking for per se, but there is an item that they found that could both make them rich and help the world, depending on how they use it. The rest of the story is all about the consequences of what they find in the Vault and how it’ll affect them and the world around them.
This might not seem like a big deal, but as someone that’s always been annoyed by cliffhangers or abrupt endings, it was nice to see something different for a change. It also helps tell a story beyond that of just striving to find an adventure for riches, instead focusing on character growth.
This is where New Tales from the Borderlands really sets itself apart from Tales from the Borderlands. While it was awesome to get to see our Rhys, Fiona, and the gang find riches, not getting to see what they do with it and how they grow is a bummer. Well, actually, we do at least know that Rhys took a thousand steps back, as the game starts with him being a total corporate blowhard.
New Tales from the Borderlands tells a much more complete narrative for each of its protagonists, as Anu learns how to use her knowledge for good, Octavio finds there’s more to life than just money, and Fran is able to let go of the past. The story and its characters are just really satisfying and hilarious from start to finish.
Honestly, I can’t rave enough about how much I loved playing New Tales from the Borderlands. It’s likely the most I’ve ever laughed while playing a video game –with the previous champion being Tales from the Borderlands.
If you love the previous game or just are really craving a good giggle, New Tales from the Borderlands is most definitely a must-play title for you in 2022. I happily give this one a rating of 4 and a half skateboards out of 5.
Meet the Voice Actors of New Tales from the Borderlands Cast All of the Music in New Tales from the Borderlands New Tales from the Borderlands Shows Anu’s Unstrung Genius With Funny New Trailer New Tales from the Borderlands Highlights Fran With New Trailer New Tales from the Borderlands Trailer & First Gameplay Drops at PAX West
