Review

Tales From The Borderlands: Episode 5: The Vault of the Traveler

They say that a story is only as good as its ending. Or rather, I’d assume that’s what one would say after being asked what do all great books/shows/movies have in common. The conclusion has the innate ability to make the previous chapters better than they were individually. The same could be said about an episodic video game series like Tales From the Borderlands…

“The Vault of the Traveler” could very well be named “and then all hell broke loose” due to the sheer amount of crazy going on – though our gang made it to Helios, it wasn’t long before Hansom Jack was able to seize control of the base. His goal was to download himself into an exoskeleton which would then to be grafted into Rhys. Refusing to be murdered for his skin, Rhys escapes Jack’s clutches only to run into another familiar face. Meanwhile, Fiona and Sasha are betrayed by their new comrades before they could secure their ship. Gortys is taken, things explode, and sacrifices are made as Helios comes crashing down to Pandora. And that’s all before the opening credits!

It wouldn’t be spoiling anything to say that all of the story threads are wrapped up in this final episode (with only a few revelations hidden behind specific choices). While that’s certainly a good thing, what makes this particular episode great is the scale; this is the first Telltale game in a long time that isn’t anchored by a modest frame. What I mean is that on Pandora, anything goes. In order to survive, you start a bandit tribe made up of disenchanted office workers? It’s feasible. Want to fight a giant monster from the inside of a robot, Power Rangers style? Sure, why not. Borderlands is such a crazy franchise that almost anything could be introduced as canon without ruining what came before.

Beyond the over-the-top shenanigans are some really touching segments. One of which deals with a certain nameless gunman that’s been dragging our “heroes” all across the desert; I honestly didn’t see that twist coming. Over the past four episodes, we really got to see the characters grow. This is surprising given the emphasis on the player just having a good time, something I mentioned in my review of episode four. At the same time, Telltale wanted to tell a story that would resonate with the audience. Nothing was done haphazardly in an effort to extend the playtime or to check off a must-have-feature box. Telltale has become quite efficient at this balancing act. So much so, that they’ve changed what it means to be an adventure game. And Tales From the Borderlands is the culmination of what they’ve come to perfect.

This superb mixture of wildly enjoyable gaming and skillful storytelling would not have come to fruition without this episode though as it elevates everything that came before it. I honestly enjoyed every second of “The Vault of the Traveler” and look forward to learning what Telltale and Gearbox plan to accomplish next now that dust has settled. Hopefully, I won’t have to wait too long to find out.