New Tales from the Borderlands Reviews
As a huge fan of the original, I went into New Tales From The Borderlands wanting to have my mind blown and regaled with a story for the ages. Gearbox delivered this in some parts as they harnessed the crazy energy of the Borderlands universe to offer up exciting new characters and a coherent story. But the overeagerness to deliver a laugh a minute and the ludonarrative dissonance of its mini-games and QTEs take away from the game in droves. If we do get a third game, then I’d love to see Gearbox move away from all this and focus on delivering a heavy, gut-punching narrative sprinkled with that insane Borderlands energy we love so much.
A roster of uncanny characters and their interactions is enough to detract from a well-trodden, predictable story. New Tales from the Borderlands is chock full of mini-games, laughs and great performances throughout. With cameos from well-known, returning characters and that distinctive art style, New Tales from the Borderlands is definitely worth playing, especially for Borderlands fans.
We can scarcely recall an occasion where we were more disappointed by a sequel than New Tales from the Borderlands. We wanted to love this. We'd have accepted liking it. But we hate this game. This is a ten-hour narrative adventure that feels four times as long as it needs to be, with dreadful characters, and appalling, relentlessly unfunny jokes. It's a spectacular misfire, its only success to speak of being the rare example of a sequel so bad that it ruins the original, too.
The best thing you can say about New Tales from the Borderlands is that it makes you appreciate just how good the folks at Telltale Games were at what they did. While Gearbox’s latest is more technically impressive than Telltale’s series, stale, irritating characters, a slapdash plot, and choices that don’t feel like they matter turn the game’s brief runtime into a slog. These Tales are new, but they’re definitely not improved.
New Tales from the Borderlands is immensely entertaining, exceptionally well written, and acted with pitch-perfect attention to character.
New Tales from the Borderlands won't be the spiritual sequel that so many fans were hoping for. More technically accomplished, the game adapts a formula that has been out of date for years without managing to bring any real flavor to it. It has the merit of making us laugh for about ten hours, without ever managing to be as memorable, enjoyable and delirious as its predecessor.
Review in French | Read full review
New Tales from the Borderlands' story, characters, and visuals trump a lack of genre innovation.
Borderlands has always been known for its likable characters, and the protagonists introduce in New Tales From The Borderlands continue this grand tradition alongside a well written story. The characters play very well off of one another and grow before our eyes as they each dive deeper into their own psyches. But the lack of innovation in the gameplay is disappointing after this many years, which makes New Tales From The Borderlands mainly worth checking out for fans of the series.
In resume, you don't need to know everything about the Borderlands franchise to enjoy this installment, since it remains an independent plot from what is seen in the main games. And for those who are already familiar, it is clear that they will enjoy it more because of all the winks and references that they will find along the way.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Much like my time helping the original cast of “Tales from the Borderlands” find their meaning in life, I enjoyed the experience of helping Anu, Octavio and Fran change the world.
New Tales from the Borderlands amused us, excited, even moved us at times
Review in Italian | Read full review
New Tales From The Borderlands does right by its predecessor, telling a heartfelt, hilarious story within Borderlands' rambunctious, irreverent world.
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.
Folks who enjoy lower-shelf humor will find much to enjoy here. Turn your brain off and you may find some fun to be had.
New Tales from the Borderlands, as a spiritual successor to Telltale's series, is a cavalcade of peaks and valleys. It expands on the franchise's complex lore with a terrifically produced five-episode stint that will, for most, be a one-and-done experience that sadly fails to iterate on or improve the tired formula these types of games all rode into the ground.
New Tales from the Borderlands could have played it safe by using characters from the well-established universe that people know and love. However, Gearbox Quebec's decision to create a whole new bunch of ragtag characters that connect so clearly with Borderland's existing humour, art style, and lore has really paid off. New Tales from the Borderlands isn't a gameplay-heavy game, but the visuals, narrative, and the way the character's personalities are so well-developed kept me riveted and surprised. With what Gearbox has created here, I wouldn't be surprised if we see even Newer Tales From The Borderlands in the future.
There's a lot to love here for fans of the franchise and fans of the genre alike... provided you have room in your heart, and schedule, this time of the year.
There is heart behind New Tales From The Borderlands, however in trying too hard to be like its predecessor, it really only succeeds at being an inferior imitation.
This is the best the franchise has looked from a purely cinematic level. In the end, New Tales From The Borderlands succeeds because it lives up to its namesake and presents the best Borderlands storytelling since the original Tales.
New Tales from the Borderlands is a safe, risk-averse sequel that gets more right than wrong.