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

When the first episode of Tales from the Borderlands released back in 2014 players were immediately hooked. Telltale demonstrated their ability to take an the Borderlands franchise and imbue it with their unique charm successfully. Now the final episode, The Vault of the Traveler, concludes this epic odyssey of the Rhys. After his evolution from a low-ranking Hyperion employee to a globally recognized name you would’ve hoped the final chapter delivered a solid ending, oh wait…yea it does!

Taking place right after the events of Escape Plan Bravo Handsome Jack has retaken control of Hyperion and seeks to regain his throne, with or without Rhys. Telltale somehow crams powerful moments that range from wonderful references to Borderlands, devastatingly heartwarming goodbyes, and laugh-out-loud moments. What truly made Escape Plan Bravo incredible was the stakes, with Rhys, Fiona and the rest of his company now faced with life-or-death challenges that could be the future of Pandora. These weren’t rare in the past episodes but now somehow Telltale made the risks much higher and the choices that more difficult with clever writing and excellently crafted choreographed scenes.

What's staggering about The Vault of the Traveler is somehow Telltale takes all the choices you’ve made throughout your journey and revisit them in impactful ways. Things I forgot about in Episode 1 were slammed back into my face; it made every previous decision I made that more significant. I was the one who choose to how Rhys and Fiona acted, and the ramifications of these consequences highlight not what Rhys wanted but what I wanted.

Gameplay has always been a weak point for every Telltale game to come out and the final episode of Tales from the Borderlands is no exception. You’ll perform special actions through quick time events and choose from up to four options during dialogue, but what made these thrilling were the infusion of Telltale’s sophisticated writing. Moments that could’ve been dull and tawdry were fantastically bizarre, and somehow it all worked with the overall story.

Tales from the Borderlands Episode 5: The Vault of the Traveler concludes Rhys and Fiona’s journey in a blaze of glory. All the decisions made throughout this journey coming full circle here, with all the questions from previous episodes answered with a spectrum of emotional and hilarious scenes. The only downside is we’ll have to wait until Tetalle decides to revisit the world of Pandora.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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