Review: 'Tales from the Borderlands' Episode 4 - 'Escape Plan Bravo'

Hitch A Ride!!

[Review supplied by TellTale Games]

We are nearly there readers! Episode 4 of the Tales of Borderlands is finally here and it takes us one step closer to finally finding out what the hell is going on. Will this episode manage to keep up with the pace created by the previous episodes? Let us take a trip to Pandora to find out.

Escape Plan Bravo feels like that act in a movie where all action and story comes to a sudden halt as it prepares you for the epic finale. As a stand alone episode, this one is definitely the weakest as it really does not add anything new to the story. There is still some good humour in the episode (in fact some scenes in this episode are some of the funniest to date) but you learn nothing new about any of the characters and mysteries currently surrounding the overall story.
How the story goes, it needs all the characters to be in a certain place before the finale takes place. This is what this episode does - it gets the characters from point A to point B. In terms of a TV show, this is a filler episode.

Even the framing of the whole story (where Rhys & Fiona have been captured) takes a back seat this time. This is a shame as to me this is the most interesting part of the whole story. It is fun finding out the events leading up to the current situation.
It is the last episode next so fingers crossed we will find out everything or they will leave it on a massive cliffhanger that will only be fully understood when Borderlands 3 is released (I honestly think this is where they are going with this at the moment).
However, if you were to play all the episodes back to back, you may be be grateful for this slow down but it definitely puts the breaks onto the pace that had built up from the previous 3 episodes.
There is actually very little game play in this episode so there is not too much to comment on in this section. For the 90 minutes this episode took to complete, I spent the majority of the time watching each scene unfold. Great for other in the room who are watching you but not a lot of fun for the player.

For me though the best part of this episode was the Showdown scene. Here you witness what would happen if “Nerdy” accountants got their hands on some epic Pandora weapons. They are not real mind you (just think of it as children playing pretend war) but how it plays out it just comical genius. You do not have to be a fan of Borderlands to appreciate the entire madness of this scene.
Again, Handsome Jack stole the show - it just has a way to make a bad situation that little bit more awkward.
There is a hard hitting moment and it just came out of the blue. I compare it to the (spoilers!) end of the Walking Dead Season 1. You knew what was coming and that just made the final decision even harder. Here, the event happens and then is brushed off just as quickly. Yes, it was shocking and will change the Borderlands universe but it could have been done better.

Escape Plan Bravo is the weakest entry in the Tales of Borderlands series but it is still just as entertaining as the previous episodes. If you were to play all episodes from beginning to end (when they have all been released), you will definitely noticed a significant slow down but for how quick this story is moving, it may be for the better. The only thing I know for sure from this episode is this; you never know who your true enemies really are.

6/10

Who Should Play This?

• Hardcore Borderland fans
• Players who enjoyed previous Telltale Games
• Having a bad day? Tales may improve that!

Who Should NOT Play This?

• If you dislike the humour of the original games then you will not enjoy Tales
• More of fan of the old school point and click adventures? you will not find this here sorry
• Point and click adventure haters