Tales from the Borderlands “The Vault of the Traveler” review for PC, Xbox One, PS4

So it?s not necessarily surprising that the finale to Telltale?s Tales from the Borderlands was good, considering the overall quality of the series up to this point. But I was still pretty amazed at how well it wrapped up all the individual threads building up to this fifth and final episode. There was a lot to resolve here, what with Mallory, The Vault, Handsome Jack, Vaughn, and the mysterious stranger guiding Rhys and Fiona through the wilderness of Pandora. However, all of these things are tackled and brought together in a culmination that feels like a fitting end to one of the best Telltale entries to date.

From a gameplay perspective this fifth entry of Tales from the Borderlands doesn?t deviate much from the last four episodes. Things are still told from the perspective of both Fiona and Rhys, this is still a story/dialogue driven experience, choices are made, QTE?s pop-up, and you?ll have some limited moments to move around different environments. All of this is pretty par for the course in general for Telltale titles, so if you?re expecting anything wildly different, well, I don?t know why you would at this point.

That said, there is one sequence that certainly makes use of the QTE?s in an interesting, Street Fighter-esque manner. It?s not something to spoiler here, but this sequence is one of the more enjoyable moments in the entirety of Tales from the Borderlands, and one that I imagine will stand out for everyone else playing. There?s also a key moment in this episode where you?re able to create a ?B? Team of Vault Hunters put together from characters you?ve encountered earlier. Choices made when interacting with those characters will determine if they?ll join your group, adding a little replay value to the tail end of the adventure, and some noticeable impact for decisions made.

As far as finales go, I think Tales from the Borderlands gets things right. All the major threads are wrapped up nicely, and while there?s room for a sequel involving this cast, it doesn?t feel absolutely necessary either. I certainly wouldn?t mind seeing Rhys, Fiona, Loader Bot, Gortys and the rest of the gang appear again down the road, but I?m very satisfied with this if it ends up being a one-off, or if the next season of Tales from the Borderlands focuses on a different cast entirely. So if you?ve been on board thus far, you?ll absolutely want to finish things out here. And if you?ve held off on playing through the series until the finale hit, then you have one of the best Telltale series to date to look forward to with Tales from the Borderlands.