Tales From the Borderlands Ep. 4: Escape Plan Bravo Review – High Stakes

Telltale Games has delivered some stellar chapters in its Tales from the Borderlands series so far, with three very entertaining episodes paying homage to the franchise originally created by Gearbox Software, while simultaneously improving upon the source material through interesting ways. This part of the story is still kept mysteriously unclear for the episode, and it’s actually surprising how much of a back seat this takes given how little time there is left for future revelations. You can nearly see George Clooney standing in Rhys’ place detailing each step of how they are going to break into the orbiting Hyperion base of Helios. But what would the life of a Vault Hunter be without that constant threat?

If you’ve been following along with Telltale’s Tales From the Borderlands, you’ll definitely want to watch the launch trailer embedded above. A tense, stressful examination in all things Handsome Jack makes a tough test for players as Fiona the tour guide.

There’s also a much needed confirmation on where one character’s allegiance stands, which pays off in a pretty satisfying response from Rhys regardless of the options presented. When the last episode eventually airs, we will be a sadder people until Season 2 is inevitably announced.

And it’s a huge strength of this episode to say that the early tones of despair or peril don’t ever overpower the swashbuckling atmosphere that we’ve come to expect from the series. Another grim moment builds up to a conclusion you will know is coming, but are hoping so badly to be able to resolve. While the antics of Gortys and Handsome Jack provide some humor at times and there’s still plenty of banter (The return of Patrick Warburton and the whole “Skin Pizza” segment without a doubt help in this effort.) you get the feeling that the group is nearing the end of its road.

Tales from the Borderlands was already one of my favourite Telltale series’, second only to the groundbreaking first season of The Walking Dead. Now, four episodes deep into Tales From the Borderlands, I can see how foolish my initial thoughts were. Sure, it’s not the most choice driven or fastest paced thing they’ve done, but they’re telling a great story that has captivated me wholeheartedly both overall and moment to moment, and judging by their name, isn’t that what Telltale is all about?

Escape Plan Bravo is one of those divisive episodes that some will love and some will hate.