Tales from the Borderlands: Episode Five - The Vault of the Traveler (PlayStation 4) Review

The penultimate episode brought with it some of the best moments in the series thus far. Scooter's death was fantastically done and anyone who didn't choose Step 3 is a heartless monster. The whole gang managed to develop further as a group, with friendships and romances budding between human and bot alike. At the same time, other relationships became strained as everyone found out the truth about Rhys and Jack. Even with cracks beginning, however, the team managed to put their differences to one side and even join forces with some enemies for an inspiring '80s-style montage / fabulous opening credits sequence to make it off world and to Hyperion.

The actual heist on Hyperion was a real joy for fans of one of the best British TV shows of all time, Spaced, with a scene that combined one of the most memorable moments of the show with John Wick in an accountant slaughtering, finger gun shootout. Some smart writing even managed to bring back the incredible talents of Patrick Warburton; the death of Vasquez was quite a disappointment considering the superb vocal work Warburton produced. Giving Rhys some time wearing Vasquez's face and using his voice gave Warburton another chance to shine, delivering a scenario that set up for some killer lines.

By the episode's end, the plan had finally all come together, but sadly not Rhys and Fiona's plan, however, Handsome Jack's instead. The cliffhanger left Fiona and crew captured by security and Rhys stuck strapped to a chair, about to lose both his life and his body, becoming the new vessel Handsome Jack.

This episode is filled with all of the best aspects that made the series special, truly funny moments, moments packed with real emotion, some smart writing and, of course, great characters. As with all Telltale titles, the series has been built on its characters, their development, and their relationships - the friendships, the hated enemies, the awkward allies, and the romances. Considering a certain big film is getting its seventh episode this year, it's fitting that arguably the best romance is between a tall Golden Droid and a Knee High Droid that rolls around.

The droids really shine again in this episode - Loader Bot is clearly the undisputed best character of the series and hearing him lament how he "Gives more than he gets in these relationships" after saving the crew yet again or responding to Rhys' "I owe you one" with a deadpan "You owe me more than one" again goes to show why. It's not just Loader Bot, who shines in this episode, as all of the main cast, along with the supporting cast get some memorable lines and moments with a breakout performance from all involved.

Telltale's games thrive on showing how player's choices and actions matter and Tales from the Borderlands delivers that in this episode. Fiona and Rhys have to bring a crew together for one final job, made up from many potential characters, each returning from the previous episodes. Whether they will be willing to join or not, however, is all dependent on the choices and actions made previously. The result may mostly be cosmetic, but the sequence they are used in is possibly the best sequence in the entire series and worth replaying with other save files to experiment with each character and see what each brings to the table during the job.

Telltale's adventures are often light on actual interactive gameplay, with a handful of Quick-Time Events (QTE) or small exploration events per episode in their stories. While QTE often get a bad rap, when done right they can result in a truly enjoyable experience. There is one section in this episode, The Vault of the Traveler that Power Rangers fans, in particular, will enjoy, and it manages to be an ideal example of QTE done right, filled with Easter Eggs and certain familiar motions that will bring a smile to anyone's face. Who would have thought so many of the cast were Street Fighter fans or that Cassius is a Dragon Ball enthusiast?

There are a few moments that would serve as the perfect setup for a second season, wrapping up some parts of the story but leaving others open for continuation. Telltale instead takes the story all the way, fully coming to the conclusion of the yarn that has so marvellously been spun. It would have been easy instead to fluff this out with a little more content and guarantee an audience that were eager to get their hands on season two, but the fact that the team has cared more about telling a complete story is a real credit to the storytelling.

Being the finale, and as with all of the best stories, this tale doesn't go for the trite happily ever after ending and there are some painful moments. This has to be expected in a story involving Space Cowboys, from Firefly to Cowboy Bebop - none walk away without some losses along the way. Prepare for some teary moments.