Gaming Cypher

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This is the review for the PC version of Tales from the Borderlands: A Telltale Games Series Zer0 Sum by TellTale Games and Gearbox Software.

Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Format: iOS, PC (reviewed), PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One
MSRP: $4.99, $24.99 (Season Pass)
Released: November 25, 2014

You’ll play as Rhys, a Hyperion ‘suit’ with dreams of being the next Handsome Jack, and Fiona, a Pandoran con artist looking to score her biggest ever swindle. Thrown together as unwilling partners in an adventure to recover cash they both think is theirs, their journey will take you on a wild ride where gangsters, bandit lords, and Vault Hunters are just some of the obstacles you’ll encounter, in this new take on the award-winning universe created by Gearbox Software.

Tales from the Borderlands: Zero Sum PC Review

 

Graphics
One of Zer0 Sum’s best features is its classic comic-book like graphics. The scenes move flawlessly and without any glitches. Pandora is well portrayed as a desert wasteland should be. The colors are pleasing and appear perfect for each scene. For this reason, we gave the graphics a 5 / 5.

Sound

The sound of Zer0 Sum is played out by Troy Baker (Rhys), Laura Bailey (Fiona), and Chris Hardwick (Vaughn – Rhys’s sidekick). The sound is excellent and the voice manipulations within the scenes can bring you to tears or laughter at any given moment. We gave the sound a 5 / 5.

Tales from the Borderlands: Zero Sum PC Review

 

Gameplay
The gameplay of Zer0 Sum focuses on dialogue and narrative choice, although the choices that players make might appear to be an illusion. Even those who never played Borderlands can enjoy a totally fresh game in a little over two hours. For example, Rhys is genetically altered here with the ability to scan objects with his eye. His new found ability is mainly used for exploring the world as well as having an effect on the story to be used in key moments.  Fiona is seriously money hungry and has the ability to search her environment for cash, which can be used to change the story line, depending on how it’s spent. If there is one thing that we could change about Zer0 Sum is the ability to explore a bit longer. Maybe add a few more puzzles to the mix as well. Because of this we gave the gameplay a 4.5 / 5.

Controls
The controls are pretty straight forward. Basically, ESC key for menu and to Pause; Q (which we used very often!) for Echo Eye and Money; E to open inventory; T to show Selectables; Left click of the mouse to Select, and the typical W, A, S, D, keys to move characters. For this ease of use we gave the controls a 5/ 5.

 

Overall
Tales from the Borderlands: Zer0 Sum is a very enjoyable experience that will be sure to make you want the journey to continue as soon as possible with the second episode. We don’t think that you’ll have much to complain about.

 

4.5 / 5

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I'm a published author and proud US Army veteran who happens to be a gamer, so I decided to combine the two and love every minute of it! Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments and I'll be sure to get back to you.