Summary
TheBorderlandsfranchise has a rich storyline that somehow gets more outrageous as years go by, and the three mainline games already have hours worth of content that players could go through. As if that wasn’t enough, spin-off titles have expanded the franchise, including theepisodic graphic adventureTales From the Borderlandsand its successor.
In the first game, players control protagonists Rhys and Fiona as they team up and take a wild adventure to find a Vault. The second game sees players take on the role of Anu, Octavio, and Fran in a battle against Tediore, with both games focusing on player choice. Similar to Telltale’sThe Walking Dead, many players immersed themselves in choosing how eachTales' story would unfold, and the possibilities were endless given the bombastic nature of the franchise. This likely played some role in why the nextBorderlandsproject will be anotherinteractive title calledBorderlands EchoVision Live.
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The Power of Choice in Both Borderlands Games
Announced during San Diego Comic Con 2023, Gearbox Software has partnered with Genvid Entertainment to developBorderlands EchoVision Live. It will be an interactive community-led game where the audience will determine the characters' fates. The story will revolve around eight all-new characters, who are aspiring Vault Hunters that will have to team up to fend off bandits as they find a way out of Greywater Junction. It will be the latest title in the growing gaming genre, alongside games likeSilent Hill Ascension.
Borderlands EchoVision Livemay not be out yet, but it’s already clear that it will take the power of choice to the next level. InTales From the Borderlands, players could replay the game as many times as they would want to uncover certain interactions between characters and different endings.Various endings were present inNew Tales From the Borderlandstoo, but endings are the result of a plenitude of choices made before then. This was what made the games worth replaying. But inEchoVision, it was made clear that all the decisions over the course of the interactive series would be final and not decided by one person.
Borderlands EchoVision Livegives the audience a chance to participate and make a significant mark in theBorderlandsuniverse. The exact format of the media remains to be seen, but there’s a good chance the audience will be voting for each outcome. One could assume that it might be similar toTales From the Borderlands' choicesfor certain scenarios, yet made even more bombastic due to the volatile nature of audience interaction.
What will be interesting to see is how the events ofBorderlands EchoVision Livefit into the mainline story. What’s great about the spin-off games is the fact that they’re not one-off titles, and the characters could later be part (or at least referenced) in the mainBorderlandsgame. The best example isRhys fromTales From the Borderlands, who becomes a major character in the third game. It’s possible that the aspiring Vault Hunters fromEchoVisionmight play some kind of role inBorderlands 4or another spin-off, and that just adds even more volatility to the community-based interaction. Many fans may flock to defend a certain character come hell or high water, potentially putting them at odds with another fan-favorite character.
Borderlands' rich world has certainly made for interesting experiences that longtime fans have been immersed in for years. This also gave developers like Gearbox and Telltale Games the freedom to experiment with different game modes and genres to further expand certain the story. After all, the live interactive nature of the upcomingBorderlands EchoVision Livewill definitely bring something new to the table without alienating avid players of the franchise. And despite the different format, it might even become a hit among fans of episodic games.
Borderlands EchoVision Liveis in development.
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