The first episode of Tales from the Borderlands came along and blew us all away with its high-octane blend of Mad Max action scenes and typical Borderlands humour. It was superb and left us all pumped for the second episode. Unfortunately, the second episode took four months to arrive. Hey ho, it’s here now; but was it worth the wait?

SPOILER WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for Episode 1: Zer0 Sum. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of playing the first episode, do not read on.

Zer0 Sum concluded with a feeling that the real adventure was about to start. The hologramatic ghost of Handsome Jack, the slick villain and show stealer from Borderlands 2, joined the roster of characters and the indication was that the mysterious “Gortys Project” would become the main focus.

In that sense, Atlas Mugged feels very much like a water-carrier episode; like typical, mid-season filler designed to keep the plot rolling along in anticipation of bigger and better episodes to come.

The episode begins with promise, as within a few minutes of gameplay you’re tasked with removing the eye of a general with a spork. So far, so good. Rhys and Fiona et al then go on the run from Hyperion, who seem desperate to get their hands on the strange artefacts the two protagonists uncovered at the end of the previous episode.

It isn’t long before the protagonists get split up and the episode begins to lost momentum. Rhys and Vaughan are pursued by Vasquez, who is still as delightfully funny as villains come, where as Fiona and Sasha return to their old stomping ground, only to find every bounty hunter in Pandora is out to murder them.

The key strength of Zer0 Sum was that whilst it succeeded in introducing the characters and the wider-intrigue of the series, it stood alone as a complete and satisfying experience in itself. The same cannot be said of Atlas Mugged.

Although it isn’t the complete triumph that the first episode was, I believe Atlas Mugged will prove to be a valuable episode as the series progresses. It may not have much in terms of meaningful plot progression, but it gives the player a chance to spend some quality time with the characters.

The lovably affectionate ‘Loader Bot’ is still my favourite character, but Handsome Jack predictably steals the show. He’s as funny as he was in Borderlands 2, with the added bonus that he’s on your side as “your new best frenemy”, as the game puts it.

A particular impressive aspect of the Tales from the Borderlands series thus far is that it is consistently funny. Even Atlas Mugged was packed with genuine laugh-out-loud moments. It’s impressive because Telltale have made a name for themselves by developing gritty, emotional series that hit like a gut punch, rather than comical adventures. I can’t imagine this series will have any real emotional impact, but it is a pleasure to play.

Whilst this episode is as funny as the first, it doesn’t really live up to its predecessor’s action scenes. There are a few scattered through-out the episode, the highlight being an intense rooftop chase with a deadly bounty hunter, but there’s nothing anywhere near as bombastic as the bandit death race that served as the centre-piece of Zer0 Sum.

In my review of the first episode, I discussed Telltale’s attempt to jig up the gameplay by giving each of the two protagonists their own ability. Fiona can use money to unlock certain extra options, where as Rhys can use his bionic eye to scan the environment in order to solve puzzles and fill up on funny flavour text.

Rhys’ ability is a little more pivotal in this episode, with a few situations that rely entirely on it to progress, but once again Fiona’s ability is absolutely pointless. Borderlands fans will be pleased to hear Scooter makes a welcome appearance, as he is entrusted with fixing Fiona and Sasha’s vehicle. The only time the player has the chance to spend some of the cash they’ve been hoarding is when they’re offered several different upgrades for their vehicle, which had absolutely no impact on the episode.

Telltale pulled the same stunt in the first episode when the player had the opportunity to buy several different bandit masks. It feels as if they’ve stuck an arbitrary mechanic to the series without really knowing what to do with it.

It’s possible that the monetary choices made in the first two episodes will have a larger impact further down the line, but as of yet it, expecting the player go out of their way for something so superficial is foolish.

In my opening paragraph, I asked ‘was it worth the wait?’. Atlas Mugged is a decent entry into what I hope will be my favourite Telltale series, and if it had been released two months after Zer0 Sum, it would have been an enjoyable and satisfactory entry into the series.

But four months is a long time to wait, and Atlas Mugged already had a hard enough task following the superlative opening episode without testing the audience’s patience. My excitement for the series has waned slightly, but I still feel that it has bags of promise. Just give me more Handsome Jack and do it in a reasonable time Telltale. I’m not that hard to please.

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