Telltale Games' Tales from the Borderlands may not feature the same sort of first-person shooter gameplay we're used to from the Borderlands franchise, but that doesn't mean it'll lack the loot we're accustomed to seeing from the series. In fact, Telltale is encouraging players to be greedy, even from the get-go in which players are presented with an open briefcase of money right in front of them and a man (perhaps the owner) violently puking a few yards away. Do you take the money? Help the man?
As explained in the latest issue of OXM, given out to PAX East 2014 attendees, this decision could actually affect what decisions are available for you to make in the future.
"What we're trying to do is use money in the game as agency," co-creator Harrison Pink told the magazine. For example, if you choose not to take the cash in the opening scenario, it could mean your choices in a conversation later on may be limited due to your lack of funds. A particular dialogue option may simply be grayed out.
"It's like playing a board game and somebody takes a bunch of cards out of your hand," explained Pink.
Of course, that's just cash. Tales from the Borderlands will also have places where you get loot based on the choices you make. "And we definitely are using that as a gameplay mechanic instead of just being, 'Oh, you progressed one-third of the way through the story – here's an unlock.' You've gotta make choices that are going to affect the people around you," said Pink. "It lines up player and character motivation, right? Like, I'm being greedy and my character's being greedy."
What's most interesting is that OXM learned that loot in Tales from the Borderlands "really does mean playable content." Though there was no direct quote from Pink, the magazine reasons that playable content like guns and shields will cross-unlock in the Borderlands shooters — like the upcoming Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel or Borderlands 2. The magazine doesn't go into details about how alleged system will function, but if true, then this is one of the more intriguing gameplay mechanics I've heard yet.
