Summary
- New Tales From the Borderlands introduced the powerful Anahatium Shard Spirit with unclear and unanswered implications.
- Gearbox may not consider bringing back the Shard Spirit in Borderlands due to the spin-off's low sales and mostly negative reception.
- The focus on Borderlands 4's darker tone and new villain suggest the Shard Spirit may remain a forgotten element.
New Tales From the Borderlands was the second outing that marked a departure from the series' usual hectic looting and shooting FPS RPG action. Like its predecessor, New Tales From the Borderlands was instead a narrative and choice-based adventure in the vein of Telltale Games' signature style, and indeed, that studio was responsible for the original Tales From the Borderlands in 2014. In 2022, three years after the third major entry, IP owner Gearbox Software itself took a crack at another spin-off, resulting in a rather mixed experience.
Although it was a fun romp in ways with well-realized new characters and some cool ideas, New Tales From the Borderlands didn't quite live up to expectations in many fans' eyes. But its plot did introduce a surprising and incredible piece of lore that would seem to have serious and wide-reaching implications. With Gearbox preparing to launch Borderlands 4 this year, it could bring this inclusion back into play. However, due to New Tales' overall reception and status, the odds of it actually returning are slim.
Major spoilers for New Tales from the Borderlands below.
New Tales From the Borderlands' Anahatium Shard Spirit is Extremely Powerful but Dead in the Water
The Anahatium Shard Spirit in New Tales From the Borderlands
During the course of the story, the cast of New Tales From the Borderlands discovers a piece of ancient technology that is much more than it appears at first. As a scientist working for the Atlas Corporation, Anu Dhar is researching non-lethal armaments. Just after her latest invention is rejected by CEO Rhys Strongfork, rival company Tediore launches an assault on Atlas' HQ. Anu is forced to flee to and seek out her estranged adopted brother, Octavio, and his friends for help.
While dealing with Tediore's forces on the planet of Promethea, the group find a Vault and recover a strange alien crystal shard from it. After escaping from the Vault, Anu is killed by Tediore soldiers. In a fit of desperation, Octavio inserts the shard into Anu's ray-gun and uses it on her, which resurrects her. However, the crystal houses a mysterious sentience that then inhabits Anu and demands that it be reunited with its other half.
Attempting to do so, they are captured by Tediore CEO Susan Coldwell, who reveals that she possesses the other piece of the artifact. Coldwell makes a gruesome show of displaying the two crystals' full combined power, which is able to repeatedly kill and revive, giving the user control over life and death at will. In the climactic confrontation, Caldwell's plans are stopped, and players can choose to have Anu completely merge with the Anahatium Spirit, giving up her human form, or reject the process. In either case, though, the entity reforms with itself and departs into the galaxy, leaving huge open questions about its true nature, intentions, and whereabouts.
Why Borderlands Is Unlikely to Bring Up the Anahatium Shard Spirit Again
Borderlands 4 has been stated to be much darker in tone. Its new villain, The Timekeeper, as the namesake implies, seems to have time-altering and dimension-hopping abilities. This could theoretically provide a way for the Shard Spirit to return, explaining more about it and possibly setting up a clash between powerful figures. In practical terms, however, this situation is highly unlikely.
Sales figures for New Tales From the Borderlands were on the low end, and audience reception generally wasn't enthusiastic, with the title sitting at Mostly Negative on Steam. Given this, and New Tales' place as a more experimental spin-off, it's much more probable that the Anahatium Spirit will remain more of a curiosity than return as a major element down the line. While it might have been a fascinating aspect to incorporate into Borderlands' canon for future titles, Gearbox has likely relegated New Tales to a largely forgotten side-note at this point. The franchise is now moving onto its next chapter, and those plans do not appear to include any intentions of revisiting it or the Shard Spirit.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 67 /100 Critics Rec: 44%
- Released
- October 21, 2022
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
WHERE TO PLAY
Take a stand against ruthless corporate overlords in this narrative-driven adventure!
Within the perpetually war-torn metropolis of Promethea, you'll control Anu, Octavio, and Fran on the worst day of their lives. Help these three lovable losers as they endeavor to change the world (and maybe even save it)! Face down a planetary invasion, vicious vault monster, and cold-hearted capitalist in this cinematic thrill ride where what happens next is up to you! Meet a motley cast full of misfits, assassin bots, and talking guns in this race to the top!
It's time to fight back against exploitation and corporate greed. It's time to make Mayhem your business.
Decide the fates of altruistic scientist Anu, her ambitious, "streetwise" brother Octavio, and the fierce, frogurt-slinging Fran. With nothing left to lose and everything to gain, you'll claw and con your way through this thrilling five-part story full of gun-toting goons, otherworldly beasts, and delicious tacos.
The decisions you make determine how your story ends. Whether it's Anu's vision of a universe that markets more than weapons, Octavio's dreams of fame and fortune, or Fran's frosty plot for revenge—their success or failure depends on you.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Borderlands
- Platform(s)
- PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
