Make no mistake: Borderlands is completely large. At almost 100 million gross sales, the collection is considered one of writer Take-Two’s greatest and a real mainstream hit. Tiny Tina, the Psycho masks, and Claptrap are all a part of the gaming furnishings and even impressed a current (although horrible) Hollywood film.
Which is why it’s so unusual that, since Borderlands 2, just about each launch within the collection has been met with broad apathy from my very own gaming circle, the most important stumbling block being the collection’ odd tone and inconsistent sense of humour.
You’ll by no means hear me argue that the Borderlands franchise’s capturing isn’t enjoyable: It’s been enjoyable for the reason that very begin. However in a world the place making humorous video games is extraordinarily tough, and making a humorous sport, constructed on reference humour, on the timescale of present AAA video games is not possible, Borderlands confronted an uphill battle.
Watch our Borderlands 4 overview video…
Borderlands 3 was the nadir of this. Whereas, as standard, the sport performed completely properly, it was, to make use of that completely overused phrase, cringe. That goes some approach to explaining what number of felt after the announcement of Borderlands 4. However now that I’ve performed over 50 hours of the sport, I’m joyful to say that Gearbox discovered that lesson, too.
By doubling down on gunplay and good RPG programs, Borderlands 4 is one of the best entry within the collection since Borderlands 2. Whereas the characters fall considerably flat, the sport’s tone is dialed again, the writing is sharper, which leaves it feeling just like the sequel to Borderlands 2 we’ve wished for a decade.
Borderlands 4 takes place on Kairos, which is below menace by this sport’s huge dangerous, The Timekeeper. As considered one of 4 Vault Hunters, you’re tasked with blowing his head off, and gathering every thing shiny you come throughout. Whereas the sport will really feel acquainted to those that’ve dabbled within the collection earlier than, the most important departures are available each motion and the world itself.
The thrust of the sport sees the participant chase down a boss in every of the sport’s areas, on the best way to defeating The Timekeeper. The missions themselves are properly designed, even when the sport’s ultimate third runs into some critical pacing points, that means the tip slowly unwinds reasonably than concludes with the identical power and bombast of the remainder of the story.
Borderlands 4 options a completely seamless open world, versus the segmented, semi-open design of the earlier video games. This makes the world really feel way more interconnected, and incentivises exploration. The draw back to that is that we didn’t really feel like lots of the places have been all too memorable. There’s nowhere in Borderlands 4 as memorable as Sanctuary from Borderlands 2, for instance.
“Whereas the sport will really feel acquainted to those that’ve dabbled within the collection earlier than, the most important departures are available each motion and the world itself.”
Inside places like vaults, boss arenas, and inside sure buildings are all extremely detailed and well-designed. Although you usually solely discover this after a combat while you’re selecting by loot, because the gunplay and variety of enemies are so hectic, it’s fairly tough to concentrate to the wallpaper.
Participant motion is the sport’s different greatest change, although it does really feel a bit undercooked. This time, the participant has a grappling hook that can be utilized on particular in-world grapple factors.
When it was first launched, we’d hoped the grapple would add one other dimension to gameplay, maybe by permitting us to grapple enemies in direction of us, or use it in a extra free-form method to get round; nevertheless, in observe, it’s just about on rails. It feels born of a have to do one thing to distinguish the motion on this sport, nevertheless it ends being clumsy and forgotten about. The improved bounce, and the power to glide, are a way more tangible, impactful distinction.
What stays from earlier video games within the collection is the incredible gunplay. It’s tough to place into phrases how satisfying it’s to hit headshot after headshot in his sport. Enemies explode like bin luggage stuffed with mince which were hit by a truck. It’s this gunplay that stored us engaged with the post-game lengthy after the credit rolled.
New additions to the weapon system add to this. Now, most weapons have alternate fireplace modes that vary from sniper rifles that may fireplace all of their bullets directly like a shotgun, or SMGs that fireside grenades. Even inside that system, there’s additional depth that goes as granular because the weapon producers themselves. Whereas these producers have been part of the collection from the start, they have been largely set dressing to provide you an at-a-glance view at what kind of weapon you had discovered.
Now, pictures from weapons with Jakobs components can ricochet off enemies, that means, in the event you discover the identical model of sniper rifle we did, one essential headshot from an enemy may cause a series of heads to blow up in unison. Extrapolate these advantages out throughout all of the completely different in-game manufacturers, and add them to the already ridiculous variety of gun variations within the sport, and you’ll see why we’ve been so enthralled by the easy act of capturing in Borderlands 4.
“It’s tough to place into phrases how satisfying it’s to hit headshot after headshot in his sport. Enemies explode like bin luggage stuffed with mince which were hit by a truck.”
One other vital change from the earlier video games is a discount within the frequency of high-tier loot dropping early within the sport. Loot-based RPGs all the time battle with when the precise time is to provide the participant their first piece of legendary loot.
We’re of the opinion that legendary loot solely stays particular if it’s laborious to get, or it’s extremely uncommon. Borderlands 4 follows that. If you would like a legendary drop early, you possibly can comply with a tough facet quest, or you possibly can wait till you face one of many sport’s main bosses. Even within the post-game we’ve but to totally equipment out our Vault Hunter with legendary gear.
Lastly, a lot of the discuss earlier than Borderlands 4 was launched centered across the humorousness. Whereas humor is clearly subjective, and there’s clearly an viewers for the kind of skin-crawling cringe that was rife within the third sport, Borderlands 4 is way more subdued.
There’s nonetheless reference humor and a few strains that can make gamers roll their eyes, however the low cost Rick and Morty tribute has fortunately ended. Even the love-or-hate-him mascot Claptrap has a vastly decreased position, and Tiny Tina, the poster youngster for the humor bypass of the third sport, is absent.
Borderlands 4 feels just like the sequel to Borderlands 2. It’s stuffed with nice gunplay, with an infinite checklist of attention-grabbing weapons, there are a ridiculous variety of missions, and it gained’t make you cringe your pores and skin off. Borderlands appears like a franchise that would have simply gone away following the reception to the third, however fortunately, 4 is a robust platform to construct on.
