Any franchise that’s been round for over 15 years and spanned three console generations goes to have its ups, downs, and remasters.
Borderlands isn’t any exception, and also you’d be onerous pressed to persuade anybody that issues have been trying up after a ho-hum Tiny Tina spinoff, the dreadful New Tales from the Borderlands that squandered all potential, and a disastrous characteristic movie that attempted to please everybody however someway achieved the other.
Borderlands 4 enters an surroundings the place merely being competent can be a pleasing departure from the present trajectory. Technical points apart, it’s a return to kind, the place principally same-old mechanics are bolstered by an open world that’s a surprisingly good match.
That open world is the largest new addition, and it does wonders for the pacing.
Gone are the tedious journeys to and from quick journey stations to show quests in – each quick journey vacation spot can now be reached from anyplace by way of the map, and accomplished quests don’t have to be turned in anymore.
Large, open, empty expanses forcing you into monotonous vehicular fight have been eradicated – your automobile can now be summoned on the spot to shortly journey via areas extra densely full of actions.
So lots of the traversal annoyances of prior video games have been streamlined away to get you again to the first-person taking pictures sooner, and all of it nonetheless works seamlessly with the drop in/drop out co-op.
Sadly, the open world comes at a hefty value, and that debt is paid with efficiency issues on each base and PS5 Professional consoles.
The transfer to Unreal Engine 5 has not been sort to the body price. Stutters and frequent body drops are unavoidable in each efficiency and backbone modes.
Every part runs high-quality in confined areas, however that smoothness regularly degrades as results begin filling the display, greater fights ensue, or co-op companions be a part of the fray. Every time Borderlands 4 ought to be at its chaotic finest, efficiency is at its worst.
Regardless of the Unreal Engine “improve”, the customary looting and taking pictures hasn’t modified a lot exterior of some small tweaks and additions, however the method nonetheless works.
The gunplay is a bit tighter, the hit markers are a bit flashier, and the procedurally generated loot has extra variables to randomise. It loses its lustre as the extent ups decelerate, significant loot drops develop rarer, and the numbers simply preserve getting greater – however its exactly tuned loot treadmill nonetheless serves up a gentle drip feed of dopamine at the same time as you progress onto the endgame.
The dizzying construct selection does assist boost the moment-to-moment gameplay amid the looting and taking pictures repetition.
All 4 playable characters have three distinct talent timber that may be combined and matched to construct a personality round velocity, standing results, abilities, particular synergies, or any mixture thereof. Respecs are low cost and the chances are countless, so experimenting with builds round your newest legendary weapon drop is simple and inspired.
New motion skills have been sprinkled in with a grappling hook, glide, and sprint making their debut, however their affect isn’t as firmly felt. The utility of the grapple and glide hardly ever stretches past some gentle platforming or puzzle sections, whereas the sprint is most helpful as a dodge in fight.
Stamina is extraordinarily restricted which prevents any loopy motion tech that would’ve come from the glide or sprint, and the grappling hook is just usable on particular grapple factors or throwable objects.
There’s lots of unfulfilled potential that is perhaps realized in a future instalment. Right here they simply add a pinch of additional selection.
The one sequences that do leverage all the brand new stuff directly are the superb primary boss fights. Mechanically, they’re a large enchancment over prior video games.
Extra akin to MMO encounters, they characteristic clearly telegraphed assaults, lengthy wind-ups, and simply distinguished projectiles that provide the probability to dodge out of the way in which earlier than allotting the heavy harm.
In addition they introduce distinctive mechanics that utilise the brand new devices, retaining you engaged and in your toes as you mow down their well being bars and progress via their phases.
Within the story division, Borderlands 4 is extra mushy reboot than sequel.
It distances itself from prior video games by a handful of years on a brand new planet surveilled by an omnipresent villain known as the Timekeeper.
After escaping his clutches within the opening hours, you and any fellow Vault Hunter co-op mates wreak havoc throughout Kairos to encourage an rebellion as you’re employed towards confronting the Timekeeper by yourself phrases.
Hitting the reset button with a brand new setting makes Borderlands 4 a terrific entry level for newcomers, however it nonetheless throws just a few bones to these invested within the overarching narratives of militant weapons producers and playable characters of entries previous.
Borderlands 3’s intergalactic globetrotting antics have been solid apart for one thing extra centered and smaller scale. It’s a restraint we haven’t seen the franchise train after the second sport’s success, and it gives an acceptable backdrop for this sport’s extra severe antagonist and sinister undertones.
There’s a veneer of earnestness and self-seriousness this time round, however behind that facade remains to be the identical crass, referential humour the franchise is thought for. Thinly veiled innuendos abound, enemies spout non sequiturs aplenty, and Claptrap is again along with his grating enthusiasm and disdain for stairs.
Like it or hate it, the franchise’s sense of humour hasn’t modified with the instances, even when the references have. It’s nonetheless unabashedly Borderlands beneath its extra severe moments.
That humour options prominently within the bevy of side-quests which might be constantly a spotlight.
They’re self-contained pockets of zaniness that’ll often stick round lengthy sufficient to arrange and repay their very own story arcs.
Some are easy farces whereas others are surprisingly substantial and touching tales in a world of frenzied chaos. You by no means know what the following one may need in retailer, and so they’re typically extra pleasant than the primary story that’s extra centered on teeing up huge boss fights and paving a path for the franchise transferring ahead.
Aside from the poor console efficiency, the one place Borderlands 4 takes a big step backwards is with its UI.
Borderlands 2 and 3 featured diegetic menus that displayed in entrance of your character and inside the sport world. That’s all gone, having been changed with a boring, homogenized interface that you simply’ll be spending lots of time interacting with as you handle your stock or dish out talent factors.
Gearbox has even launched the dreaded mouse cursor that must be dragged throughout the display, making every thing rather less snappy. Borderlands hasn’t misplaced its identification but, however its menus definitely have.
