Borderlands has come a long way since its 2008 debut. A straightforward shooter with dusty environments and a lot of guns,Borderlandsquickly evolved into something more. It adopted humor, fleshed out its characters, expanded its environments and continuously made looting more enjoyable.Borderlands 2became a cultural hit back in 2012, a legacy that neitherThe Pre-SequelnorBorderlands 3could recapture. While good games, neither felt as groundbreaking asBorderlands 2, and especially with3, Gearbox leaned a bit too hard into comedy. Given the reception toBorderlands 3, where Gearbox Software would take the franchise next was a mystery. Would they double down on what they did with3or would they attempt a whole new approach to storytelling, gameplay and world design? With that in mind, we were able to go hands-on withBorderlands 4for a handful of hours to see what Gearbox has in store for longtime fans.
Every Borderlands Game Ever Made, Ranked
The entire badass series, in order of badassitude!
Learning from past mistakes
Borderlands 4’sstory technically picks up after Lilith used her Siren power inBorderlands 3to teleport Elpis out of Pandora’s orbit. That event ends up shattering a veil keeping the planet Kairos hidden from the galaxy for over a thousand years and sending the entire planet into chaos. Six years later, you take control of one of four new Vault Hunters as they arrive on an increasingly chaotic Kairos and must aide the resistance in overthrowing the tyrannical Timekeeper and his followers, the Order.
While not much of the story was playable, Gearbox did make it clear that they understood they went too far with their comedy inBorderlands 3. A main objective for Gearbox was to address the criticisms levied atBorderlands 3’snarrative, i.e. the weak comedy and terrible antagonists. The sequel is toning its comedy way down by seeking to find a balance betweenBorderlands 1’sdarker, more grounded tone andBorderlands 2’switty comedy. While we only got to see a snippet of the story, the writing isn’t as wild as3but still has a level of charm and wit that the previous entry missed. Thankfully, there was not a mention of streaming or meme culture during the demo.
A seamless world filled with chaotic opportunities
Given that the full game will be long, it’s difficult to say if this dialed-back tone will persist. What can be said is that Gearbox is already delivering on many of their other goals to level up Borderlands. Though we only got to explore a section of the Fadefields map, the developer’s goals of creating a seamless world appear to be a reality. Outside of an initial load into the game and the occasional resurrection, the demo featured no load screens.
The seamless nature ofBorderlands 4not only cuts out the frequent and intrusive loading ofBorderlands 3, but also addresses another criticism of the game, the static world. The Fadefields felt livelier than anything inBorderlands 3thanks to more NPCs wandering about, dynamic battles and even dynamic world bosses that can randomly show up. Even the two side quests featured in the demo felt better integrated into the world and didn’t come off as tedious busywork facilitated by menus.
Review: Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 is a fun, looting experience – just don’t expect a fresh or completely polished adventure.
Gunplay continues to be fantastic. Gearbox thankfully didn’t mess around with those mechanics, keeping the snappy, powerful feeling of the previous games intact. Where gunplay has leveled up is with the new license part system. Not only can you still acquire zillions of weapons from different manufacturers, including new ones, but the new License Part system opens new ways to experience your favorite weapons. Under it, you’re able mix and match the effects of different manufacturers on your weapons. Want a gun whose bullets ricochet off enemies when delivering a headshot, but also becomes a thrown explosive when reloading?Borderlands 4makes that dream a reality.
Like pretty much every shooter these days,Borderlands 4introduces a full suite of mobility options. You can slide, grapple, double jump and glide. It’s nothing extraordinary, but it’s fun, particularly in combat. It all, including the gunplay, came together during the story mission where you could use grapple to gain height advantages, double jumps and slides to race around enemies, quick scoping to land headshots and the manufacturer’s unique effects to create gameplay opportunities. It’s fun, challenging and creates a lot of clever moments. If you thoughtBorderlands 3’sgameplay felt like a slight improvement overBorderlands 2, thenBorderlands 4is a complete evolution compared to3.
Can you play solo? Yes. Should you? Maybe not
Where the experience didn’t land as well was in the second portion of the demo. Taking place later in the game, this section involved raiding a Vault. While it’s fun battling through the initial waves of enemies and putting every mechanic to work, the game hit a wall with the final boss. Unlike bosses in the story mode, this Vault boss was a bullet sponge in an open area and employed attacks that came off better suited to co-op than playing solo. For the first time in the entire demo session,Borderlands 4felt more like a chore than a fun game. It’s likely tackling Vaults will be fun in co-op, but it appears that there are still sections of the experience solo players won’t be able to fully enjoy.
Gunplay continues to be fantastic. Gearbox thankfully didn’t mess around with those mechanics, keeping the snappy, powerful feeling of the previous games intact.
Borderlands 4is still a few months away and there’s still a lot we don’t know. How will it play across the different consoles? What are the final specs for PC? How do the final two Vault Hunters play? Will Claptrap ever find happiness? We’re going to have to wait for those answers, maybe even forever, when it comes to Claptrap’s wants and needs. What we can say is that, so far,Borderlands 4is shaping up to be a fun, engaging experience and living up to Gearbox Software’s “less borders, more lands” mantra. The story appears to be heading in the right direction, the world feels lively and engaging, and gameplay has never been more exhilarating or experimental. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait too long to see if Gearbox has created the best Borderlands yet.
Borderlands 4launches September 12 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version arrives at a later date. For more on Borderlands 4, be sure to readour interview with Gearbox.
