The Borderlands franchise has always been something of a mixed bag. Nobody can deny the impact of the very first Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and then Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Further, the franchise helped to pave the way for the looter shooter genre, which continues to stick around to this day. On the other hand, though, the franchise’s style of humor has always been very hit or miss, plus Borderlands 3 had some frustrating design and narrative choices, alongside some game-breaking bugs.
So, when Gearbox finally announced Borderlands 4, it wasn’t hard to see why public opinion was more pessimistic than optimistic. The first set of trailers didn’t really do a lot to get people excited compared to previous games, with the main set of Vault Hunters in particular looking fairly generic. While fans slowly began to warm up to the game with each subsequent gameplay reveal, Vault Hunter showcase, and the announcement of two new Vault Hunters that would release via DLC, all of that came crashing down when Borderlands 4 launched.
When it was released, Borderlands 4 was panned by fans for its numerous technical and performance issues. While many praised its gameplay and story, all of these were moot compared to the broader problems at the game’s core. As such, I thought it best to let the game sit for a while and play it consistently from launch all the way to one month later, in order to figure out if these were long-term issues or bugs that could be ironed out. Thankfully, after finally beating the game, I can confidently say that, despite some issues, Borderlands 4 is a fantastic comeback for the franchise.
Smash The System
Borderlands 4 immediately begins with a question: “What good is a Vault Hunter?” On Pandora, the main setting of every Borderlands game released to date, Vault Hunters were a necessary part of the planet’s chaotic ecosystem. They were mercenaries who opposed the establishment and went toe-to-toe with anyone who dared threaten the lives of innocents, all the while collecting powerful weapons to tip the scales.
However, Borderlands 4 doesn’t take place on Pandora. In fact, Pandora is very rarely mentioned, and the events of previous games are alluded to in vague terms. The ending of Borderlands 3 marked the end of that current saga and the beginning of a new one, and while the displaced moon of Pandora plays a major role, it’s only relevant in regard to where the moon is now: in the orbit of a planet known as Kairos.
If Pandora was governed by chaos, Kairos is all about order. In comparison to the Mad Max-esque visuals of the previous games, you’re now trapped on a planet with a more brutalist and dystopian vibe. This is primarily due to the planet’s ruler: The Timekeeper. Upon your arrival to Kairos as a prospective Vault Hunter looking for the planet’s Vault, you’re captured by The Timekeeper’s “Order.”
As punishment, he places a bolt within your nervous system, allowing him to monitor you, see through your eyes, and worse still, directly possess you. The only way to escape his control is to either tear out the bolt and risk going insane or use a robot known as an Echo to block the signal. You wisely pick the latter, but it comes at a cost, as you’re constantly faced with the realization that being a Vault Hunter on Kairos is tantamount to suicide.
Borderlands 4 immediately separates itself from other entries in the series with its tone. Unlike previous games, which constantly poke and prod you with dated jokes and memes, the narrative of 4 quickly sucker punches you with high stakes and a deeply dreadful tone. That’s not to say that there aren’t moments of levity, but The Timekeeper’s shadow is always cast above your head. At every turn, there’s always the fear that he will use you to do something horrible outside of your control, and while I wish the game played more with that concept, the way Borderlands 4 executes it is still deeply compelling.
One of the best parts of the game is how it continues the series’ tradition of bringing back characters from the previous entries in a prominent role. Unlike those games, though, Borderlands 4 is far more conservative with who it chooses to bring back. You’re not going to see Tiny Tina, Brick, Zer0, or any of the other usual mainstays. Instead, you’ll see characters you expect, such as Moxxi and Claptrap, as well as some surprises.
While this may be disappointing to some, I personally found it to be a great use of restraint. It helps keep the story grounded and approachable to new players. If you don’t happen to know who Amara is, what happened in Borderlands 3, or even know anything about the story’s premise, Borderlands 4 does a great job of easing you in. If you’ve been looking for a great jumping-off point for the series, this is the perfect place for you.
Of course, you can’t talk about the strengths of a Borderlands game without mentioning the Vault Hunters. Despite my earlier doubts, I was extremely impressed by all the Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4. While I didn’t struggle as much with choosing a character compared to Borderlands 3, I still really liked the choices, whether it was the medieval-styled Forgeknight or the Gravitar who wields gravity to her advantage. That said, I ended up going with Vex the Siren, and I really liked how much of a bigger role she had in the story.
In general, the narrative of Borderlands 4 is a great example of just how far the series has come. Before, your playable character would rarely talk during gameplay. Now, not only does Vex speak frequently and interact directly with NPCs, but she even shows up in cutscenes with her own unique dialogue. It’s a great way of making the Vault Hunter of your choice feel like your Vault Hunter, especially as the way you customize your character will be reflected in cutscenes.
Overall, I loved Borderlands 4‘s story. It’s a great step in the right direction for the franchise, and makes me extremely excited to see future Vault Hunters and story content added in the upcoming DLCs. Part of the reason for that excitement is due to just how solid the gameplay foundation is, even in spite of the game’s numerous technical issues.
Everything Breaks
Borderlands 4‘s gameplay builds on the formula laid by previous entries in new and exciting ways, all the while keeping what makes the franchise special. There are many new quality-of-life features when it comes to combat, traversal, customization, and more, all of which are designed to make your playthrough completely unique and exciting. For starters, the customization options have been upgraded drastically.
Whereas previous games would only allow you to customize your character’s head and color scheme, here, you can also adjust the body of your Vault Hunter. I do wish there were more options for body customization, as there are only three so far (one of which is exclusive to DLC), but I imagine more will be added in future updates. Further, some more details about how to unlock different heads would be appreciated, as the description of “unlocked by completing a mission/challenge” isn’t really helpful.
However, these problems are minor in comparison to all the new options added. Beyond customizing your Vault Hunter, you can also alter the design of your vehicle. While previous games had multiple vehicles that you could summon via a “Catch-a-Ride” cubicle, now you only have one vehicle, which you can summon at any time with the push of a button. As the game continues, you can unlock different looks for your vehicle, featuring designs inspired by Akira to Star Wars.
Of course, you can’t really talk about customization in a Borderlands game without talking about the unique build you can create with each character. Loot drops have been drastically overhauled, where legendary weapons are far rarer and harder to find. While this may seem frustrating at first, it helps to make the times when you do get a legendary weapon feel more special. The new weapon brands feel great as well, with the Order weapons in particular being extremely fun to use.
The different skills you can invest in for your Vault Hunter are also a great way to make each playthrough feel unique. I personally went with the Dead Ringer route for Vex, which allows her to summon either a melee-focused Reaper or a gun-based Specter in combat. However, the other builds, which allow Vex to summon a spectral tiger named Trouble or use phase-based attacks, were also fun to experiment with before I made my choice. I can’t wait to continue to build my character as I begin to tackle the post-game.
Even the smaller aspects of gameplay have been completely overhauled. For instance, traversal has gone through a massive change. Not only can you drive around, but you can also use a grappling hook, hover, and climb on select walls. The grappling hook, for instance, can not only be used to climb out of reach areas, but it can also be used to grab barrels of ice or corrosive liquid to throw at enemies. These new additions add a great deal of fluidity to combat.
Gunplay itself also feels exciting and retains a lot of the new additions that Borderlands 3 added. Combat feels faster and far more chaotic, with hordes of enemies ambushing you at a time as you struggle to manage your abilities, grenades, and HP. Yet, the chaos of gameplay never feels unfair, even though there are no difficulty options. Even when you’re underleveled compared to enemies, you still have a chance in combat. There is no need for grinding, and even though I died a lot, it allowed me to learn and adjust my play style rather than sending me into a blind rage.
When it comes to gameplay, the Borderlands franchise has always been one best enjoyed with a friend. Every time I’ve played previous entries in the series, I’ve usually played solo and had a great time. This time, though, I had a friend by my side so I could directly contrast both sides of gameplay. I’m thrilled to say that, regardless of whether you play Borderlands 4 alone or with some friends, you’ll have a great time either way.
The game balances itself really well, regardless of how many people you play with. While there’s the option to play with up to three people, I personally played with one other person and never found the gameplay to be too unfairly hard or absurdly easy. I had so much fun playing this with someone else, and to be honest, I actually think it allowed us to become better friends when all was said and done. Even when I switched to solo gameplay, however, I still had great fun and never felt like the game was only fun if you were playing with other people.
Sadly, despite all the good that Borderlands 4 accomplishes, there are still some major problems. This mainly comes down to several bugs that still have yet to be addressed. Some of these are pretty minor, such as Trouble floating in mid-air for no good reason. That said, there are still some issues with the performance and visuals that are hard to completely ignore. While these have been slowly fixed since the game launched, you can still find a few instances where the game’s performance is lacking compared to previous entries.
Additionally, some of the balancing when it comes to save points and fast travel is a bit off. Traveling around Kairos with only your vehicle, while only being able to fast-travel to select regions, makes traversal feel extremely monotonous. This is only made more frustrating by how useless the map and waypoints are. It is so easy to get lost, and my friend and I frequently had no idea where we were supposed to go. We would spend minutes at a time just flailing around to determine our next destination.
Thankfully, though, these issues will likely continue to be addressed in the coming months. Despite my problems with Borderlands 4, I still can’t deny that this is a fantastic entry in the franchise that holds a candle to some of the best games in the looter shooter genre.
The Adventure Continues
I have a soft spot for the Borderlands franchise. Whether it’s the brilliant narrative and characters of Borderlands 2 or the great blend between the series’ humor and Telltale’s intricate writing in Tales from the Borderlands, it’s hard not to fall in love with the series. Yet, over the years, the series has been slandered due to the frustrating decisions made by Borderlands 3, the cringeworthy humor, and other behind-the-scenes controversies.
Thankfully, I can confidently say that Borderlands 4 is a great return to form for the franchise. Don’t get me wrong: it isn’t exactly a perfect work of art, let alone the best entry in the franchise. The frustrating launch, numerous technical issues, and odd design choices do slightly dampen the overall experience. However, these issues pale in comparison to just how much fun I had with the game from beginning to end.
The story of Borderlands 4 is a fantastic change of pace compared to other entries in the series, immediately blindsiding you with a darker tone, bigger stakes, and a fantastically real cast of characters. It also continues the trend of bringing back classic characters in a meaningful way, without feeling like cheap fan service. Additionally, the gameplay has evolved the series without taking away from what makes it great, adding great options for traversal, new improvements to loot drops, and gameplay that feels fast and fluid. Plus, it certainly helps that Borderlands 4 is extremely fun regardless of whether you play it with some friends or by yourself.
I cannot wait to see how Gearbox continues to build the Borderlands franchise in the coming years. The prospect of new Vault Hunters added via DLC, starting with the cowboy gambler C4SH in 2026, plus new story packs and features, is extremely exciting. Furthermore, with Borderlands 4 signaling the start of a new saga, if the development team continues on the path they’ve started on, then we will be in good hands with wherever the series goes next.
Disclaimer: Borderlands 4 was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
