A Snappy Spin on a Gaming Classic: Borderlands 4 Review

A teaser released 2 weeks before the launch of Borderlands 4, Ominously teasing the return of the iconic Psycho clan. Photo Creds: 2K Newsroom

Brayden Howard, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

The Borderlands franchise has long been a beloved cornerstone of the first-person shooter genre. Now, with a new installment in the franchise, we are allowed to dive back into the wonderfully stylized galaxy of Borderlands. While the game was clunky at times and struggled to differentiate itself from previous installments, playing remained an enjoyable and charmingly quirky experience. 

When you first launch Borderlands 4, you're met with a selection of 4 characters to choose from and play. While all of these characters had equivalents in previous games, they also all bring something new to the table and have unique powers. I chose to play as Harlowe, a magic engineer archetype. Once you’ve selected a character, you’re sent straight into a fast-paced and action-packed opening sequence. Within the first few minutes of the game, you’re reintroduced to Borderlands' signature explosive gunplay and the dopamine rush of acquiring new equipment.

About halfway through the opening sequence you are given one of a few new mobility options, this being the grappling hook. When I first picked up the grappling hook, I was excited to see a new type of movement in the game but was quite disappointed when it was clear you can only use the grapple during certain sections of the game and only on designated targets. While the parkour this is used for is certainly interesting, it ultimately feels like unused potential to not grant the player a wider range of movement. 

As the game opens up into a wider world, the player is also given access to a new glider tool. This particular item is fun to use in battle because it allows the player to fly in combat. Gliding and double jumping becomes especially useful once you’re released into the wider open world of the game. The world of Borderlands 4 is full of plenty of whimsical charm, and never takes itself too seriously. 

As you explore and wonder you’ll meet dozens of strange and entertaining characters. The decision to make the overworld more colorful than previous installments greatly improves the enjoyment of day to day exploration.

After you complete a gunfight or two, you'll start to get a real feel for the gunplay of Borderlands 4. While much the same as previous games, the speed of everything has been slightly increased, and enemies have had their health decreased in exchange for doing more damage. This pair of changes removes much of the previous sluggishness in certain encounters and keeps the player moving from fight to fight much more swiftly. 

The abilities characters have access to has more variety than previous installments, and while less effective than before on their own, each ability has substantially more ability to combo and synergize with other abilities and powers. Overall, combat in Borderlands 4 feels substantially smoother, faster, and more tactical than in the previous game.

With the enhanced dynamism of both combat and exploration, Borderlands 4 provides a fresh and wonderful experience to those new or experienced with the franchise. The quick and snappy combat keeps you on your toes and never too comfortable in a gunfight, while exploring the world had me excitedly wondering what strange new encounter I would find next. Unfortunately, the story itself was largely uninteresting, but it was also unintrusive, meaning I never felt overly pressured to pursue the storyline. Overall, the gameplay itself was enjoyable and the experience provided largely uninterrupted fun, at the expense of having a less than cinematic storyline.