Game review: Borderlands 3
It has now been two months since Gearbox Software released the heavily anticipated sequel to the beloved Borderlands franchise, Borderlands 3 on the 13th of September. There have been many mixed opinions on whether the final product lives up to the mountain of expectation that loomed upon it and in this article I hope to flesh the pros and cons of the massive, Borderlands 3.
Loot mechanics are the pride and soul of any Borderlands game, their main selling point being the ‘millions’ of weaponry options the game provides and the uniqueness of each. Borderlands 3 has definitely hit the mark in that regard, reaching even more insane levels of loot options. The main allure of items, the Legendary (rarest) tier feel amazing to wield as all are incredibly unique, ranging from a cannon that fires slow moving electric balls of death, to a literal charged dubstep shotgun, the legendary weapons have all the Borderlands charm and have really been taken to the next level. The introduction of alternate firing modes on weapons is a welcome change that definitely increases diversity and keeps things fresh. Besides the weapons, all the shields (armour buffs put on top of health), artefacts (statistic modifiers) and grenades all have unique buffs and properties that make rotating them fun and engaging. Furthermore, the addition of new weapon manufacturers adds to the feeling that every weapons is unique as an Atlas gun will be completely different from a Torgue or Jakobs. Overall Borderlands 3 has made it even more exciting to ride the rollercoaster of looting unique and rare items, and using them to destroy your enemies.
Further big improvements made from previous Borderlands instalments are the animations and the set pieces. The game maintains the iconic Borderlands look but smoothens up the edges to make one gorgeous looking game. The several planets you travel to all feel deeply distinct, if it is the sacred monasteries of Athena or the derelict, swampy jungles of Eden 6, it all feels like it has character. The firing animations on guns have seen vast advances and all the special effects that come with the bombastic fun are all made even more brilliant by the great animation. The game feels smoother to play, and that is a great feeling to have.
The 4 new Vault Hunters (playable characters) are all well made with a decent enough backstory to be characterised, but their main appeal comes from the customisable potentials of their character builds. Each character is distinct, FL4K (my pick) is a hunter who fights alongside a war-pet of your choice, Moze is an all out gunner with a massive mech, Zayne is a combat spy with several battle skills and Amara is a mystical siren who is an all out melee character. There are not any huge gaps in power and the heroes seem like good successors to the iconic Borderlands 2 line-up.
Talking about Borderlands 2, many characters return such as Zero, Maya, Ellie and many more, to give that good nostalgia to followers of the franchise. They all maintain their characters and are vital to the story. However, the story is where this game begins to suffer. The first three quarters of the 30hr main storyline are a massive step-down from the memorable Borderlands 3 tale. Only in Act 3 does it begin to ramp up and tie plot points together to entail for an extremely satisfying ending that really tied up Lilith’s character arc perfectly. But it still cannot be omitted that most of the story is not what we deserved for waiting so long. My main fault and others’ too, is the main villain duo, Tyreen and Troy. I understand it is hard to top the brilliant writing and voice acting that made Handsome Jack, but these antagonists felt thin as characters, as if they were just there for filler. The writing, whilst staying loyal to the Borderlands humour, was also quite a downgrade as many of the jokes just did not land, as well as some overpowering moments that were intended to convey emotion. Overall, story wise Borderlands 3 did not live up to 2 but maintained an engaging end stretch.
The final topic to be addressed will be the post game, as I have continued quite far into it. The content past the main story is above adequate, providing many activities to complete. Achieving 100% completion on the locations was satisfying as it encouraged map exploration and secret finding, for the few 100% runs I did, and there are a lot of these to do across several planets. The side missions in Borderlands 3 are a wonderful breath of fresh air and even after the main story are enticing and unique, most providing a fun microcosm, referring to or making fun of a societal or pop culture concept. These missions are exciting to do, in a genre where side missions are moaned and groaned at for being boring and compulsory for the 100% trophy. The Eridian Proving Grounds and Circles of Slaughter were brilliant additions of trials and horde modes that test the player to the max, especially with the next welcome addition, mayhem modifiers. You can activate Mayhem 1, 2 or 3 which provides increased difficulty and handicaps in return for a much higher chance at rare loot drops, making going back to old areas fresh and exciting. Finally, the old ‘Badass Ranks’ have been replaced with Guardian Ranks that allow for statistic customisation in certain areas of your characters in the postgame like gun damage or health capacity. The only fault with the postgame is that the level cap, whilst it may be changed in future DLC, is still 50.
So, as a whole, is Borderlands 3 a good game, yes. Is it worth buying for a fan of the franchise, definitely. If you care about story and have never played the older games then staying off could be your best option, but if you only care about that sweet loot, then Borderlands 3 is the game for you.