Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4
“It’s fun, chaotic, and an absolute joy to explore, whether you are playing alone in single player, or with friends in co-op.“
Borderlands 4 is finally here. With months and months of waiting we can finally get back into action in this new open-world first-person shooter. So what’s new with this one? Who are the new ‘Vault Hunters’ and what unique skills do they possess? Is the story going to be as deep and as engaging as the last one? All these questions, and more, will answered as we dive into the Borderlands 4 review.
Overview
The Borderlands series has always been a special kind of chaotic. It’s the one place where you can find a gun that shoots swords, a character who can summon a pet ‘spiderant’, and a villain who is somehow both hilarious and terrifying. With Borderlands 4, Gearbox Software had a big job on its hands: build on the success of Borderlands 3 while recapturing the magic that made the series a legend. After spending some time with it, it’s clear they’ve managed to do just that, creating a refreshing new experience that feels both familiar and brand-new, even with a few bumps along the way.
Game Information
Engaging Story and Narrative
One of the biggest surprises with Borderlands 4 is its narrative. The story feels much more grounded than Borderlands 3, which a lot of fans will appreciate. You crash-land on a dangerous new planet called Kairos, and the new antagonist provides a compelling threat that feels fresh. The humor is still there, but it’s more situational and less in-your-face, which helps the more serious moments land better. The new Vault Hunters are all a blast to play, and the returning characters have been handled well, fitting into the new story without feeling forced.
Satisfying Gameplay
At its core, Borderlands 4 is still the looter-shooter you know and love. You’ll run, shoot, and blast your way through hordes of enemies, collecting an insane amount of loot and leveling up your character with new abilities. It’s the core loop that has kept us coming back for years, and it’s as satisfying as ever. The game makes some huge improvements, especially with new traversal mechanics. You can now glide, dodge, double-jump and even use a grappling hook, which makes moving around the world feel a lot more dynamic and fluid.
The ‘Licensed Parts’ weapon system is also a clever addition that lets you mix and match parts from different manufacturers to customize your gear in a way that goes deeper than ever before. This really expands the build-crafting possibilities, giving you more freedom to create the ultimate weapon for the ultimate Vault Hunter. The combat itself feels slicker, and the new enemy types and bosses are a ton of fun to fight, each with their own unique patterns and mechanics.
Introducing The Vault Hunters
Speaking of which, the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4 are a blast. They definitely stick to the series’ roots but add some really neat twists just to give them unique personalities. First, we’ve got ‘Vex the Siren’, who uses ‘space magic’ to deal elemental damage and can even steal health from enemies. Then there’s ‘Rafa the Exo-Soldier’, who can summon all kinds of ‘digital weapons’, like turrets and arm blades.
You can also play as ‘Harlowe the Gravitar’, who can mess with gravity to trap enemies in bubbles, among other cool tricks. And finally, there’s ‘Amon the Forge knight’, a huge cybernetically enhanced warrior who’s all about getting up close and personal with some serious melee attacks. Each one of them feels awesome and offers a unique playstyle, which makes them all great choices for the endgame.
Impressive Visuals, Audio, and Game Performance
Visually, the game’s signature art style looks absolutely incredible in Unreal Engine 5. The new world of Kairos is stunning, from its lush fields to its desolate deserts. It’s a gorgeous game, and the sound is top-notch, with excellent voice acting and satisfying gun sounds that make every shot feel powerful. Now, let’s talk about performance. This is probably the biggest drawback. On PC, in particular, the game can be a little rocky, with some lag and occasional crashes reported. In co-op, things can get a bit messy, with non-host players sometimes experiencing desyncing or even losing progress. While a day-one patch helped a lot of these issues, it seems like more work is needed to iron out all the bugs. The game also has high PC requirements, so you’ll need a powerful rig to get the best performance.
Buggy Multiplayer Mode & New Post-Endgame Content
Although Borderlands 4 feels great to play solo, another great way to play is with friends online. As great as the gameplay is, co-op mode is full of glitches and bugs. Issues such as lag and desync, loss of game progress from other players, enemies suddenly immune to attacks, just to name a few. Luckily this may not a permanent thing as the game just launched, and knowing Gearbox Software, there will be updates, and fixes to address them, which may be fixed by the time you get your copy. As for the endgame content, it looks promising, with new plenty more areas to explore, enemy modifiers to spice up the challenge, and the post-launch plans suggest a lot of new content is on the way.
Final Verdict
My overall verdict, Borderlands 4 is a great game and a worthy successor to the series. It builds on what worked in the previous games while making meaningful improvements to the story, and the core gameplay. It’s fun, chaotic, and an absolute joy to explore, whether you are playing alone in single player, or with friends in co-op. While the technical issues are a bit of a letdown, especially on PC, they don’t completely ruin the experience. Knowing Gearbox Software, they will provide us with patches and updates to fix them. If you’re a fan of the series, this is a must-buy. If you’re a newcomer, just be prepared for a few bugs here and there, but know that you’re in for a wild, loot-filled ride.
If you want to find out more about Borderlands 4, click HERE. And if you like the review, consider leaving a few comments or asks questions at the comments section below. There are also the links on top to buy the game in any platform if you wanna buy the game. That’s all from me. Stay safe. Until next time, and remember – Get That Loot! 😀