Borderlands Series Review (Xbox, PlayStation & PC)

Borderlands may not have invented the looter shooter movement, but it certainly gave it the facelift that it so desperately needed to spearhead a new generation of high-octane gameplay and loot box-based campaigns. It wasn’t classy, and it definitely wasn’t beautiful; it was chaotic, sporadic, and above all, absurdly comical beyond belief. Oh, Borderlands never did anything particularly well, though it did pioneer and modernize the genre as we know it today. And, when all’s said and done, that’s something that no other franchise can ever take away from it. It took an alien vessel, and it gave it a pulse. It also taught that same vessel the art of punch-drunk humor and wit — but that was beside the point.

In light of Borderlands’ surge in global attention back in 2009, the looter shooter genre became all the rage, and before long, Gearbox found itself with the key to a gold-plated treasure chest. It wasn’t just a spitball; it was a snowball with teeth—a spiraling tapestry of wild ideas that could transform the genre into something that no other developer had ever thought possible. With crude humor and comic book art to fuel its own ludicrously ambitious rocket-powered engines, the series launched into global circulation, and after a short while, everyone wanted to see it hit supernova. Borderlands found its niche, and a newfound cult staple was born.

The Founding Father of Loot

As a series, Borderlands has covered a lot of ground. And not just as a four-piece anthology, but as an IP with various spin-offs à la Tales from the Borderlands and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, and a theatrical release with booming production values and artistic flair. And I think we can all agree that, regardless of whether or not the latter installments garnered positive criticism, franchises, in general, don’t tend to sprout up without the support of a fan base. Frankly, Borderlands has had that community-driven spirit ever since its initial release.

Of course, there’s a reason why we all flock to Pandora every once in a blue moon, and it isn’t for the plot—a tale that, in all fairness, has sadly been regurgitated for the best part of fifteen years. No, it’s for the simple fact that, predictable plot points aside, Pandora and its vast wasteland boroughs is in receipt of a plethora of ridiculously entertaining quest lines and loot-filled escapades. The Vault Hunter plot, frankly, I couldn’t really care less about, as it grew stale after the second homecoming, truth be told. But the gameplay, on the other hand, has been consistently good ever since the original episode. With jam-packed quest pools and copious amounts of witty and memorable allies, foes, and acquaintances—Handsome Jack, Tiny Tina, and of course, CLAPTRAP, to list just a handful—each chapter on Pandora has, in all honesty, been able to deliver a genuinely entertaining experience with a lot of heart and soul. And at the end of the day, isn’t that sort of what a great looter shooter should be — a narratively forgettable yet interactively engaging experience?

What Happens on Pandora

I’ll admit that, taking the four mainline installments and a handful of spin-offs into consideration, it does feel as if Gearbox has gotten all rather lazy with its storytelling style in recent years. Don’t get me wrong, the standalone Dungeons & Dragons-inspired Tiny Tina episodes are a real breath of fresh air, as are Telltale Games’ story-driven subsidiaries. But, unfortunately, the traditional Vault Hunter theme has been recycled a lot since the beginning of the series. And as much as I’d like to follow the mantra of, it it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, there is still a lot of missing pieces of the puzzle that could do with some extra attention here. Pandora is a hoot and all, but where’s the next chapter? What other tales is Gearbox able to tell us without needing to lean on the usual tropes of its past iterations? There’s plenty of room for growth here, but clearly only one seed that’s being nurtured.

With all of the above said, Borderlands continues to reign as one of the best and most influential looter shooters of all time, with its unique brand of combat and comic book-like storytelling forming a seemingly impenetrable backbone that no other doppelgänger saga could possibly mirror or surpass. It’s certainly pulpy, and it doesn’t have the natural intrigue of an open-ended world with bottomless pockets of lore. That said, it is a series that provides a lot of great gameplay and comical moments, as well as enough replay value to warrant the general price of admission. For that reason alone I’m willing to overlook its flaws and tendency to recycle the same materials. We can thank Telltale Games’ Tales from the Borderlands for that.

Verdict

Borderlands is a prime example of how to milk a cash cow in light of a surge in demand for looter shooters. This isn’t a jab at Gearbox, though it is an attempt to make a point that, although there are several reasons why it deserves the limelight for being a pioneer and crucial pawn in the development of its genre, there are only so many ways to spin the same yarn before said yarn becomes a little, well, tangled. Frankly, Pandora and its vast Vault Hunter cliques have been retelling the same tale for years, and at no point has it ever felt like truly different experiences — just recycled tales with slightly different missions, characters, and skills.

To give credit where credit is due, Borderlands has been perfectly consistent with its faithful charm and comical strands in each passing chapter, with its on-brand dialogue and signature visuals remaining intact throughout the entire anthology. To tell you the truth, I can’t quite complain about any of that. The plot, admittedly, still leaves a few gaping holes that could certainly do with a little extra filler. And yet, thanks to the dynamic nature of the combat and customization, skill trees and quest lines, I’ve never found myself turning a blind eye to its new releases. Sure, I’m sick and tired of Pandora, but that won’t stop me from wanting to take a flight back out there for another quick romp around Skag country.