Borderlands 3 is the game where players open the door of a dilapidated wooden outhouse and a wad of cash ejects from the bowl with a brown squelch. It's also the game where a glowing purple pistol is strapped to the door of that same outhouse, with bullets that magically bounce off critical hits and fly into the nearest secondary target. If you're looking to fully immerse yourself in this chaotic world, you might want to buy Xbox games to enhance your experience. Characters bounce around its cel-shaded world as punchlines or disposable meat bags. Weapons and skills are handed out like candy, allowing players to sample from its sweet buffet of opportunities. However, Borderlands has been unusually silent in the gaming world over the past few years, with its loud bravado relegated to remasters on this generation of consoles. Since the last numbered entry, players have seen countless looter-shooters that have evolved the genre beyond what Gearbox Software nearly perfected with Borderlands 2.
Borderlands 3: A Familiar Yet Stubborn Sequel
Despite the passage of time, Borderlands 3 is content with being another sequel in the series. There are no loot boxes, no persistent online worlds, no raids. In a sense, Borderlands 3’s refusal to innovate often makes it a victim of its stubbornness. However, if you enjoy its classic style, you might want to buy PS5 games to complete your collection and enhance your gaming library. I was in my early twenties when I first received Borderlands as a Christmas present. Few developers had embraced cel-shaded graphics, and the ridiculous cast of not-too-serious characters and zany guns was perfect for a few weeks of doing nothing. Not every joke landed gracefully. The Mad Max desert aesthetic could wear thin. But it was incredibly fun to collect every gun, hoping it would become my new favorite weapon. The writers at Gearbox haven’t seemed to age much over the decade. What worked in previous Borderlands games does not always work best in Borderlands 3. The stylistic choices that have favored the series are used from the onset. A new group of four Vault Hunters is introduced with flair over an opening cutscene with licensed music. Claptrap orders the player around as a recruit while a spectral FMV of a female constantly zooms in and out on her face. Familiarity immediately sets in for series veterans, and it’s great to watch Claptrap be an idiot and hear enemies scream in pain and make jokes instead of death rattles.
Borderlands 3: Vaults, Twins, and the Crimson Raiders
The Vault Hunter is then introduced to the series mainstay, the Siren Lilith. She directs us to recover a Vault Map that has fallen into the hands of the Children of the Vault, led by the Calypso Twins, Troy, and Tyreen. What unfolds is a planet-hopping trek in search of Vault Keys and Maps to uncover why the Twins want to access the Vaults so badly. As we’ve learned from previous games, an ancient alien civilization created the Vaults and packed them with untold power and riches, only to seal them because they probably led to their inevitable destruction. Borderlands 3 pays homage to its predecessors by integrating key characters from previous entries and Tales from the Borderlands into the story, although some receive more attention than others. However, the serious tone sometimes interferes with the overall experience. Cutscenes may overlook the player's Vault Hunter, leaving them seemingly passive observers rather than active participants. The mission structure remains familiar, with quests often involving multiple steps before receiving a reward. While Borderlands 3 has its moments of humor, they may not be as frequent or effective as in previous games. The Calypso Twins, the game's antagonists, lack the charisma of Handsome Jack. While they attempt to taunt and threaten the player, their meme-like chatter often undermines their effectiveness. This contrasts sharply with the heroic Crimson Raiders, creating a dynamic that falls short of its potential.
Navigational Woes and Technical Hiccups in Borderlands 3
During my extensive time with Borderlands 3, I encountered some quality-of-life improvements and a few unfortunate issues. Playing in a split-screen co-op is enjoyable but can be taxing when accessing menus and inventory. The pathfinding in the game is also problematic. Players only get an icon on their map for the final destination of an objective, and driving across the map with clunky controls often feels like a fool's errand. Wrong turns and getting lost are common, and in 2019, there are many ways to avoid these issues. A hotfix also broke the sound for me, making everything echo as if I were in a cave, a common problem that no one seemed to know how to fix. On PlayStation 4 Pro, I initially opted for the best resolution but later switched to performance mode. The sacrifice in visuals for smoother gameplay was worth it, though it didn’t entirely fix the menu slowdown. Most players know what to expect when diving into Borderlands 3. Gearbox is devoted to this franchise and respects its core formula without changing much.