B
orderlands3 is a celebrationofexcess.Fromits
bajilliongunstoitsenormouscooperative
campaign,toa scriptthatseemstohavebeen
writtenona toiletroll(bothinlengthandintone),it’san
incrediblyindulgentexperience.If it wasa RomanEmperor,
Borderlands3 wouldbeCaligula– decadent,unhingedand
pronetofrequentmassacres.
UnlikeRome’smostinfamousemperor,however,
Borderlands3 is annoyinglygoodatwhatit does.Beneath
theglossyandoftengrimyextravagance,Borderlands3 is a
thoroughlyentertainingshooterwitha gimmickthat,after
threegames,stillhasn’tstoppeddelivering.
Justdon’texpectmuchtohavechanged.Onceagain,
Borderlands3 kicksoffonthedesertplanetPandora,with
youanduptothreefriendsassumingtheroleoffournew
VaultHunters.Yourquixoticquartetarewannabeapplicants
tothemercenaryband,theCrimsonRaiders,andtheysoon
discoverthattheRaidershavebeenallbutobliteratedbya
groupofbanditscallingthemselvestheChildrenoftheVault,
ledbya pairofinterplanetaryTwitchstreamers.
We’llgettothewritingina bit.Fornow,let’stalkabout
theVaultHunters,whoaremoreorlesstheonlytruly‘new’
introductiontoBorderlands3.EachofthefourHuntershas
a uniquesetofabilitiesthatwillfundamentallyalteryour
approachtothegame.OurmainchoicewasFL4K,a 7ft-tall
robotBeastmasterwiththeabilitytocommanddifferentAIpets,rangingfrom a dog-like ‘Skag’ to a ‘Jabber’ – an alien
Monkeythatwields guns.
Otherhighlights include Moze, a Gunner who can jump
intoa hulkingMech called Iron Bear, and Zane, who can
createa holographic version of himself, essentially playing
a cooperativegame all of his own.
Inadditionto the different classes, each Hunter can be
playedinseveral different ways, with access to three
individualskilltrees. For example, the Beastmaster can be
speccedasanall-out assault character, but also can focus
onhealing,sending out his pet to revive downed comrades.
Theskilltreesdon’thavetherangeof,say,Dishonored,
withmanyunlocks simply improving your damage or
healingrate,buttheynonethelessoffera diverserange
ofplaystyles.
Otherwise,Borderlands 3 relies heavily on its colourful
visualsandprocedurally generated weapons to keep
playersinterested, so it’s just as well that it excels in both
areas.It lookssuperb, with crisp and vibrant cel-shaded
graphicsthatlook phenomenal in 4K. It’s also the first
Borderlandsgame to venture beyond Pandora, offering a
varietyofplanets to explore, including the Cyberpunk city of
Prometheaand the radioactive swamp world of Eden-6.
Moreimportantly, Borderlands 3 feels satisfying to play.
Movementis slick and responsive. Actions such as sprinting
andslidingacross the ground feel weighty and tactile.GAMES / REVIEW
BORDER
+Looksfantastic
+Rock-solid
shooting
+Delightfullydaft
proceduralguns
BORED
- Notmuchnew
- Toolong
- Grotty humour
Borderlands 3 /£49.99 inc VAT
DEVELOPER Gearbox Software / PUBLISHER 2K Games