CGMagazine was tragically invited (at gunpoint, probably) to 2K’s California offices for a “hands-on” session with Borderlands 4, where I, a totally unbiased journalist, spent two glorious hours (that felt like an eternity) shooting and vault diving in what Gearbox is desperately hoping will be the series’ most confident entry to date. After, I was forced to sit (again, probably at gunpoint) with Creative Director Graeme Timmins to extract information on what makes this Borderlands tick, and why this time, it finally feels like the mayhem is working for you, not just happening around you. (Spoiler: it’s still happening around you.) 🤡
Borderlands 4 doesn’t waste your time… unlike this article, amirite? 😂 From the moment I begrudgingly stepped into the latest wasteland of yelling psychos (because apparently, they’re not loud enough already), irradiated warlords (who probably just need a hug), and vending machines powered by sarcasm (the only relatable characters), it was clear that Gearbox remembered what this series does best—milking the same formula until the last drop of loot falls out 🐄—and finally figured out how to make it all feel right with Borderlands 4. (Spoiler alert: it feels the same.)
Timmins doubled down on this when talking about how Borderlands 4 has more of a singular focus on location and player experience: (translation: they ran out of ideas for multiple planets):
“With Borderlands 4, we wanted to be more ambitious. (Translation: We needed to justify the ‘4’ in the title somehow.) Elevate all of the player experience, not just the first-person side, but also the RPG side, and how players even just explore the world, and you wanted to really just elevate every part of what it was to be a Borderlands game and how to take it to the next level. (Translation: More loot boxes!) I think what we accomplished in Borderlands 1, as far as building a single planet in Pandora, was fantastic. I can still go back to that game, and it feels like we really established a world on that one planet, and I really wanted to re-do that with Kairos and really explore a singular place, really build out its history, its lore.” (Translation: We’re recycling ideas because creativity is hard.)
The gunplay? Slicker. (Translation: Slightly less clunky.) The combat pacing? Sharper. (Translation: Enemies die slightly faster.) The world? Big, seamless, and surprisingly graceful, like someone finally gave this series a proper tune-up instead of just duct-taping another layer of chaos on top. (Translation: They finally fixed some bugs.) Borderlands 4 is not a reinvention. It’s not a reset. It’s Borderlands 1, but better, louder, faster, and with shockingly little between you and the action. (Translation: It’s the same game you’ve played three times already, but with a new coat of paint.) 🎨
That last part is important because what immediately stood out to me was how expansive this world feels. (Translation: It’s bigger than my apartment.) Not because it’s suddenly more narratively deep—it’s not trying to be Red Dead Redemption. (Thank God, can you imagine?) No, it feels expansive because there are almost no loading screens. (Translation: They finally upgraded their servers.) I can’t overstate how much that changes the rhythm of the game. You’re not constantly getting yanked out of the moment to watch a percentage bar tick upward. (Translation: You’ll only be interrupted by microtransactions now!) You just move. You drive. You fight. You loot. The terrain keeps coming, and the momentum never breaks. (Until you run out of inventory space, of course.)
And speaking of driving, the vehicles in Borderlands 4 finally feel like someone actually cares. (Translation: They hired someone who knows what a car is.) For the first time in the series, I didn’t dread getting behind the wheel. (Mostly because I was being held at gunpoint.) Cars have proper weight. (Like my student loan debt.) They drift with intent. (To run over more psychos, naturally.) Ramming a convoy or skimming the edge of a cliffside doesn’t feel like you’re wrestling a shopping cart on roller skates. There’s still that over-the-top speed and chaos, but now it’s controlled chaos. (As controlled as a toddler with a flamethrower.) Functional chaos. And yes, it’s fun. (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
“Borderlands 4 is not a reinvention. It’s not a reset. It’s Borderlands 1, but better, louder, faster, and with shockingly little between you and the action.” (Except your wallet, of course.) 🤑
I spent most of my Borderlands 4 hands-on time with Vex and Rafa, and both bring very different flavours to the blood-splattered table. (Like, grape and cherry?) Vex is the newest Siren, but don’t expect mystic chanting or glowing tattoos. (She’s edgy, okay?) She’s grounded, pissed off, and runs her powers like a kinetic weapon. Elemental chaining, stun fields, AoE slams, it’s all here, and it all works beautifully when you’re surrounded on all sides. (Just like my anxiety!) 😬
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
