Borderlands 4: chaos refined and reinvented.
Borderlands has always been a series that loves the ridiculous—characters that go too far, tons of guns, and a world that is torn between crazy and brilliant. The series, developed by Gearbox Software, was released in 2009 and features a unique blend of first-person shooting and loot-based gameplay. With its dark humor, vivid world, and memorable bad guy, Borderlands 2 (2012) became a classic in its genre.
However, later games in the series, like Borderlands 3 (2019), made some longtime fans feel like the series had lost its edge. Here comes Borderlands 4, the newest game in the series that claims to change things and make it better.
Gearbox seems to have listened to what players had to say by improving well-liked gameplay features and adding new levels of difficulty. For more than 50 hours, you can explore the huge world of Kairos. Borderlands 4 is both a return to the series’ roots and a bold step forward, combining the familiar chaos with new ideas.
Borderlands 4 takes place on the planet Kairos, which is ruled by the cruel Timekeeper. This bad guy is one of the scariest in the series since Handsome Jack because he is so focused on keeping things in order. In contrast to earlier games, which relied on crazy bad guys and funny nonsense, the Timekeeper presents a more organized and dangerous threat.
The story doesn’t completely abandon the series’ fun. Fans can expect a lot of the crazy, over-the-top behavior from his supporting cast. The story unfolds in various locations, each with its own unique group of people, horrifying mutant animals, and desperate humans. Side missions, world bosses, and vaults give the main story more depth by letting players learn about the history of the game while completing more difficult tasks.
The game strikes a balance between episodic storytelling and nonstop action, mixing funny times with tense, adrenaline-pumping fights. Some parts of the story drag on or make it too hard to complete the goals. Still, overall, it feels more consistent than previous games in the series.
The way that serious threats and funny parts interact makes the game more fun to play. Borderlands 4 is still a first-person looter shooter at its core, but Gearbox has added to and improved every part of the game. There are four Vault Hunters to choose from, and each has their own set of skills and abilities:
Rafa is a quick damage dealer whose moves are very precise. Harlowe is an expert in status effects who can deal damage to multiple enemies at once. Vex is a summoner who calls on help ghosts. My favorite is Amon, who uses elemental axes and can build barriers of fire.
The principles of traversal have been changed. Characters can glide, grapple, and do flying ground pounds, which makes battles more interesting and adds new heights. This change makes every fight feel different and lets you do more dramatic things, like gliding in to slam an enemy before firing a shotgun blast and running away in the middle of a fight.
Loot is still important. With millions of guns, every fight could give you a new favorite weapon. Sticky bomb sniper rifles, throwing knives that create singularities, and elemental weapons keep battles interesting. While improvements to current weapons don’t happen very often, discovering new items is always exciting and keeps you exploring.
Borderlands 4‘s combat stays true to the series’ trademark chaotic style, with hordes of enemies that attack in a variety of ways and have a range of skills. A balance of planning and reflexes is often needed in battle. Because there are so many types of enemies, from hidden maniacs to huge, mutant foes, players have to change their weapons, skills, and strategies during battle.
Boss fights are especially tough. Their different shapes and stages make them easy to remember, but some bosses can drag on for a long time, making the game frustrating instead of fun. Still, the variety of battles and skillful execution usually make up for these small problems.
There are traversal puzzles built into the levels, and they often require timing, accuracy, and smart use of skills. It was sometimes hard to avoid mistakes because the same button could be used to dodge, crouch, and ground-pound, but these mechanics make exploration and fighting more fun overall. Summonable vehicles like the Digi Runner make it easier to get around Kairos’s huge environments. However, some hidden vaults and side tasks depend on vague clues, which can be annoying.
When weapons, skills, and movement all work together, the battle system is at its best. Killing an enemy with an exact shot from an assault rifle, a shotgun that does a lot of damage, or a knife for the finishing blow creates cinematic moments that make you feel strong. When you play with a friend, boss fights and wave-based vault encounters are especially exciting.
The bad news is that long goals or puzzles with too many moving parts can slow things down. The hot/cold meter that is used to find vaults is often annoying, and the health pools of some bosses seem to be swollen for no reason. Still, the main game mechanics—shooting, looting, skill synergy, and moving around the world—are still strong, making for a fulfilling cycle of battle and reward.
Leveling up and gaining experience are important parts of Borderlands 4. Because enemies get tougher as the player levels up, most fights are still fun and difficult without feeling unfair. As you level up, you gain skill points that let you specialize and make your Vault Hunter unique. With bigger skill trees and new traversal powers, players can make choices that affect how they play and how well they fight.
Getting loot also helps you move forward. Weapons with rare properties or elemental effects can make battles very different. Even though some players might think the grind is too hard, getting more XP is fun when you find a new weapon or get good at using a skill cycle. The sudden increase in challenge near the final boss can feel abrupt, but it also makes you focus on mastering both how to fight and how your character grows.
Borderlands 4 keeps the cel-shaded look that has become a trademark of the series, but it improves it with sharper textures, dynamic lighting, and bigger areas. Kairos appears different due to its diverse biomes, industrial buildings, and run-down cities. The character models are expressive, and the scale of enemies, from small grunts to huge bosses, is very well done.
The changes to the graphics help both the gameplay and the story. It is easy to see what is around you, how enemies act, and what loot you can find, which makes fighting and exploration less frustrating. The art style remains comical, complementing the series’ mix of humorous and violent scenes.
The sound design in Borderlands 4 is also very good. Gunplay is fun, and there are clear audio cues for each type of weapon and environmental effects. The combat is made even better by dynamic music that changes how intense it is when you face special enemies or bosses.
Voice acting upholds the high standards of the show, bringing humor, drama, and personality to a wide range of characters. It’s not just the main characters who add depth; side tasks and random encounters feel like real people. Sound effects like blasts, machinery hums, and other background noises help you become more immersed in the game and let you know when important things are happening.
Borderlands 4 is both a return to the series’ roots and a bold new start for it. Gearbox has made the crazy, over-the-top action that fans love more balanced by improving the game’s features, making it easier to move around, and giving characters real growth. The story features one of the best villains since Handsome Jack, but it also retains the series’ trademark humor and hilarious exchanges between the cast that make it what it is.
Combat is still the best thing about the game. Borderlands 4 always has exciting moments, from intense gunfights to impressive skill combos. Bullet-sponge bosses and confusing exploration tasks can be annoying, but they’re not the only problems with an otherwise great game. Loot-based growth and skill customization keep people interested, and playing with others makes the fun even greater.
The game sounds great and looks great, too. It keeps its unique cel-shaded style and has great sound effects for both environments and battles. Everything about it, from flying over roofs to storming vaults full of mutated horrors, adds to the chaos and excitement.
In the end, Borderlands 4 is a looter shooter that knows how to walk the fine line between too much and too little. It adds to a long history while introducing new features that make it difficult to return to earlier games. It is a crazy, beautiful, and always fun trip into the heart of Gearbox’s biggest and best-known world yet, for both longtime fans and newcomers.
