Borderlands 4 Takes a Bold New Direction, but 2K Risks Losing Its Essence – Preview

Okay, here we go. Bear with me, this might get messy.

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Alright, so Borderlands is like, flipping its script with Borderlands 4. It’s less chaotic, more grown-up? Almost feels like your wild friend who got a 9-to-5 and now only wears button-ups. Anyway, they’re really shaking things up, gameplay-wise. They’re picking what was good from the other ones—those hilarious loot-storms—and then throwing a modern twist on it. But honestly, feels like they tossed a bit of its wild heart out the window with it. Why do they always do that?

Now, picture this: we’re on a new planet called Kairos. Nobody’s been there before—like, not even a single Claptrap. Until—get this—a friggin’ moon crashes into it. Boom! New and old worlds smashing together. It’s all mixed up, like a big interstellar soup, and we get a bunch of new and old characters bouncing around. The whole vibe, though, is super different from the Borderlands we know. Can’t decide if it’s genius or crazy. Or both?

Okay, here’s something I just have to say. Those graphics? Breathtaking. I was poking around just a small slice of the game—like a tiny appetizer. Everything was so open—no loading screens chopping it up into bits. Just one massive landscape, and it just begs you to explore. You know? I found this hidden boss—I mean, magical. It reminded me of Destiny, which—believe it or not—isn’t a bad thing!

But—and there’s always a but—having this massive open world comes with its own headaches. Like, how do you make sure it doesn’t feel like a fancy dress store where all the dresses are in another room? They’ve got collectibles and random events scattered about. Found a space ship, scored some cool loot, but mostly it was just aimless wandering.

The driving’s still slick as ever, thank goodness. That shooter magic is still there—guns feeling satisfying when you use ’em. Mix ‘n match is the new game with weapons. Imagine picking up a sniper that shoots fire. Or a shotgun that turns into a little murder machine you toss like a grenade. It’s wild. If AI ever makes that up, then boy, we’re in trouble.

I can’t make up my mind about the gun system overhaul. It’s like Gearbox smashed down the walls between gun types, giving us this massive gun pool to dive into. Feels like they’ve stolen the soul of what each brand used to stand for. Does stacking weapon bonuses fill that void? I don’t know. It’s like putting a Ferrari engine inside a Bugatti—is it still a Bugatti then?

Another big overhaul is in the tone. You remember the craziness, the humor that was kind of the lifeblood of Borderlands? The new vibe is more mature. Seems like they tried to dodge the cringe factor from Borderlands 3, but maybe went a bit too far? It’s got that “weird trying not to be weird” thing going on, you know? It’s like making Borderlands grow up into just your average game. Yikes.

Previewed a mission where I met this guy, Rush. Big guy, soft heart, and he’s all about helping out and everything’s protein this, dice that. Kinda blandly likable, but something was missing. Then there’s Claptrap—oh boy—that bit had me in stitches. Way funnier than the main stuff. Why can’t they get that vibe right across the board?

Side quests—just tasks to grab guns, no funny dialogue, nada. Miss that humor! It’s like they forgot what made Borderlands, Borderlands. Hopefully, there’s more chuckles beyond what I played but… eh, feels doubtful. Ended up blowing up a boat with Claptrap’s old mementos—it was symbolic, you know? Goodbye, old Borderlands vibes. Hello, the new. Yet strangely sad too.

And don’t get me wrong, the vault fights are still cool. Loads of action and that boss battle was epic! Pull vulnerable bits off its body while avoiding deadly floor spikes? Wicked stuff. But then, getting just two chests at the end felt deflated. You remember those big loot moods in the previous games? Yeah, not quite the same here.

There’s a lot of change here. A lot! But for those who’ve got a piece of Borderlands etched on their heart—it might sting a bit. No silly jokes to soften the blow. You’ll just leave with a tug at your heartstrings.

Got a chance to preview it in a controlled setting, so who knows? But if you’re diving into Borderlands 4, keep your mind open. Feels like a new beginning, fresh page—but definitely comes with its own flavor of nostalgia and change.