Borderlands 3: Between hits, mistakes, and scandals
In 2019, the first trailer for Borderlands 3, the long-awaited sequel to the wonderful game released in 2012, was released. The video came full of news, promising a new experience in the chaotic universe of the franchise, with the return of iconic characters, new villains, planets, and many but many weapons. But after a year and with all its expansions already launched, the long-awaited game has managed to live up to the expectations created by its thousands of fans!? Come with me in this analysis of Borderlands 3.
Developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games, Borderlands 3 hit shelves worldwide in September 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
The game categorizes itself as a looter-shooter, uniting mechanics of an action FPS with RPG elements, aimed at searching and obtaining items, which in this case are the weapons, a multitude of them. The sequel brought fun and consistent experience for fans of the genre and the franchise. However, the new title also raised some doubts about the evolution and maturity of the saga, which dates to 2009.
Plot
It is important to note that Borderlands is a franchise that has never stood out for its plot, but rather for its characters and the way they interact with each other. Knowing this, I will avoid irrelevant information and plot details from the previous four games. However, it is important to understand that the game universe revolves around the Vaults, long-lost arks that hold powerful artifacts and creatures, and Vault Hunters, hunters of these same treasures.
Borderlands 3 takes place seven years after the series’ main antagonist, the charismatic Handsome Jack. With their defeat, chaos spread throughout the galaxy, thanks to the actions of “Children of the Vault”, a sect of psychopaths, created and commanded by twins Tyreen Calypso and Troy Calypso, the game’s new villains. The brothers have discovered a way to absorb the powers of the protective beasts of the arks, and with that, they intend to dominate the whole system. And it is up to our new protagonists, alongside the Crimson Raiders, a group of rebels, to stop them.
The plot is somewhat cliché and little innovation, compared to previous titles. And it is a shame that the new villains aren’t so interesting and charismatic, features that were a trademark of Gearbox.
In my personal view, it was clear that the developers tried to give a more “modern” look to the duo since both have a very “vlogger” behavior. The two manage a kind of profile on a social network and keep in touch with their followers through lives and videos. But almost everything regarding this is EXTREMELY annoying, their personality is detestable and extremely annoying, are memes, jokes, phrases, and gestures quite immature. Almost every scene involving one of the two brothers is to roll our eyes and our greatest motivation becomes to put an end to all this suffering.
Gameplay
Borderlands 3 is a sequence that does not differ much from its predecessors, especially when it comes to mechanics. The main idea remains the same, a mixture of frantic action with treasure-hunting elements, which brings a strong nostalgic feeling to long-time fans while leaving that bitter taste of “more of the same”.
Throughout the campaign, our character follows a very linear path, traveling from planet to planet with Sanctuary 3, a spaceship and refuge for all his allies, behind one of the Calypso brothers. The primary and secondary mission system remains the same as in previous years, following the “fetch” format, in which the player must go from an “A” point to a “B” point, to collect items, eliminate enemies, or to save a particular NPC.
The most prominent point of the game is the weapons. The arsenal is the largest in the entire series, are rifles, snipers, shotguns, revolvers, pistols, grenade launchers, bazookas, machine guns, and more. All with specificities, rarity levels, and unique characteristics that give combat greater depth, the combinations that can be done, and the amount of damage that will be dealt with.
Many of these weapons also have elemental attributes, meaning their firing can cause incendiary, glacial, corrosive, radioactive, or electrical damage. For example, enemies and robotic bosses have a yellow life bar, which is weak against radioactive fire, while human enemies, with the good old red bar, take greater damage from firearms, which ignites them for a short time. The choice of these armaments can be the difference between a quick victory and an unexpected death.
Some changes were made regarding the character’s movement within the game. In addition to running, shooting, jumping, driving and throwing grenades, now the protagonist is also able to slide and climb certain objects and scenarios, which gives the gameplay a more vertical and realistic air (as far as possible, of course).
The game also has a customization system, a little complex, but allows the change of patterns of clothes, colors, emotes, and helmets. The same applies to all weapons and echo-3, a communication device used in the Borderlands universe.
The difficulty, in turn, is not of the greatest. Even in “hard” mode, the game does not have many challenges, there are very few moments when the character is defeated, and even in situations like these, it is always possible to count on the “fight for your life”, a small window of time that allows us to revive eliminating any enemy from the area.
Numerically speaking, Borderlands 3 has a vast amount of enemies, with various subcategories and specificities. But with the constant encounters and confrontations, all become somewhat common and repetitive, their patterns of attack and movement are quite similar and this further compromises the difficulty, no longer so high, of the game. Bosses, in turn, manage to have even less significance (with very few exceptions), their blows do not have much variety and there is almost no challenge in facing them.
At least we are compensated by the lack of personality of opponents with the inclusion of a lot of new characters. A special highlight goes to Typhon DeLeon, the first ark hunter in history; Wainwright Jackobs, heir to the gun company Jackobs and BALEX, a teddy bear controlled by an artificial intelligence voiced by rapper Ice-T.
You can also venture into the multiplayer game, where up to four players can team up to end the campaign. The difference here was the addition of two different modes of gambling, the “cooperative”, where weapons are shared for everyone, and the “competitive”, in which players need to be quick to ensure the best items and weapons. The game experience is even better in the company of friends, especially when the four characters are present at a party.
Characters and Classes
As this Borderlands sequel continues to be designed for a multiplayer experience with up to four people, the game features four characters and classes. They are:
· FL4K — The BEAST MASTER; a charismatic and sarcastic robot capable of commanding three of the many creatures that make up the peculiar fauna of borderlands, are them: Jabber, a monkey; Skag, an alien dog; and Spiderant, a scorpion spider. Each of these critters has distinct abilities and characteristics that will shape the gameplay throughout the campaign. Also, FL4K has three powers, one that makes you invisible, another that teleports and buffs one of its beasts, and a third that sends winged creatures to attack enemies.
· Amara — The SIREN; The powerful and serious fighter can utilize several mystical powers. His abilities are focused on distance combat, being able to immobilize his opponents through a portal, and firing psychic projectiles. Besides, Amara is also great for melee combat, the character has a skill tree fully focused on the close-range brawl, such as her “smashed fascia” attack, which causes her to jump and hit the ground, dealing enormous damage to all nearby enemies. Its mechanics are great for players who like shotguns, weapons that require greater proximity to enemies.
· Moze — THE SHOOTER; the differential of this class is the MECHA, basically a giant robot, which can be invoked, for a short period, during all confrontations. Also, both the character and their robot have skill trees that increase the range of actions and attacks that can be performed. Increased shield capacity, attack damage, the inclusion of new weapons such as grenade launchers and miniguns are just some of the many variations that can be implemented.
· Zane — The AGENT; This lonely and playful human is perfect for players looking for stealthier gameplay. His main skills involve using an attack drone, creating a defensive force field, and digiclone, copies that can be used to distract and deceive enemies. The agent is also the only one capable of enabling two powers simultaneously, with the cost of no longer using the grenade throw button.
A great innovation of the game came in the construction of the skill tree. The characters now have three distinct powers, one for each of the trees. In this way, the player can use their points to mix powers, effects, and passives to build the build that best matches their style of play.
Controversies and Scandals
The development and release of the third game in the franchise were also marked by rather problematic cases, all involving Randy Pitchford, current Ceo of Gearbox Software.
It is important to note that this text would not have this as one of its main themes, but, whether or not, the actions of the current CEO affect the image of the franchise, which in turn impacts on the receptivity of players, journalists and fans.
According to Kotaku, in 2018, Randy Pitchford was accused by a former Gearbox executive of accepting an irregular, personal and secret bonus of more than $10 million that would be paid directly and exclusively to him. That same year the CEO even lost a thumb drive at a Texas restaurant, the device contained confidential company documents such as payment records, personal data, and borderlands’ materials.
To make matters worse, according to the former executive, the device also contained a personal collection of “child pornography”. Months later Randy went public commenting on the accusations, claiming, in his words “a lack of any legal basis of reality”.
But things don’t stop there, the following year, 2019, David Eddings, the former voice actor of Claptrap, the show’s mascot, accused Pitchford of physical assault. According to him, the case happened because of a charge for his work as a voice actor. It is noteworthy that Eddings gave voice to the character since the beginning of the franchise, but was not paid for the work because he already received a salary for being part of the studio staff.
Also in 2019, at the beginning of Borderlands 3’s marketing campaign, it was revealed to the public that the game would have a six-month exclusivity with Epic Games Store, a gaming platform that was emerging that year. According to Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic, the exclusivity deal would be the first of many, as the company intended to end Valve’s “monopoly” of Steam, Valve’s gaming app, and help boost the game development market.
Thanks to this exclusive agreement, Gearbox has made good money. However, in April 2020, it went public, thanks to a report by journalist Jason Schreier, that the company would not be properly paying its employees. Several members of the company, who already receive far below the average wage in the United States, reported that the compensation agreement was canceled and Pitchford would be pocketing the salary bonuses that would be distributed to the entire team.
The problems here are several, but in this particular case, once again the community was deceived, countless fans were outraged by the aggressive exclusivity agreement and Pitchford went public several times to say that this partnership would only bring benefits to his team.
We all know that every business branch is driven by money and this could not be different from games, but all arguments that try to justify situations like these fall apart when professionals in the area become the main harmed. Contrary to what Tim Sweeney so defended, the deal did not help the developers of the game at all, quite the contrary, the large volume of money only further encouraged Pitchfort’s greed. It’s a shame that a franchise so loved by the public is in hands as scumlike, greedy, and incompetent as those of the current CEO.
Expansions and Final Conclusions
For better or worse, the Borderlands franchise has become well known for its thousands of paid expansions. And that couldn’t be any different in this third game.
Borderlands 3, has so far, ten DLC’s, six of them include many cosmetic items, such as new models of clothing, colors, and variations for weapons. The other four expansions bring more complex content, lasting 6 to 7 hours. They are:
- Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot: This first expansion brings a new campaign set in an old spatial station. The place, where a large casino once operated, is full of treasures hidden by its former owner, Handsome Jack. But to access them, we have to face the robotic security forces that prowl the area.
- Guns, Love, and Tentacles: In this second adventure we are taken to distant Xylourgos, where the wedding between Sir Hammerlock and Jakob Wainwright will be held, two iconic characters from the series. The planet is extremely icy and has been plagued by dangerous occultists, mutant slugs, ferocious wolves, and a variety of bizarre creatures inspired by the stories of H.P Lovecraft, a famous horror writer.
- Bounty of Blood: It takes place in the Gehenna planet, more precisely in the city of Vestige, a place strongly inspired by the western aesthetics of the United States, which has been suffering constant threats from the “devil riders” gang, a dangerous group of gunmen capable of taming dinosaur-like beasts. The goal here is to help the sheriff restore the order that was lost after the theft of an alleged sacred stone.
- Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck: The best, in my opinion, and latest expansion leads us to explore the mind of Krieg, a Vault Hunter, introduced in the second game of the series, which suffers from severe psychotic delusions. Here are some of the best and quirkiest scenarios in the entire franchise. Everything is built from the disturbed thoughts of the mysterious character, which gives a very special and peculiar touch to the new environments and enemies.
I confess that Borderlands is one of my favorite franchises, especially when it comes to FPS. Your characters have captivated me over the years and the gameplay remains one of the most fun I’ve ever experienced. It’s been over 70 hours invested in this last sequence, all marked by many missions, treasures, explosions, and gunfire.
However, it is important to note that this third episode sins in several aspects, the story is quite weak, some script choices are very difficult to swallow, the villain’s border on the unbearable (this may even be a quality of a good villain, but unfortunately this is not the case), the humor is based on a style of jokes quite dated, we see few mechanic’s innovations and everything that has been said about Pitchford can be a rather complicated issue for many people. Also, some bugs and performance issues have been reported by players since the game’s release.
But if you don’t know the insane borderlands universe, like FPS, and enjoy a good story, I suggest you start your adventure for the second game in the series and, if you’re interested, give game 3 a chance. Now, if you’re one of those players who just value the gameplay and don’t care what happens on the screen, I recommend you go directly to this last sequence. Here is present the best, in terms of gameplay, and the worst, narratively speaking, that Gearbox was able to do.
[Some images used in this article were taken from Google or the game community profiles on Steam]
