Theresa new Naughty Dog game, I told them.
What aboutBorderlands 4?, one of my friends asked hopefully, taking a swig from her beer can.
Id forgotten that she was the only person I knew who still lovesBorderlandsand plays it regularly.
There was a trailer.
she said, expectantly.
I thought for a second.
Well, it looked like Borderlands, I said.
Then, I added, Theres grappling now.
Another of our friends frowned at her.
Defensively, she said, You dont understand.
I was so happy when they added, like, vaulting.
The traversal is the same, just with grappling.
There are still tons of guns, so many that they rain from the sky in one scene.
Theres plenty of shooting.
Its definitely… Borderlands.
Game of Thrones is all about meaningful character death and weighty story.
A live-service open world game about nothing cannot deliver that.
Borderlands Hasnt Changed Much Over The Years
This isnt necessarily a bad thing.
The Pre-Sequel doubled down on the futuristic aesthetic we see in the trailer for 4.
But all of them largely play the same.
The series is iterative, but never revolutionary.
You shouldnt expect to see huge pivots in gameplay or mechanics, or really, any pivots at all.
Its tempting to speculate on what this refusal to change means for the future of Borderlands.
The triple-A space is incredibly competitive, and making games is more and more expensive.
Then again, its worked so far.
Light iteration wont work forever, but in 2025, it might still be enough.
