Borderlands 2 was without a doubt, a huge success both for the fans and Gearbox itself, but one of its strongest pillars was one very peculiar but noteworthy character – Handsome Jack. Handsome Jack was written so interestingly well that it took every textbook definition of a villain, ran with it for a while, and twisted it completely to something hilarious. So, it isn’t surprising that Gearbox noticed that and wanted to do more with him. So, here we are with Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
Set before the events of the second game, and after those of the first one, BTPS (shortened for convenience) showcases a different type of Jack, one that is more heroic than the heinous version of Borderlands 2. It also introduces a brand new gameplay setting, THE MOON, where the gameplay mechanics have been altered and enhanced quite a bit. There are several things people tend to look for in a Borderlands game such as clever humour, Loot (incl. weapons) and characters. I will go through these aspects one by one and talk about how this particular game holds a candle to the previous instalments regarding them.
First off, let’s talk about the Humour, and the overall storyline. Although not as punchy as the previous game, you can see that this isn’t a throwaway or uninspired story. Yes, there definitely is some humour that seems forced, but overall the storyline definitely has inspiration behind it and for that reason it manages to keep you interested throughout. The writing in my opinion is still fantastic. I especially loved the mission where you had to help pick up fragments of a short kids story. The way that story is written is rather hilarious. In fact the majority of the dialogue is hilarious and I will admit that I was laughing aloud at certain points, so returning players should feel at home, especially with its dark humour.
The game’s story is a future recollection by Athena, who tells of the events that led to Handsome Jack being the person he is today. There were some reveals that I felt didn’t payoff quite so much, but overall they were quite interesting and that interest is what kept me playing, even alone. Furthermore, the bosses are again introduced in a very stylistic and humorous manner that is unique to the universe of Borderlands.
Character wise, in B: TPS you get 4 choices on par with the previous games, Athena, Nisha, Wilhelm and Claptrap. Yes that is right, you get to play as the legendary claptrap and it is quite fun. Athena belongs to the Gladiator class, and has a skill-tree suited to close melee encounters. Both Nisha and Wilhelm are weapon specialists, with Nisha being in the Lawbringer class and Wilhelm in the Enforcer. What is different for them though is that while Nisha’s skill-tree is more focused on cowboy like pistol handling, Wilhelm’s is a bit more explosive and grants you some explosive skills that cause damage in with a wider radius. Lastly, the great Claptrap belongs to a Medic based class, which is amusingly named the Fragtrap. His skills are focused on healing and team aspects which are fitting to the character as Claptrap likes to be friends with everyone! Also while Claptrap may have the disadvantage with this lack of height, being a robot, unlike his human counterparts he has no worries running out of oxygen on the moon, which of course has its benefits
To talk about the co-op play, the series as you know prides itself on it, and so it really holds it important enough to give you the entire best co-op features one can expect in order to have fun with friends. So, you’ve got everything from party matchmaking to online lobbies that make connecting with other gamers that more easier. You can even change your own playthrough’s settings in order to allow or block people from joining your game. From what I’ve played of it so far, I never had any stutter or lag and I am sure neither did my friends from various countries. All in all, the co-op infrastructure is solidly built with convenience in mind and you don’t have to tinker with various confusing settings just to play a game.
As for the loot, there are tons and tons of it. You’ve got all the outrageous weapons you’d expect, with some that are even more out of the world. My favourites are still weapons that explode when you re-load. One of the coolest new weapon types are the cryogenics. These weapons, as the name implies have the tendency of reducing your target to a cold, sub-zero chill. Other elemental weapons have also made a return, from fire to electricity, so returning fans should find that satisfactory. Not only that but they might also love how much loot there is to collect in the world and also through killing enemies.
Also the shift-chests have returned. If you don’t know, these are chests that are unlocked if you have shift keys, and each key is good for a single use. Shift codes can be obtained by tuning in to Gearbox’s/Randy Pitchford’s Twitter or Facebook feed where codes are usually shared. If you redeem these codes you will receive the shift keys. Another chest type to make a return is the colour-coded one where specific colours are attributed to different rarity levels.
To talk of the game as a whole, in my opinion what ties all these together, and shows how this game isn’t just a cash-in is the setting. As you know, the game now takes place on the moon. Now, if this was a cash-in or the developer was lazy, there wouldn’t be interesting mechanics related to the new setting and you’d probably just get the same old experience on any of the gravity bound planets. But nope, 2K Australia didn’t want that at all and instead literally shot for the moon. What this new setting provides you with is a wide range of new features that make the game stand out from previous instalments.
First of all, the moon doesn’t support oxygen so you have to really keep it well stocked when fighting. The way you can replenish your O2 is either by entering a facility that has oxygen, entering air pockets littered throughout the moon or activating oxygen relays that provide you with oxygen. However, to store all that oxygen, the game introduces the oxygen packs which function and take slots like the shield, but are instead used for keeping oxygen. Oxygen runs out over time whenever you are outside on the moon’s surface. Some players might actually find this a bit annoying, where once you start fighting you may forget about your oxygen meter until it starts beeping with caution prompting you to ditch the fight for the nearest air pocket. For me personally, I saw that as a challenge rather than a hindrance to my enjoyment. Also, since the game is set on the moon, the gravity doesn’t have quite a strong hold and your movement feels a bit more open from its clutches. You get to jump high, and even higher with the boost pads, but best of all you can crush your enemies by slamming on them by pressing your crouch key.
Speaking of the crouch key, the controls are still solid and allow for button remap on the PC. The game itself is very well optimised on the PC and looks fantastic during higher resolution settings. Lastly, the music is freaking fantastic with the ever so talented Jesper Kyd who has come back to score the game. For that reason, the game is filled with memorable and quirky themes that really guide the gameplay and give it its own unique identity in the series.
All in all, I am glad to say that this game is definitely not a cheap cash-grab, something that many fans were afraid of and it not only manages to hold a flame to the previous games’ humour, but also manages to introduce some of its own unique and some even fresh features in the long run. If you are a fan of Borderlands, then trust me you won’t be disappointed with this game as it has all the ingredients of the famous recipe, albeit having cut down on some elements, or at the very least this can serve as a fantastic filler as you wait for the third chapter in the series in the new gen era. Now excuse me if you will, I have some moonwalking to do.