by Jack McGinnis
As the newest entry into the Borderlands franchise, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel has a lot of expectations to meet. Borderlands 2 was an amazing success that sparked multiple DLC packages and a game of the year edition. Unlike its predecessor, Borderlands the Pre-Sequel is not developed by Gearbox, the company who created the first two Borderlands titles. 2K Australia has taken the reigns this time around and the expectations were set high as soon as the quirky title was announced.
There are four new playable characters this time around: Wilhelm the Enforcer, Nisha the Lawbringer, Athena the Gladiator, and Claptrap the Fragtrap. All of them are pre-existing Borderlands bosses or NPCs like Wilhelm who was a mechanized boss in Borderlands 2. These characters are more powerful, and have more enjoyable skill trees to explore than any of the previous playable character in the franchise. Every skill is useful and many even work in tandem with each other. One skill that has proved to dominate is Nisha’s “One For Each Of Ya” skill. It allows you to dual wield any pistols, so damage and fire rate are essentially doubled with only a small cost to accuracy.
The good old shoot and loot gameplay that fans have loved since the beginning is still present. A few small changes have been made to the loot drops making rare weapons slightly more common than they were in Borderlands 2. Legendary drops are still fairly rare, but drop more frequently from normal enemies and even appear in vending machines for a high price.
Oxygen and low gravity are now ever-present variables when exploring outdoor environments on the moon. The oxygen meter, or Oz for short, will slowly deplete over time if you're in an area with no atmosphere. Unless you are playing as Claptrap, oxygen will be a necessity while fighting the typical enemies on the moon. This might appear at first glance to be a detriment to the gameplay, but oxygen is easy to come by and allows for double jumps and slam attacks. These new abilities make regular enemy encounters more spectacular as rocketing to the ground and dealing damage to multiple targets is always fun.
Without spoiling any major events or character names, the story in The Pre-Sequel is not as compelling as the Borderlands 2 story was. In a nutshell, the story is about the rise of a nerdy Hyperion programmer a.k.a Handsome Jack. You fight alongside Jack to gain control of Pandora’s moon, Elpis. The story is overall an average experience, however some of the biggest issues are in the interactions with the main villain.
In Borderlands 2 you were constantly pestered by Handsome Jack as he bragged about his diamond pony, Butt Stallion, and other comical subjects. This made you hate Jack while simultaneously chuckling at his rants. Early on in the story you're introduced to the main antagonist: Colonel Zarpedon. She communicates to you as Jack did in Borderlands 2, but she is much more reserved and is even outright respectful at some points. It’s difficult to find a big reason to hate her, so she quickly becomes much less interesting than Jack ever was. In addition, the story tends to drag on with numerous fetch quests featuring very little action, especially in the first few hours of the game. If you’re looking for a story on the same caliber as Borderlands 2, you may find yourself disappointed.
The Pre-Sequel takes place on Pandora’s moon Elpis. Most of the outdoor environments are on the desolate surface of Elpis while the indoor areas consist of futuristic space stations crowded with enemies. The scenery is beautiful and can even be breathtaking at times. The moon feels desolate and lonely, but still has a fair enemy density so you won’t have to go far to find someone to shoot at. The indoor areas can occasionally feel repetitive as the art style tends to retain a blank palate covering the bland and cramped corridors. Still, you’re not likely to pay too much attention to your surroundings as you will be too busy blasting your way through scavs and lunatics galore.
The biggest issue with the beautiful surface environments is a combination of driving, waypoints, and the sheer size of the areas. Areas atop the moon tend to be gigantic as they lead to other smaller areas. However, the driving in The Pre-Sequel has not been improved and still feels extremely slippery and difficult to control. This makes trekking across the moon sometimes difficult and frustrating. The waypoint system just adds to the issue. There is no clear indication of where to go when the area map has not been completely filled out. All you have to go by is a small diamond in the middle of nowhere that you have to figure out how to get to. It’s the combination of these three issues that can make the beautiful landscape a real detriment from the overall experience.
Borderlands is all about feeling overpowered and collecting the rarest guns you can find. In that sense, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel delivers a better experience than the previous titles did. The story leaves much to be desired and the lack of improved mechanics is disappointing. The vast areas can still lead to boring hikes across across the world and leave you with a feeling of not knowing where to go next . If you loved any of the previous Borderlands titles, you will have a guaranteed good time. Happy looting!
