After watchingBorderlands 4’s most recent trailer, I am convinced thatI will enjoy the game a lot more if it goes light on the story and heavy on the action. I’ve been a fan of theBorderlandsfranchise from the beginning, and I’ve played every mainline game, as well asTales from the Borderlands. Despite being a big fan of the series, its attempts at storytelling have never really grabbed me that much.Borderlands 3’s overbearing narrative elements in particular are part of why I’ve only played through the game one time.
Warning: The following article includes spoilers for character deaths in previous Borderlands games.So far, we’ve gotten two looks atBorderlands 4. ThefirstBorderlands 4trailercame during the Game Awards, and a recent release datetrailer appeared at State of Play 2025. Initially, I wasn’t all that excited about the game based on the first trailer’s emphasis on story elements, but the more recent one did a good job reminding me why I fell in love with the franchise in the first place. My hope is that the new game does a better job thanBorderlands 3at capturing what makes the games so much fun.
Borderlands' Story Has Never Been Its Selling Point
Borderlands’ Appeal Is Its Wacky Tone And Fun Gameplay
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I thinkthe onlyBorderlandsgame that perfectly balanced its narrative and gameplay elements was the first game. I love a lot of story-heavy games, but I’m not looking for too many narrative elements in a looter-shooter likeBorderlands. I’m looking to find cool weapons and use them to make enemies explode into bloody chunks.
Borderlands 4 Launch Date May Have Just Narrowed Down GTA 6’s Release Window
Borderlands 4 got a release date at the State of Play, which some fans think could be a hint towards GTA 6’s because of their shared parent company.
While I may not be a big fan ofBorderlands’ story,I do love its tone. Its irreverent sense of humor is perfectly suited to a game where I spend most of my playtime popping heads with my sniper rifle. The first game mostly relied on its style and environmental storytelling to teach players about the world of Pandora, and it kept the tone lighthearted and fun more often than not. Unfortunately, every game since has felt the need to make the story bigger and more dramatic, to the point where it has begun to compromise this playful tone.
Stories In The Borderlands Games Happen At The Player
Players Witness Big Events They Have No Impact On
I think one of my biggest issues with the stories in theBorderlandsfranchise is that they often feel like they are happening around me, but that I’m not very involved in them. A good example of this is when Lilith warps you away from Sanctuary right before it takes off inBorderlands 2. Sanctuary is being bombarded by Handsome Jack’s satellite, he and the characters fromBorderlands 1are exchanging verbal barbs, and the heroes are delivering cool one-liners. However, this is all happening while I’m just standing on a cliff,watching from far away like a human camera.
TheBorderlandsfranchise leans too heavily on trying to center big dramatic moments around the death of the series' best characters.
Probably the worst example of the player feeling like a non-entity inBorderlands’ story is Maya’s death inBorderlands 3.The game’s main antagonists murder Maya while your character is in the same room, and the game basically pretends you don’t exist. The moment would feel a lot more earned if I fought the Calypso Twins first, was somehow incapacitated, and then Maya was killed. It would make me feel guilty and inspire me to want to make up for letting her die. Instead, I’m left questioning why my character even exists in this narrative.
In general, theBorderlandsfranchise leans too heavily on trying to center big dramatic moments around the death ofthe series' best characters, like Roland inBorderlands 2or Maya in3. These moments always feel forced, especially since the franchise’s respawn mechanic is a canonical part of the game’s world. I’ve watched Roland die hundreds of times throughout my manyBorderlands 1playthroughs, so instead of getting teary-eyed when he dies in the sequel’s story,I’m wondering why he didn’t just pop back out of the nearest New-U Station.
Borderlands 4’s Newest Trailer Was Exciting Due To Its Lack Of Story
An Emphasis On Gameplay Reminded Me Why I Love This Franchise
Borderlands 4’s original trailerfelt like it belonged to a different franchise. The tone felt very somber, andas someone who likesBorderlandsleast when it’s trying to take itself too seriously, I was pretty put off by this. It also featured one of the most boring and generic action movie tropes: two groups of nondescript characters (to whom I have no emotional connection) running at each other in a big empty field. It felt so distant from theBorderlands 1trailer’s absurd promise of “87 Bazillion Guns,” but luckily, the latest trailer feels a lot more on-brand.
Borderlands 4 Should Borrow One Important Mechanic From 2024’s Best RPG
Borderlands 4 looks set to shake things up, but it could absolutely benefit from taking a crucial mechanic from one of 2024’s best RPGs.
TheBorderlands 4Release Date Trailer was all gameplay tied together by some slick editing and hip-hop courtesy of Joey Valence & Brae. Not only did the trailer do a much better job capturing the style and tone ofBorderlands, butit also reminded me why I like the games in the first place: they’re a lot of fun. I have complaints aboutBorderlands 2’s story, but I’ve still played the game multiple times because I just really enjoy the gameplay loop.Borderlands 4looks beautiful and seems to have some interesting new gameplay innovations that I’m eager to try.
Borderlands Is Best When It Isn’t Trying To Be Overly Dramatic
Borderlands 4looks like a lot of fun, so I’m simply hoping that the game can remember that fun is its main prerogative. Since there are a lot of video games much better suited to tugging at my heartstrings, ifBorderlandswants to compete for my attention, it needs to rely on what makes it special: its gameplay and its unique style. I don’t want to be sitting on my couch, rolling my eyes as the game tries to make me care about FL4K’s death scene, orwhoever it decides to kill fromBorderlands 3to force an emotional moment.
I’m Worried That Borderlands 4 Will Repeat A Huge DLC Mistake
I’m really hoping that the inevitable Borderlands 4 DLC won’t look anything like the lackluster downloadable content from Tiny Tina’s Wonderland.
I don’t necessarily hate the concept ofBorderlands 4or any other game in the series including narrative elements. I laughed pretty hard the first time I got to the end ofBorderlands 2and saw Claptrap being denied his retribution by a flight of stairs. I have fond feelings towards characters like Tiny Tina and even Lilith, despite her often being closely tied to the series’ failed attempts at drama. I can see myself enjoyingBorderlands 4’s story, so long as it stays in its lane and doesn’t rely on cheap tricks to try and force dramatic moments.
