Borderlands 3 (PC) Review

Gearbox Software’s Borderlands 3 is a first-person, action shooter game that puts you smack dab in a group of planets with lots of loot, blood, and violence. In spite of its moronic, flat dialogue, the minute-to-minute action is better than ever.

As the fourth entry into the Borderlands series, this game is a classic loot shooter that’s much bigger than its predecessors. This is a mayhem-fueled adventure game that propels you through new worlds and enemies as one of four brand new vault hunters. Each vault hunter has their own deep skill trees, abilities, and customization options.

This latest rendition of the popular Borderlands series is a blast from the past with some nice upgrades. If you can overlook the annoying writing, Borderlands 3 should keep you entertained and on your toes as you do battle on faraway planets on the hard edge of the galaxy.

With Borderlands 3, there are extra customization layers that enable the player to craft personalized experiences, depending upon their game style. Plus, this updated game lets you take the action to multiple planets and systems while changing the enemies and scenery accordingly.

Game play starts with the pack of vault hunters arriving on the planet of Pandora. Once you get past several scenes, you can choose from four newcomers: Amara, Zane, Mose, and FL4K. Each hero is distinct both in their personality and mechanical abilities. They also offer their own unique range of skills and abilities that keep the upcoming encounters interesting.

When playing the first few hours, weapons seemed weak and under-powered in the early levels. But, it wasn’t too long before I found better guns that allowed me to fire off some micro-missiles and take some long distance sniper shots at bandits. Without a doubt, the guns are the star of the show. In fact, there’s a mind-boggling variety of weaponry available which can actually start feeling overwhelming at times. However, the vast array of guns at your disposal lets you experiment with your character and build, which is always a plus.

Just like with the weaponry, the playable characters improve for a true role-player experience. That’s due to Borderlands 3’s extended tree system that gives each playable avatar their own unique abilities to unlock across three different menu pages. You’ll earn skill points every time you level up which you can assign across three different categories for each of the characters. On top of that, the characters have power-ups that can be chosen or swapped whenever you wish, which is great.

When the opening quest of Borderlands 3 is completed, you’re unleashed upon the world of Pandora, where you’re given weapons, a vehicle, and loads of loot that will come in handy on your galactic travels. I found myself completely enthralled while I discovered lots of secrets and collectibles in this new world.

Pandora is just a small part of the bigger picture as the game splits its campaign across many different planets like Promethea, a neon-lit metropolis that’s home to an ongoing war between tech giants. Then there’s Athenas, which is a culture-rich place that will keep you on your toes as you spend time shooting for loot.

I did find the activities inside each region to be predictable as I had to collect items or defeat a specific enemy located on the other side of the map. But, since you’re given a nice selection of firearms, these encounters offer enough variability to remain compelling. Just like with previous Borderlands games, the firearms come from an array of manufacturers, located all across the galaxy. You hurl some firearms at enemies that explode on impact. Some even fire streams of dangerous energy to take down enemies.

Unlike the earlier games, Borderlands 3 offers up alternate firing modes on many weapons. For instance, a rapid-fire pistol can suddenly transform into a rocket launching firearm to add a nice element of surprise to your battles.

The primary antagonists in Borderlands 3 are the Calypso Twins Troy and Tyreen. As the leaders of the Children of the Vault cult, this colorful duo has united the bandits of Pandora and other worlds. If you’ve played Borderlands 2 you know that Handsome Jack was the charismatic bad boy villain that completely stole the show, as he upstaged nearly every other character in the game. The Calypso Twins were created to change the game’s dynamic from Handsome Jack’s mostly solo appearances.

Like most new looter shooters, Borderlands 3 has some improvements like a ping system. Even though that’s a good thing, sometimes it gets in the way of your targets which reduces your ability to cause damage.

Hunting for that perfect gun to use is just as addictive as it was in earlier Borderlands games, and the fast-paced action is better than ever before. It’s a fun game to play with friends – just don’t expect a completely fresh and polished adventure as you work your way through the galaxy.