The gunplay is exceptional
After quickly tinkering with some settings to match preferences and navigating to an objective marker, I was thrust into a gunfight. The gunplay was incredibly tight, and each weapon felt unique.
Looting and trying out different weapons is, of course, part of Borderlands’ DNA, and it still feels as great as ever to pick up a weapon and work out if it’s better than your current arsenal.
In previous Borderlands games, weapons you’d never usually consider end up being preferred options, and this was the case during my preview. I tend to prefer fully auto weapons, such as assault rifles, but in this, I favoured a deadly sniper rifle with extreme precision and a pistol that dealt devastating fire damage with a quick reload time.
There’s a repkit – at the push of a button, you get an instant health boost. This is especially welcome in areas with enemies. It can also help you traverse more quickly and has a reload timer instead of ammo.
Speaking of enemies, the variety in the section of Fadefields was largely good, but the majority were Order robots. So I’m interested to see how these enemies vary in the open world going forward.
I also found myself going back to mission areas to encounter enemies, but there were some small outposts I could get stuck in and overthrow. Sections of previous Borderlands worlds have been guilty of not having much in the way of enemies between point A and point B, so I’m looking forward to spending more time with this game and seeing how it compares.
There are new–but–imperfect companions
A new tiger companion named Trouble joined me at all times, dealing devastating melee damage during combat. This was incredibly useful when varying my approach to enemies. Trouble dealt close-range damage while I attacked with longer-range weapons from afar. Enemies could also be taken down at close range quickly when working together.
There’s another new companion robot called Echo-4, which helps players navigate through the world by revealing a path to their destination.
In the preview, at least, it wasn’t perfect. In one of the missions, it tried to guide me through a wall. That said, in the more open sections, it worked really well.
The new traversal mechanics are incredibly satisfying
Traversal is switched up to great effect – you can grapple, glide, double jump, climb, swim and dash. These all make navigating around Kairos a blast, especially when used in conjunction with the Digirunner, a vehicle that’s available pretty much anywhere instantly.
It never felt like a chore getting from A to B or exploring, and hopefully, this is the same throughout the game. In previous Borderlands games, travelling around on foot or spawning vehicles at certain points to get around quickly grew stale, so these additions are incredibly welcome.
It seems the developers have really focused on exploration with Borderlands 4, and it was rewarding to go off the beaten track to find superior loot. Loot rarity has increased, which makes finding and earning more unique items all the more rewarding, especially after Borderlands 3 devalued loot rarity.
These added options also make hitting certain combos in combat nothing short of thrilling. Double jumping and hitting the perfect shot before landing safely behind cover was addictive, and peeking out to land a killer headshot felt incredibly satisfying every time.
Vaults bring challenging bosses
The second part of the preview focused on the character Rafa in one of the Vaults. These sections act as stages where players have to take out waves of enemies before progressing to the next section, before eventually taking down a boss to earn superior loot. The one on offer here was incredibly challenging. I had to experiment with different strategies to navigate each section successfully. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, and you need to quickly work out what does and doesn’t work.
Without giving away any spoilers, the boss encountered at the end of the Vault was incredibly challenging; it forces you to work out its weaknesses and attack routine before successfully countering. With different phases, it kept us on our toes, having to learn exactly what the boss was going to do before being able to exploit their weakness.
Again, this provided a welcome challenge and something that’s not just a big bullet sponge – it requires thought, patience, precision and skill to beat, something that isn’t necessarily always the case with modern shooters.
An updated art style – and a welcome change to the jokes
Overall, visually, the game looks great. Borderlands‘ iconic art style has been tweaked slightly to make it more expansive with dynamic lighting and improved character models, and the series looks as good as ever.
There’s a conscious shift to drier humour following the toilet-focused Borderlands 3, and it fits the game’s setting and characters perfectly. As a veteran Borderlands player, it’s great to see this return.
After two hours with the game, it looks like it could be an instant classic. The gameplay is incredibly fun and provides a very welcome challenge. More Borderlands is always a good thing and Borderlands 4 truly has the potential to be the biggest and best looter shooter out there.
Borderlands 4 is available to pre-order on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC and releases on 12 September. It will release later in the year on Nintendo Switch 2.
