Borderlands 3 review: No rest for the wicked

Sequels always have the chance to mess up. To fail epically. That’s the risk that writers, developers, and storytellers take when they set out to continue their stories with new characters, new mechanics, and new places. Since the release of the first Borderlands in 2009, we’ve seen two additional stories in the Borderlands world. But with Borderlands 3, Gearbox wanted to make something bigger and better than they’d ever created. Something that captured the spirit of the Borderlands universe completely, but also gave players new experiences within the formula that they’d originally created. The result? An absolute masterpiece of violence, terrible jokes, and more guns than you’ll ever know what to do with.

Expanding a legacy

It’s been almost ten years since the original release of the very first Borderlands. Over the years we’ve seen Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, both of which attempted to capture the same formula from the original game while also making it better. Both of these attempts succeeded for the most part, though they did fall short at some points. With Borderlands 3, though, Gearbox has managed to bring the best of the Borderlands formula to a new generation, while also adding in some new things that help make things feel fresh for old players.

It’s a tale as old as time, a developer trying to make their game formula better, and constant innovation is a big part of progressing towards the future. Sure, there are some dull parts of Borderlands 3 when you look at things like facial expressions, animations, and even listen to some of the voice lines. But it’s this roughness that makes Borderlands 3 feel like a true successor to the original game, a part of the art style that Gearbox has created if you will.

Sometimes the voice lines aren’t great, and the overall quality of animations can leave a bit to be desired at times. This has always stood out as a part of the way that the Borderlands franchise is presented, and I guess it just feels nostalgic that Borderlands 3 offers that same visual feeling and roughness. Of course, some might look at this and count off for how cheesy some of the dialogue is, but for me, that’s a key part of the charm that has kept me coming back to this series over the years.

Soooo... You want to hear a story, eh?

Like previous Borderlands' stories, Borderlands 3 follows a group of Vault Hunters as they try to hunt down new Vaults and open them up. Along the way they find themselves joining forces with the Crimson Raiders, led by everyone's favorite Siren, Lillith. Together they must put a stop to the Calypso Twins, a couple of no-good live streamers looking to open up the Great Vault and become gods. While the overall plot might sound a bit simple, there's absolutely nothing simple about the hoops and obstacles that players will need to jump through and over as they hunt down the vaults and try to stop the Calypso Twins from destroying the universe.

The Calypso Twins aren’t nearly as good of villains as Handsome Jack was, and their quips sometimes fall a little short. But, they still work well as the main antagonist of the game, and overall help show just how much the universe has changed since the original quartet of Vault Hunters appeared almost ten years ago. I enjoyed most of the interactions that the Vault Hunters have with the Twins, though I will admit I wasn’t a huge fan of either of their boss fights towards the end of the game. Both boss fights felt more like bullet sponges and thus the challenge that should have been involved felt cheapened. I found more enjoyment out of mini-boss fights I’d encountered previously throughout the game and it did leave me with a bit of a sour taste at the end of the campaign.

Throughout the 30 odd hours I spent on the campaign, I explored several different planets, each of which offered some new vistas, enemies, and side quests. There was never a lack of anything to do, even in a couple of spells where I just wandered around the worlds, exploring the different planets that Gearbox has put together. There are also plenty of twists and turns in the main campaign, and even some tear-jerking moments—something that I wasn’t quite sure Gearbox would be able to pull off this time around considering some of the heart-wrenching moments we've seen in previous entries.

A big part of the Borderlands charm is the fact that the writers aren’t afraid to make off-the-wall jokes, or have the characters make just downright stupid comments. It’s this silliness that helps to bring the fun out of the Borderlands universe, which is something that has always resonated well with myself and plenty of other fans out there. So, if you’re a fan of the on-the-nose comedy that has permeated the series’ previous entries, then you’ll find plenty on show here, including some great one-liners from some very well-known characters in the franchise.

New look, same old me

Perhaps one of the biggest points of contention I had going into Borderlands 3 was just how well some of the new voice actors would do. For those who haven’t followed a lot of the drama that has surrounded Gearbox over the past several months, the team decided to change out many of the voice actors that have helped bring iconic characters like Claptrap and others to life. I was worried just how this would go over. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by just how well these new voice actors pull off the characters.

Borderlands 3 also focuses quite a bit on reuniting players with some of the more iconic characters of the series as you travel from planet to planet, but we won’t spoil exactly who all you get to meet. Let’s just say that many of the best characters that have appeared in the Borderlands series return in some fashion, and they mesh very well with all of the new characters. Each of the new characters are easy to like and talk to, and I found myself especially happy with the way that new characters like Lorelei helped bring their portion of the stories together.

Of course, the real bread and butter of playing through the Borderlands games is finding all the different guns and things that you can equip, and Gearbox hasn’t skimped at all here. There are so many guns to find and choose from as you play through the game. You can find guns that explode when thrown, guns that bounce and scream out in pain, and even guns that run around on legs when you’ve thrown them around. It makes for a really nice collage of different weapons, and you’ll even find plenty of guns with elemental options and optional firing modes.

For me, the Borderlands franchise has always set a precedent for giving players all the tools they need for a whacked-out fun time and the latest chapter in the franchise doesn’t disappoint at all. I spent a ton of time looking through my inventory as I played, looking at different guns and the various effects they offered. Ultimately, I never stuck with a single weapon all that much as the game constantly threw new weapons at me, giving me more and more reasons to keep changing it up.

Back in black... and blue

Borderlands 3 feels like the return of your favorite band to the studio for one more great album. A collection of hits all brought together to help celebrate what made you fall in love with that band in the first place. The insane amount of content shown here including side quests, collectibles, and all the throwbacks to previous Vault Hunters and beloved characters makes Borderlands 3 an absolute delight to play through.

Borderlands 3 isn’t just a cheap rip off of what has worked in the past, though. The writing might still hold the same high-school level charm as the previous entries, but the story takes players above and beyond anything they’ve experienced in the Borderlands universe. Deep-rooted secrets and mysteries that have plagued the game’s lore for years are finally brought to light and all around the game does a very good job of being engaging and pushing players forward towards that ultimate end goal; The Great Vault.

The Borderlands formula might be a bit dated with its raunchy jokes and cheesy dialogue, but that doesn’t change that it is a formula that keeps reeling players back in again and again. Despite the fact that I’ve already logged over 40 hours in the game, I still can't help but feel the want to dive back in with a new character just to experience it all again. But beating the campaign doesn’t bring the story to an end. There’s still plenty of great content to devour after that final boss fight, including True Vault Hunter mode, and plenty of great side quests featuring some of the best characters ever found in the series. Whether you’re an old fan who has played all the previous games, or a brand-new fan just diving into the series, Borderlands 3 is an absolute masterpiece that will bring you hours upon hours of fun.

This review is based upon a PC copy of the game provided by the publisher. Borderlands 3 will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Epic Games Store on September 13, 2019.

Josh Hawkins

Guides Editor

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.