Borderlands 4
Preview
Heading to Kairos
by William Thompson
previewed on PC
New surroundings
I descended down into the valley. I could see what looked like a small village in the distance. The mission had me travelling to the Outbounders HQ, so I assumed it was within the rather quaint looking village. A field of wheat, complete with rolled hay bales sat in the foreground and would be my entrance to the village. A windmill sat atop a nearby ridge next to what appeared to be a farmhouse. After walking through the wheat field, there was another field growing a strange vegetable crop. This was clearly a farming village of some sort, locals just trying to get by in the harsh surroundings.
A river flowed between the town and the farmland, and this was one of the first instances that Borderlands 4 will provide something different to the series. I splashed into the gorgeous looking water and swam across to the other side, making my way to the main street, looting some crates for ammunition and cash along the way - you never know when it will come in handy. The locals were friendly enough, but they were being harassed by the Timekeeper's Order. It was time to help out. Playing as Vex, a Siren, I was able to summon a phantom Tiger named Trouble. This Tiger was able to attack enemies as I filled them with ammo. One enemy dropped to the ground after several shots and I thought he was dead, only for him to get back up as I was dealing with his compatriot - I really should have taken notice of his health bar. Luckily a quick melee attack finished him off.
New fangled Weapons
Of course, being a Borderlands game, there is no shortage of ways to kill an enemy. Many weapons and their effects will be familiar to Borderlands aficionados - Maliwan and their elemental damage, Tediore guns that are thrown and explode after the clip is emptied, and Vladof guns that can shred enemies to pieces. But the latest instalment also brings some new manufacturers into the fray. Rippers will let fly with as many bullets as they can…once they've warmed up, whilst The Order weapons allow loading extra ammo into high-powered bursts to eliminate targets with precision.
Echo, echo, echo
After taking out the Order’s forces and healing myself with a Tonic (which you can do at any time) I was rewarded with a Digirunner, a vehicle that can be digitally created at any time with the help of your sidekick robot ECHO-4. The ability to call this floating motorcycle style vehicle at any time allows gamers to quickly traverse large areas of the map without needing to locate a vehicle station as has been the case previously. Your ECHO-4 robot actually has several functions, including scanning areas for important objects, charting a path to your next objective and lets you change your appearance at any time - no more heading to a purpose-built vending machine.
Despite taking place on Kairos, Borderlands 4 has a familiar style to previous titles. Lock boxes, rubbish bins and lockers still contain ammo, money and the occasional weapon - although I did find in the limited time we had with the game that the best weapons are still (like previous Borderlands titles) those dropped by the higher level enemies (or bosses). However, even in the relatively short time with the game, the range of enemies types was quite varied, particularly among the robotic-like Order troops. There are some that are equipped with riot shields, some that rush at you at attack with machete-like blades, and then there are the Wardens who attack from above.
Movement and skills
With limited time, I decided to play a game style that I'm not normally familiar with - one that had me going into the situation all guns blazing. Generally, I prefer the Jakobs weapons allowing me to be more calculated and pick enemies off from a distance. However, the improved movement mechanics in Borderlands 4 allows for a range of game styles. Players can scale walls, grapple and swing off various vantage points and double dump across large chams so that they can either get up close and personal or get some respite from the action quickly.
There are also loads of abilities that players can spend their hard-earned skill points on. Some are passive abilities whilst others will help during combat. Working out how each performs and when best to use them can take some time. This was further compounded when we had the opportunity to play a section that had us facing one of the game’s boss characters - The Inceptus. In a normal journey through Borderlands, players would become familiar with each of their character’s abilities, enabling a focused approach to defeating the boss. However, being thrust into the area with minimal knowledge of the characters skills on offer, meant that I was initially unprepared for the battle ahead. However, like most Borderlands bosses, they have patterns in their attacks that can be exploited.
More Borderlands
From what we got to experience in our preview, fans of the series will be happy. Borderlands 4 includes all the mechanics that have made the series fun, whilst adding in a host of new mechanics that make the game a more fluid experience. Getting about is easier with the advent of the Digirunner, whilst ECHO-4 provides quick access to all your objectives. When not riding your Digirunner, traversing Kairos and its beautiful, but deadly terrain is also much smoother with the double-jump, wall-scaling and swimming mechanics. And of course, there's guns, guns, and more guns to pick up. And I know that once Borderlands 4 is released in September, that I'll likely be spending way too much time comparing each one to see which is better. From what I've seen so far, it's a curse I'll be happy to bear.
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