Borderlands 4 actually appears prefer it's taking its story extra critically: 'We wished to return to this sense of dread in regards to the villain of our recreation'
I am downright interested in Borderlands 4—having performed most entrants within the collection, it has been attention-grabbing to see it principally seize a very good narrative essence with Borderlands 2, then spend the remainder of its library uh… not doing that. Which is why this sequel’s been intriguing to me, given guarantees the sport’ll be slicing again on “rest room humor” and irreverent meme tradition.
A latest story explainer in Past the Borderlands #2 appears prefer it’s delivering on that promise. And whereas I went in skeptical, I am unable to assist admitting that I am kinda bought.
Now, clearly, writing is extra than simply having good concepts. There are many tales on the market with wonderful ideas however horrible execution: However the concepts are nonetheless kinda vital, and these aren’t half-bad.
Borderlands 4 takes place on a jail planet named Kairos, after Elpis exhibits up in its ambiance—the moon was beforehand teleported away in Borderlands 3’s baffling ending, whereby Lilith randomly sacrifices herself earlier than Lady on Fireplace by Alicia Keys performs. I want I used to be joking.
Anyway, Kairos sucked earlier than the moon acquired there and it sucks much more now. It is being dominated over by somebody referred to as the Timekeeper, who’s implanted one thing referred to as a “bolt” into everybody’s neck, a distant killswitch that additionally lets him see by means of their eyes.
The video then goes on to explain a couple of factions—just like the crash-landed Outbounders, the mining Augurs, and the quickly embarrassed billionaires the Electi. Every zone has considered one of these factions, plus a Timekeeper basic boss you will must kick over, too.
Dare I say it, that is all sounding… nicely, kinda cool? Borderlands 3’s tedious streamer villain pair is not a low bar to surmount, but when a DM got here to me with this factor as a setting for his or her TTRPG marketing campaign, I might be excited to mess around in it. Which, in my guide, is an effective signal.
The phrases of Lin Joyce, managing director of artistic, give me some hope as nicely: “Once we had been approaching learn how to write the Timekeeper, we actually regarded again on all of our earlier essential villains and regarded how we wished to strategy the Timekeeper in a different way.”
Sam Winkler, narrative director, continues: “We wished to return to this sense of dread in regards to the villain of our recreation … We wished a villain who was a brand new sort of character within the franchise who’s ever current and never overstaying his welcome.”
I am studying into Winkler’s phrases, right here, however that actually looks like a refined dig at Good-looking Jack, a halfway-decent villain that the collection was by no means fairly in a position to replicate.
Anyway—I’ve by no means performed Borderlands video games for his or her tales, however reasonably the identical, ol’ dependable, boilerplate-competent looter shooter enjoyable. I had a good time with Borderlands 3, even with its outdated memes yapping in my ear. So if Borderlands 4 winds up having a semi-decent story? All the higher.
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