Battleborn review: An unholy union of Borderlands’ goofball run-and-gun sandbox style and Street Fighter’s colourful character roster
Fans of the Borderlands series have eagerly awaited the next big title from 2K since 2014. I speak from experience. So when Battleborn appeared to be an unholy union of Borderlands’ goofball run-and-gun sandbox style and Street Fighter’s colourful character roster… Well, I won’t lie, I squeaked with excitement.
A Gorillaz-esque exposition sequence explains that the titular Battleborn are a dysfunctional alliance assembled to save the universe’s remaining stars from a bad man. Then you’re straight into it, shooting robots and conjuring special powers while being catapulted from one hovering platform to the next in a sequence of lurid environments. You can play the story mode on your own, with online buddies, or you can engage in strategic team-based bouts in much the same vein as Team Fortress.
The gameplay is certainly varied but it falls some way short of being immersive; I had no sense that this world would continue trundling along once I had left the area. On a nuts-and-bolts level, the amount of damage your character takes is poorly communicated, and the online multi-player mode is maddeningly glitchy.
Are these things you should get hung up on? Probably not. Borderland provides an eye-watering barrage of weapons, toys, explosions and arenas. It doesn’t claim to have the onion layers of a Dostoyevsky novel; it’s a theme-park. Despite its flaws, it leaves you with the urge to explore its huge roster of characters and gallop through its luminous arenas. It’s no ever-lasting love, but it’s a decent fortnight-stand.
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Rating: ★★★☆☆