Last March the world was treated to the newest installment in Gearbox Software’s hit Borderlands universe, entitled “Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.” I finally got my hands on it last week, and have been thoroughly enjoying it since. Borderlands runs deep in my blood, and I can say with confidence that this is the best Borderlands game since Borderlands 2 a decade ago. It doesn’t completely reinvent the wheel, but it does enough different to stand apart while still delivering a true Borderlands experience.
Wonderlands is the experience of people in the Borderlands universe playing a Dungeons & Dragons type game together, called Bunkers & Badasses. You journey on a quest to defeat the evil Dragon Lord, and save the world from darkness. There are tweaks to the traditional formula to increase immersion into the fantasy setting. For example, instead of grenades you have spells. Wonderlands remains a fast-paced FPS despite these adjustments, which are warmly welcome. It gave me the Borderlands fix for which I so often yearn, but also felt fresh. Everything comes together very nicely, and the experience is fantastic.
I read that the campaign can be completed in 12-15 hours. I played for over 24 hours before beating the main story. There is a ton of fun and rewarding side activities to keep you playing between plot points, and long after. In the game, you travel from one first-person world to another connected by a table-top style “Overworld.” There is no combat here, but there is plenty to explore, and entertain. Random encounters can spawn in tall grass, as well there are side worlds, camps, dungeons and more to keep you engaged as you play. You might think this game short if you read it can be beaten in twelve hours, but that number is not a fair representation of the way you’ll want to play the game. You’re here for the combat, so you’ll likely take far more encounters than you’ll abandon.
The combat is incredibly slick. Weapons feel impactful when they are, the new approach to melee weapons is terrific, the world scales to your level well, I could go on and on. The impossible number of loot drop configurations gives you something to look forward to at the end of every encounter. Thousands of gun types, rings, armor, etc. This looter/shooter is strong. I liked the ability to ground pound from the air onto targets below. Enemies have plenty of variety. Different archetypes such as skeletons, pirates or wyverns, which all have different forms within themselves. Bosses pose real threats, but are not insurmountable. Play to your strengths, and you should succeed.
I have always loved the art style of these games, and Wonderlands dazzles. A vibrant, colorful world awaits. Not only do the combat arenas look cool, but they are competent, too. Weapons are stylish, with neat effects. At times the screen can be a cacophony of elemental effects, damage numbers, meteors and all kinds of mayhem. Yet, even at its most chaotic, somehow there is glory in it all. As you level up, you learn to manage the madness better. Wonderlands is a visual feast, and gorge away I will. The majesty of these games is hard to capture, I’ve learned.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is wickedly funny. There is some excellent voice acting from Andy Samberg, Wanda Sykes and Will Arnett to keep you company. The main cast gives this game such heart, when it is already full of the stuff. You don’t have to be a tabletop RPG fanatic to appreciate all the humor by any means, it just enriches it. I myself have only played a couple D&D campaigns in my life. They were unbelievably fun, so I’m glad to see so much resonance here. The Wonderlands story doesn’t take itself seriously, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some quality moments. Whether it is a certain character you’ve hooked onto, or one of the game’s rare somber moments such as revealing Tiny Tina’s inspiration for playing Bunkers & Badasses, and her villain.
You can play Wonderlands with up to four people, and the game scales up based on your party. During the credits there is a really nice letter explaining how the developers made this game from home during the pandemic, and how it taught them the importance of coming together. Sadly, I haven’t gotten to enjoy Wonderlands multiplayer yet, but I hope to soon with a friend who owns the game via crossplay. Borderlands games have always been best with friends. Whether you compete or cooperate over loot, everyone involved is going to have the time of their lives. Building characters together is an unrivaled bonding experience.
Everyone who has played Borderlands knows the real game starts when you beat the main quest. Wonderlands is no different. There is some satisfying endgame content to keep you playing long after the credits roll. A whole new set of skill trees at max level, a dungeon generator and whatever you hadn’t finished before the main boss. I can’t wait to get back into it and build a max level character, only to then start a brand new and do it all over again. I’m so stoked to finally enjoy one of these games as much as I did Borderlands 2 all those years ago. I had still been playing classic titles on my Nintendo Switch just for the fix. The new-gen has a worthy entry.
I bought the “Next-Level Edition” of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands on sale for $40 for my Xbox Series X. Worth every penny, in my opinion. It is such a heartfelt, humorous, awesome and fun game. Everything it sets out to do, it does exceptionally. Some people may see it as a re-skinned Borderlands 3, but it was more than that to me. Borderlands 3 didn’t sell me the way this game did. It had too many problems to keep me coming back, whereas this game I don’t want to put down. I highly suggest picking this one up if you want a FPS/RPG at the top of its class. Wonderlands is a riot.
Credit: Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Screenshots by me.
HereticDerek 