Game Review: Exhilarating lunar mayhem in ‘Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!’

 

 

Violent, hilarious, and boasting more guns than you can count, it’s easy to see the pull of the “Borderlands” series. But how much more of the same can even the most dedicated fan have before the games start feeling like one glorified expansion pack after another?

 

As its title winks and nudges at us, “Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!” is not the third major installment of the deranged space western. Rather, it serves as a middle chapter that bridges the first two games, while also providing an origin story for one of the most memorable villains of recent creation – the uproarious, sadistic despot, Handsome Jack.

 

 

Humble beginnings

 

“Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!” traces Jack’s rise to power – from his humble beginnings as a low-ranking employee of the Hyperion Corporation to the evil megalomaniac in 2012’s “Borderlands 2”. Though possessed of a modicum of heroism, Jack is as egocentric a jackass as ever in “The Pre-Sequel”, his obnoxiousness and clever quips stealing the show as they did in his inaugural appearance.

 

The game isn’t all Jack, however. The four characters you can play as are all snatched from the “Borderlands” mythos. Along the way, you’ll also meet NPCs with varying degrees of murderousness, from the sweet-natured Janey Springs to the medically unethical Nurse Nina.

 

So whether it’s another quotable Jack one-liner, or your character cackling maniacally after a successful headshot, “The Pre-Sequel” is as twisted and laugh-out-loud funny as its predecessors, thanks to the writing and the voice actors’ over-the-top delivery.

 

 

Four times the badassery

 

Crazy skill trees and extraordinary action skills make the four available character classes feel unique enough to inject novelty into the all-too-familiar gunplay.

 

Athena, who made her debut in a DLC for the original “Borderlands”, is the Captain America of the bunch. As the Gladiator, she can absorb damage with a shield, which she then hurls at enemies for massive destruction. Her skill trees give her attacks an elemental edge and improve her melee combat prowess.

 

The cyborg Wilhelm was the first major boss in “Borderlands 2”. In this game, he is more human than robot as the Enforcer. He can summon two drones: Wolf peppers foes with bullets, while Saint functions as a healer. Wilhelm can upgrade his cybernetic body to improve his survivability and offensive abilities.

 

Nisha, the sheriff of Lynchwood in “Borderlands 2”, is the cold-hearted Lawbringer. Her action skill allows her to automatically lock on to targets, greatly boosting accuracy, damage, reload speed, and the rate of fire. Her skill trees focus on increasing her damage output, with one gifting her with area-of-effect bonuses.

 

Lastly, there’s series staple Claptrap. As the unpredictable Fragtrap, he can adopt a supportive role by healing and providing buffs to teammates, or rely on Subroutines which vastly alter his abilities depending on the situation. His action skill, “VaultHunter.Exe”, analyzes current circumstances, and bestows him an Action Package appropriate for his needs. The Action Packages’ effects range from rendering Claptrap invisible, to outfitting him like a pirate ship and giving him enormous cannons to wreak havoc with.

 

Like the franchise’s previous titles, “The Pre-Sequel” is an RPG that awards players experience points for every hostile killed and quest resolved. These can be allocated to a combination of abilities from your chosen character’s skill trees, making for deep, complex character customization.

 

 

Death from above

 

Aside from the fresh character classes, “The Pre-Sequel’s” major selling point is its uncommon setting – a moon. Elpis’ weak gravity and lack of an oxygenated atmosphere generate intriguing mechanics previously unexplored in the series.

 

To stay alive on Pandora’s moon, you’ll need the Oz kit breathing apparatus. This can be replenished by entering specific areas or by standing over oxygen geysers strewn across the lunar surface. Bad guys also drop canisters of life-giving air when killed, so death by asphyxiation is rarely a concern. Oz kits don’t only let you breath, however; they also grant additional perks that aid you in combat.

 

Thanks to low gravity, you jump much higher and slower in “The Pre-Sequel” than in the standard first-person shooter. Mid-jump, you can hurtle downwards to perform a powerful ground slam on unfortunate enemies. The floatiness takes getting used to, but once you’ve mastered the graceful art of hovering over the moon’s rutted landscape, you’d have already discovered one of the best things about “The Pre-Sequel”. There’s something about raining death from above that’s incredibly empowering. This, coupled with the enhanced maneuverability courtesy of the Oz kit, adds an exhilarating new dimension to exploration and combat.

 

Of course, some among the opposition can jump just as high, and even imitate your ground stomp. Not to mention the moon is crawling with indigenous species craving for Vault hunter flesh. In addition to your favorite weapon types carried over from “Borderlands 2”, you’ll be able to use new laser guns against these enemies. A new cold-based element can also freeze foes, allowing you to smash them into hundreds of tiny, icy fragments.

 

Victims and chests yield ridiculous amounts of loot; you’ll spend hours sifting through multitudes of guns, grenades, shields, and mods for the right combinations of buffs. To supplement its already meaty loot randomization system, “The Pre-Sequel” incorporates a new crafting feature that lets you feed multiple weapons into a Grinder to produce a better one. The opportunities for finding and creating weapons that best complement your character’s strengths are endless.

 

We’ve been down this road before

 

For better or worse, the rest of “The Pre-Sequel” doesn’t stray far from the “Borderlands 2” formula, which is the main reason for its somewhat “extended DLC” feel.

 

On the plus side, the cel-shaded, comic book art style the series is known for works extremely well in “The Pre-Sequel”. Forever bathed in starlight, Elpis is a majestic sight, awash with neon blues, glowing purples, burning oranges, and every color in between. Yet the environments are also less diverse; after a while, all those magma flows, craters, fissures and cliffs all start looking the same. Similarly, the enemies lack variety.

 

There are some predictable missions that fall into generic quest categories, such as the key-fetch, the lever-flip, and the button-push, with lots of tedious backtracking in between. “The Pre-Sequel” also suffers from pacing issues. At times you’ll be facing so many enemies simultaneously that bullets will be flying from literally every direction; at other times, you’ll be wandering around aimlessly, with not a single organism to grace your crosshairs.

 

 

Handsomely deranged

 

If you can get past the pacing problems and that distinct aura of sameness emanating from every crack on Elpis, “Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!” opens itself up for some truly intoxicating amusement. Invigorating lunar navigation, copious amounts of loot, generous character customization options, and the absolute mayhem of combat make the retread of familiar paths worth the price of admission. And though far from an indispensable episode in the “Borderlands” series, the tale of Jack’s transformation into the ruthless, egotistical tyrant we all love to hate is likely one that will keep you chuckling long after the game’s completion. — TJD, GMA News