Borderlands is a weird one for us at ninjarefinery.com. A much-beloved series that we’ve tried to get into at pretty much every release. But it’s never fully clicked, like it has for so many others.
Having said that. Regardless of our feelings, it’s become a phenomenon and people, generally speaking, love it.
Before 2009, the landscape of first-person shooters was largely dominated by military realism and linear, corridor-based gameplay. Games like Call of Duty and Halo were kings.
Then, from the desolate sands of the planet Pandora, Gearbox Software unleashed a vibrant, cel-shaded, and utterly chaotic beast: Borderlands.
Its success was not instantaneous, but it was profound. Borderlands captured lightning in a bottle by pioneering and popularising a new sub-genre: the Looter Shooter.
Blending the addictive, randomised loot-gathering loops of Action RPGs like Diablo with the visceral, moment-to-moment gunplay of a first-person shooter.
The central premise was simple but intoxicating: kill enemies, get better guns, and use those better guns to kill bigger enemies.
The impact of Borderlands
Genre-Defining
While not the first game to mix shooting with RPG elements, Borderlands codified the looter-shooter genre. Its influence is directly visible in blockbuster franchises like Destiny, The Division, and Warframe, all of which owe a significant debt to the core gameplay loop established on Pandora.
Unique Art Style
At a time when photorealism was the graphical holy grail, Borderlands went in the opposite direction. Its “concept art style,” featuring bold ink-like outlines and vibrant, comic-book visuals, gave it a timeless look that stood out and remains iconic to this day.
Irreverent Tone & Humour
The series is defined by its over-the-top, often juvenile, and darkly comedic tone. From the tragically inept Claptrap units to the megalomaniacal corporate villains and the sheer absurdity of its quests, Borderlands never takes itself too seriously. This unique voice cultivated a dedicated fanbase.
Pop Culture Footprint
The distinct characters have become staples of cosplay culture, with figures like Mad Moxxi, Tiny Tina, and the iconic Psycho mask being instantly recognisable at any gaming convention. With a Borderlands movie starring the likes of Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart out there, too. Borderlands is a household name, which many game series can’t claim!
Borderlands (2009)
The desolate planet of Pandora is a corporate wasteland, abandoned by the Dahl corporation but rumoured to hold a legendary alien Vault filled with untold riches and technology.
Four fortune seekers, known as Vault Hunters, arrive on the planet, guided by a mysterious “Guardian Angel” to find the Vault Key and unlock its secrets before the private military of the Atlas corporation, the Crimson Lance, can claim it for themselves.
Playable Characters (The Vault Hunters):
- Roland (The Soldier): Deploys an automated Scorpio Turret.
- Lilith (The Siren): Can “Phasewalk,” becoming invisible and moving incredibly fast while dealing elemental damage on entry and exit.
- Mordecai (The Hunter): A sharpshooter accompanied by his vicious pet bird, Bloodwing.
- Brick (The Berserker): A brawler who can enter a rage mode, forgoing guns to pummel enemies with his fists.
- New Features & Hallmarks:
- Established the core looter-shooter gameplay loop.
- Introduced the Procedural Content Creation System, famously promising “over 87 bazillion” different guns through randomised parts.
- Defined the iconic cel-shaded art style.
- Focused heavily on 4-player cooperative gameplay.
Borderlands 2 (2012)
Five years after the opening of the first Vault, the discovery of a new, powerful element called Eridium has attracted the tyrannical Handsome Jack, CEO of the Hyperion corporation. He has taken over Pandora with an iron fist, seeking to awaken an ancient Eridian warrior to “cleanse” the planet.
A new team of Vault Hunters, left for dead by Jack, is rescued by the last remaining resistance fighters and must team up with the original Vault Hunters to stop him.
- Playable Characters (The New Vault Hunters):
- Axton (The Commando): Deploys a versatile Sabre Turret with multiple upgrade paths.
- Maya (The Siren): Can “Phaselock” enemies, trapping them in a bubble of energy.
- Salvador (The Gunzerker): Can dual-wield any two weapons in the game.
- Zer0 (The Assassin): A cyborg ninja who can create a holographic decoy and enter stealth to deal massive critical damage.
- Gaige (The Mechromancer, DLC): Summons a customisable combat robot named Deathtrap.
- Krieg (The Psycho, DLC): A high-risk, high-reward melee character who wields a Buzz Axe.
- New Features & Hallmarks:
- A vastly more engaging and character-driven narrative, largely thanks to the introduction of Handsome Jack, one of gaming’s most celebrated villains.
- More diverse environments beyond the deserts of the first game.
- Introduction of the “Badass Rank” system, a persistent stat-boosting system across all characters.
- The Slag element, a debuff that made enemies take more damage from other sources.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! (2014)
Set between the events of Borderlands 1 and 2, this game tells the story of Handsome Jack’s rise to power from the perspective of his own lieutenants.
The story is framed as a flashback, narrated by a captured Athena to the original Vault Hunters. The plot follows Jack, a low-level Hyperion programmer, as he leads a team of mercenaries on Pandora’s moon, Elpis, to retake the Helios space station from the Lost Legion.
- Playable Characters (The “Henchmen”):
- Athena (The Gladiator): Wields a kinetic shield that absorbs damage and can be thrown like Captain America.
- Wilhelm (The Enforcer): A Hyperion cyborg who summons two combat drones, Wolf and Saint.
- Nisha (The Lawbringer): A gunslinger with an action skill that provides a massive boost to gun damage and auto-aim.
- Claptrap (The Fragtrap): His action skill is a chaotic program that grants a random, often unpredictable, combat buff to the team.
- Jack (The Doppelganger, DLC): Can summon two “Digi-Jacks” to fight alongside him.
- Aurelia (The Baroness, DLC): An ice-focused character who uses a Frost Diadem Shard to seek out and damage enemies.
- New Features & Hallmarks:
- Low-gravity and oxygen mechanics (Oz Kits), allowing for double jumps and ground slams (“Butt Slams”).
- Introduction of Laser weapons as a new weapon type.
- The Cryo element replaced Slag, allowing players to freeze enemies solid.
Tales from the Borderlands (2014)
A five-part episodic adventure game from Telltale Games. It follows two unlikely protagonists: Rhys, an ambitious but cowardly Hyperion company man, and Fiona, a cunning Pandoran con artist. Their paths cross during a botched Vault Key deal, sending them on a wild chase for another Vault.
The story is renowned for its humour, heart, and significant development of the Borderlands universe, including the fate of Handsome Jack.
- Playable Characters: Rhys and Fiona (in a narrative, choice-based system, not a shooter).
- New Features & Hallmarks:
- Shifted the genre to a narrative-driven graphic adventure.
- Player choices had a significant impact on dialogue and story events.
- Canonically introduced key characters and plot points that would become crucial for Borderlands 3.
Borderlands 3 (2019)
Years after Handsome Jack’s defeat, a new threat emerges. The Calypso Twins, Tyreen and Troy, have united the bandit clans into a violent cult called the Children of the Vault (COV).
They are seeking to find and drain the power from Vaults across the galaxy. Lilith, leader of the Crimson Raiders, recruits a new batch of Vault Hunters to travel beyond Pandora aboard the starship Sanctuary III to stop the Calypsos.
- Playable Characters (The Newest Vault Hunters):
- Amara (The Siren): A brawler who can summon ethereal fists to pummel enemies.
- FL4K (The Beastmaster): An AI robot who can summon one of three loyal combat pets.
- Moze (The Gunner): A former soldier who can pilot a giant mech called Iron Bear.
- Zane (The Operative): A semi-retired hitman who can deploy a Digi-Clone, a SNTNL drone, or a Barrier shield.
- New Features & Hallmarks:
- Travel to multiple planets, each with unique biomes and enemies.
- Enhanced player movement, including sliding and mantling.
- Every Vault Hunter now has multiple, equippable Action Skills.
- Guns often have alternate firing modes.
- An expanded and refined endgame through “Mayhem Mode.”
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (2022)
A full-fledged spin-off based on the beloved Borderlands 2 DLC, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep.
In this standalone title, players take on the role of the “Fatemaker” in a game of “Bunkers & Badasses” (the Borderlands equivalent of Dungeons & Dragons), narrated by the chaotic Tiny Tina. Your quest is to traverse a fantasy world and defeat the tyrannical Dragon Lord.
- Playable Characters: For the first time, players create their own custom character, the Fatemaker.
- New Features & Hallmarks:
- A high-fantasy setting replacing the sci-fi wasteland.
- A multi-class system allowing players to mix and match skills from six unique classes.
- Spells replaced grenades, offering a wide range of magical effects.
- A dedicated melee weapon slot with a variety of swords, axes, and hammers.
- An “Overworld” map used to travel between areas, reminiscent of classic JRPGs.
Borderlands 4 and beyond
As of today (12th September 2025), Borderlands 4 is out on consoles and PC. It’s seeing largely positive reviews with the usual modern-day gaming woes of release quality for different platforms.
It seems that 16 years in, Borderlands isn’t slowing down, and it’s likely bigger now than it’s ever been. As the series grows and improves, perhaps it’ll end up enduring as much as some of those timeless series like Mario and Zelda?
Maybe Borderlands 4 will be the one that finally clicks for us and we get into it?
We’re trying out Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Hoping the theme and setting helps us get into the core gameplay loop a bit more than the main titles.
In the meantime, keep an eye out for a review and content over at our friends fullsync.co.uk and they’re diving in right now!
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