Borderlands is back!!!
Gearbox introduces us to the foreign, yet strangely familiar, planet of Kairos in this installment of the Borderlands franchise. Kairos is ruled by a tyrannical dictator, The Timekeeper, who controls the populace of Kairos through mind control devices(Nice). After a brief intro mission you get greeted by the familiar screech of CL4P-TP aka. Claptrap as you are let loose on the world of Kairos. You are now free to adventure through this new world in search of loot, vault keys and ultimately to overthrow The Timekeeper.
The Strength of Style
Borderlands 4 continues to lean into the series’ signature cel‑shaded comic‑book aesthetic, but with a more refined and vibrant presentation than in Borderlands 3. The art style feels cleaner and sharper, and thanks to Unreal Engine 5, the lighting, reflections, and scale are richer than ever. Each environment feels distinct, with unique themes, color palettes, and atmospheres, helping exploration stay visually fresh.
Traversal upgrades, like the grappling hook and glider, also add a new way to appreciate environments. Players can now view landscapes from higher vantage points or glide across zones, which highlights the careful attention to scale and design.
The game takes advantage of modern upscaling tools such as DLSS and FSR, which means that on high‑end hardware, Borderlands 4 can look sharp and polished even at demanding resolutions. When the settings align, the blend of stylized art direction and modern graphical tech makes for striking visuals.
The visual identity of Borderlands 4 remains a highlight of the franchise. Its cel‑shaded style has aged gracefully, and Unreal Engine 5 pushes the environments to new levels of vibrancy and dynamism. The game is at its best when you’re soaring through zones or taking in the exaggerated vistas.
However, the technical side currently lags behind the artistic ambition. Optimization issues, occasional rough textures, and stability problems keep it from reaching its full potential. For players with strong hardware or patience for patches, the visuals are as one would expect from Borderlands, exciting!
Kairos: a Planet Reimagined
The newest entry in the franchise transports players to Kairos, a fresh planet under the grip of the Timekeeper and his synthetic armies. Unlike the fragmented zones of Borderlands 3, Kairos offers a more seamless open-world design with fewer loading screens and a stronger sense of continuity. Traversal tools like the grappling hook, glider, and double jump encourage exploration, while vehicles continue to play a role in long-distance travel.
Kairos is divided into distinct zones with clear thematic variety. Rugged wastelands contrast with high-tech facilities and urban sprawls, offering a range of atmospheres that prevent monotony. This mix of natural and artificial environments underscores the franchise’s balance of chaos and science fiction.
The open-world structure and traversal mechanics combine to create moments of genuine expansiveness. Long horizons, vertical climbs, and gliding vantage points showcase the planet’s ambitious scope. Exploration is further rewarded with hidden loot caches, platforming challenges, and secret paths scattered across the map.
The cel-shaded art style remains iconic, but Unreal Engine 5 enhances the vibrancy of lighting, weather, and environmental audio. From glowing neon cities to desolate plains under shifting skies, the planet feels alive in ways previous entries didn’t fully capture.
New Features and Innovations
Borderlands 4 builds on its looter-shooter roots with a collection of fresh mechanics and refinements that reshape the flow of gameplay. The familiar skill tree system has been expanded, giving each Vault Hunter branching paths that mix Action Skills, Traits, and capstone abilities. This depth allows players to create far more personalized builds than in past entries. Movement is also more fluid than ever thanks to double jumps, gliding, dashing, and grappling, which transform exploration into a more vertical and dynamic experience.
Fast travel has been reimagined through reclaimed Silos, which not only serve as quick travel points but also reveal fragments of Vault Keys. Collecting these fragments unlocks hidden Vaults, acting as high-risk dungeons that reward players with top-tier loot. On top of all this, new weapon manufacturers bring distinctive mechanics, from precision-focused arsenals to experimental multi-ammo weaponry, further diversifying the combat experience.
GUNS!!!
When it comes to Borderlands, one thing defines the series above all else: guns. Borderlands 4 continues that legacy with more firepower than ever before, boasting over 30 billion possible weapon combinations. Between procedural generation, manufacturer identities, licensed parts, and elemental augments, it feels like Pandora’s armory has exploded into even more chaotic variety. But does “more” always mean “better”?
Borderlands 4’s weapon system ensures that every gun feels unique. Manufacturers have clear identities that shape how their guns play:
- Jakobs doubles down on raw ballistic power, with high-damage shots that ricochet into nearby targets.
- Maliwan leans heavily into elemental builds, with togglable fire and shock modes that melt enemies over time.
- Vladof continues to spray and pray with massive magazines and alternate fire modes.
- Daedalus brings versatility and hybrid weapons to the field, allowing players to adapt mid-fight.
- Order emphasizes precision and burst damage, rewarding skilled aim with devastating crits.
Layer in licensed parts that borrow traits across manufacturers, and suddenly you have Jakobs shotguns with ricochet energy discs or Maliwan SMGs that feel like mini-flamethrowers. The system encourages experimentation, and even “ordinary” purple weapons can outshine legendaries with the right roll.
With billions of possibilities, balance inevitably becomes an issue. While some guns feel absurdly powerful, many others end up forgettable. Outside of legendary drops and certain epic rolls, a lot of weapons lack bite — enemies soak too many bullets, and upgrades come too slowly.
The game’s new loot balance tries to make legendaries feel rare and rewarding again, but this also highlights the RNG grind. Hunting for that perfect roll with the right manufacturer perks, augments, and attachments can take hours of farming. When you do get it, the payoff is huge, but until then the gap between “junk” guns and god-tier weapons can feel discouraging.
The New Vault Hunters
At the heart of every Borderlands game are its playable heroes, and this time four new Vault Hunters join the roster. Vex, the new Siren, channels phase energy into spectral allies and summons, her skills shifting elements to match the weapon she wields. Rafa, the Exo-Soldier, brings balance and versatility through his experimental exo-suit, making him an approachable choice for both veterans and newcomers. Amon, known as the Forge Knight, embraces durability and melee power, wielding drones and heavy equipment to control the battlefield. Finally, Harlowe, the Gravitar, takes a more technical approach, deploying gadgets and radiation-based abilities for crowd control and support. Together, they represent a well-rounded cast that encourages experimentation across solo and co-op play.
Multiplayer and Co-op Enhancements
Multiplayer has always been a cornerstone of the series, and Borderlands 4 refines it in meaningful ways. Crossplay is available from the start, allowing players on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox to adventure together without barriers. Joining friends is now quicker and more seamless thanks to improved drop-in, drop-out co-op, which minimizes disruptions during gameplay. Instanced loot ensures that every player receives their own drops, eliminating the long-standing frustration of fighting over gear. Dynamic scaling balances encounters so that groups of mixed levels can still enjoy a fair challenge, while new travel options make it easier than ever to regroup with friends during the campaign.
The game shines in its class design, with each Vault Hunter feeling distinct and capable of supporting a wide variety of playstyles. Traversal upgrades bring energy and freshness to exploration, while the inclusion of Silos and hidden Vaults adds genuine reasons to seek out content beyond the main story. Multiplayer, meanwhile, feels smoother and more welcoming than in any previous installment.
That said, Borderlands 4 still struggles with some growing pains. Co-op stability remains inconsistent, with occasional lag, desynchronization, and mission progression bugs cropping up — particularly for non-host players. Performance issues in large open areas, such as stuttering or texture pop-in, can also pull players out of the experience. On the loot side, legendary drop rates and end-game grind sometimes lack balance, and while the deeper systems bring welcome complexity, they may overwhelm players who preferred the more straightforward progression of earlier titles.
Verdict
Gearbox has hit the nail on the proverbial head with Borderlands 4. Whether you are a long time fan, or being introduced to this world for the first time. There is something for everyone.
From exploration to blasting through enemies this game promises to deliver hours of non-stop, action packed fun for all!
review product provided by Prima Interactive
