Borderlands 4: Hands-on Preview - Rushing the Gate
Earlier this year, I got to preview Borderlands 4, taking in some of the open-world and vault activities and seeing just what has changed since the previous versions. But now, in the lead-up to its full release, I have had another chance to go hands-on, and this time it is with a full mission. The full mission, called “Rush the Gate”, is a great example of what the team is doing with the more linear moments of the game, and it really highlights how the game is going to handle these setpiece moments.
It starts with your Vault Hunter (I went with the sciencey Harlowe) infiltrating a fortress and heading after a chap called Idolator Sol, one of the big bad’s (The Timekeeper for those that don’t know) key goons. It played out like many of these missions do, but some key differences helped it stand out from previous Borderlands Games.
The first of these differences is the level design. This linear section felt wonderfully designed, with winding corridors broken up by entertaining kill arenas that utilise all of the Vault Hunter’s bag of tricks. There is a sense of hand design in play here, moving away from the blander designs of previous games. It really helped with getting to know the area, and it allowed me to find my way without getting lost or turned around.
Another thing that became immediately apparent is that the environment plays a huge part in the gameplay. From grappling points that allowed me to quickly jump in and out of the action, to exploding barrels that can be grabbed and hurled, to interestingly placed platforms and ledges that allow for different approaches to the gunplay, using the environment has certainly been upgraded. In previous games, I simply used the environment to hide behind while my shield recharged, and even though there is still certainly some of that, I have a whole host of other options to use the environment to my advantage.
The final part of this section I want to talk about is the battle with Idolator Sol. In previous Borderlands games, boss battles have just been, well, fine. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t that remarkable either. But if this battle is anything to go by, the boss battles in Borderlands 4 are going to be a blast. It was a multistage affair with rushing goons, on top of big attacks and multiple patterns, and it was a real test of agility to get through. There was a nice slice of satisfaction when I got through it that had everything to do with the challenge and battle and nothing to do with the mountain of shiny loot that rained from Sol’s corpse.
In all, I feel like this mission is a nice taster for what the game is setting up. Nothing is particularly groundbreaking, but it is clear the developers wanted to take what has come before and improve on it in every way. From the ineractivity of the environment, to the level design, to the final battle, everything felt like a significant step up from previous Borderlands games, and really, it is hard to ask for much more than that.
Stay tuned to Player 2 for a full review of Borderlands 4 as soon as possible.
