Borderlands 4 Review: A Thrilling Looter Shooter with Depth
Borderlands 4, developed by Gearbox Software and released on September 4, 2025, marks a significant evolution in the looter shooter genre. Set on the prison planet of Kairos, the game blends fast-paced shooting with expansive open-world exploration, offering players an impressive variety of weapons and intense combat scenarios. Despite some narrative shortcomings, Borderlands 4 continues to deliver the core excitement that fans of the series expect: nonstop action and a staggering amount of loot.
Immersive Open World and Seamless Exploration
Breaking away from the familiar setting of Pandora, Borderlands 4 invites players to explore Kairos, a diverse planet controlled by the oppressive dictator known as The Timekeeper. Unlike previous installments, this game features a more expansive and seamless environment, spanning four distinct biomes interconnected without loading screens. Fast travel is cleverly integrated through missile silos—unlocking them serves as a dynamic way to navigate this massive sandbox world.
- Four diverse biomes: Each offering unique challenges and visuals.
- Seamless transitions: Experience a continuous world without interruptions.
- Interactive fast travel: Unlock missile silos instead of traditional waypoints.
The open-world design encourages players to engage in various side quests found in hub cities and wild areas—though exploration focuses more on combat scenarios rather than deep environmental storytelling. The game’s user interface supports clear navigation, ensuring objectives are easily followed amid intense firefights.
Combat and Arsenal: Over-the-Top Shooter Mechanics
At its core, Borderlands 4 is an exhilarating looter shooter, boasting a remarkable arsenal that redefines the boundaries of shooter mechanics. Players encounter a vast array of weapons, each frequently featuring unique alternate firing modes. These can range from switching ammo types to launching underbarrel explosives or even firing lock-on missiles.
Key Highlights of the Combat System:
- Weapon Variety: Hundreds of guns with randomized stats and special features.
- Alternate fire modes: Adds tactical depth and chaotic fun.
- Dynamic enemy encounters: Enemies like the erratic Rippers add adrenaline-pumping challenges.
- Enhanced mobility: Double-jump, glide packs, and a grappling hook improve combat flow.
The addition of a grappling hook brings a fresh layer of verticality, allowing players to hurl explosive canisters at enemies and maneuver swiftly. However, its tactical application feels limited, overshadowed by the more consistently useful double-jump and gliding capabilities that facilitate sneaky flanking and quick repositioning.
The intensity peaks during boss raids, which demand fast reflexes and better positional awareness. Unlike prior games where bosses often feel like an afterthought, Borderlands 4’s raid bosses present genuine challenges, sometimes requiring repeated attempts and strategic thinking.
Level Scaling and Progression Nuances
While the open world of Kairos offers significant freedom, level scaling presents some inconsistencies. Outside raids, enemies can scale awkwardly, potentially surpassing the player’s level if venturing into unbalanced areas prematurely. This creates a dissonance between the main storyline and raid instances, where the latter are strictly level-appropriate.
This level disparity can impact the flow and enjoyment of the gameplay, with players feeling overwhelmed in regular areas but overpowering bosses in raids due to bullet sponge enemies. Suggestions for improvement include clearer quest level indicators and smoother scaling mechanics, which are common practices in modern RPG shooters such as Destiny 2.
Story and Characters: A Mixed Bag
The narrative anchors around the Timekeeper and his control over Kairos via mechanical bolts attached to citizens. Compared to Borderlands 3’s antagonistic Twins, the Timekeeper feels less threatening—his presence is distant, and the story lacks a compelling edge. The three lieutenants who serve as regional bosses offer more personality, yet the overall storytelling is conventional and predictable, borrowing heavily from well-worn genre tropes like faction unification and region clearing.
Character development is limited, making it difficult for players to form emotional attachments to the world or its inhabitants. The player’s chosen Vault Hunter, such as the quippy Vex, continues the tradition of edgy one-liners but often at the expense of depth and sincerity. This distancing undermines narrative moments that could have carried emotional weight.
Humor and Tone
Borderlands 4 attempts a balance between humor and seriousness, but it frequently falls into overused sarcasm and constant character chatter that some players may find irritating. However, moments of well-crafted jokes and genuine punchlines do shine, such as memorable side characters and boss banter. This tonal inconsistency reflects a wider challenge in modern game storytelling: maintaining player engagement without sacrificing character authenticity.
Visuals and Artistic Direction
Visually, Borderlands 4 refines its trademark cel-shaded style with softer palettes and more detail, giving the game a polished and approachable aesthetic. Cosmic setpieces and expansive landscapes stand out, presenting beautiful environments that are easy to read even during intense firefights. This artistic evolution aligns with the series’ trend toward appealing to broader audiences while keeping its distinctive look.
Summary of Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Exceptional and varied shooting mechanics | Underwhelming story and antagonist development |
| Enormous arsenal with unique weapon features | Awkward and inconsistent level scaling |
| Stunning and polished art direction | Relentless and sometimes annoying character dialogue |
Conclusion
Borderlands 4 is a powerful entry in the looter shooter genre, delivering moments of explosive combat and an expansive open world that encourages exploration and strategic play. While the story and some gameplay mechanics hold it back from being a masterpiece, the raw shooting excitement and creative weapon designs keep players deeply engaged. The game’s enhancements in mobility and artistic presentation are commendable, signaling Gearbox’s commitment to evolving the franchise.
For fans of fast-paced shooters with a penchant for collecting and customizing gear, Borderlands 4 offers a richly rewarding experience. At the same time, its narrative and level design complexities suggest it’s best enjoyed with a focus on combat and loot rather than story immersion.
Additional Insights
According to recent player engagement data aggregated by Steam Charts, Borderlands 4 set a new concurrent player record for the series within 24 hours of launch, surpassing previous entries including Borderlands 3. This speaks to its strong appeal among PC gamers despite mixed critical reception.
Gearbox has responded to community feedback with regular patches aimed at smoothing progression and addressing performance issues, illustrating an ongoing commitment to refining the player experience post-launch.
Comparatively, the looter shooter market in 2025 has seen notable titles such as Destiny 2, Outriders, and The Division 2 continue to innovate on narrative integration and live service content, setting a competitive benchmark that Borderlands 4 is positioned to rise to with future updates.
Keywords: Borderlands 4, looter shooter, Gearbox, open world, shooter gameplay
