Borderlands 4could bring back one of the series' older mechanics that didn’t manage to make it intoTiny Tina’s Wonderlands. The next game should be expected to build off the strengths of the last few, and that includes the aspects that fans have grown to love. Unless something was completely superfluous or a failure, it can be hard to justify cutting features. That’s why features of the series that failed to make the jump intoTiny Tina’s Wonderlandshave a strong argument to return inBorderlands 4, even if they weren’t major elements in the past.
Likely due to its dramatic design changes,fantasy-themed spinoffTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis quite different from the mainBorderlandsgames in several ways. The most prominent is that rather than a set of Vault Hunters with defined personalities, the player instead plays as the Fatemaker, a customizable protagonist designed from scratch using the creation tools at the player’s disposal. In addition, Tiny Tina takes the role of the game’s narrator, regularly adding commentary over the game’s events, while the main games (apart fromThe Pre-Sequel) don’t have a proper narrator. Of course, the addition of magic spells is another departure from the norm that adds to the game’s fantasy feel.
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Borderlands 4 Could Let Players Go One-on-One Once Again
Dueling existed since the start of the series, and whileBorderlands 3reworked the dueling mechanic,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandswas the first game that did away with dueling entirely. Dueling is quite simple to do, making it a decent way to pass the time. If two players melee each other, then they can battle it out in a duel, with whoever drains the opponent’s health being the winner. Considering how powerful the guns players can find are, duels are likely to end rather quickly.Borderlands 3even upped the ante by adding the ability for more than two players to duel at once.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsleaving out dueling was a disappointment, but can be explained with in-universe logic. Thecampaign inTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis an in-universe game of Bunkers and Badasses, theBorderlandsequivalent ofDungeons & Dragons. In games ofD&D, combat between players is often frowned upon outside rare circumstances due to it often being disruptive and holding up the adventure. With that logic, even a chaotic Bunker Master like Tina would rather not have her campaign be derailed in such a way. As a result, the lack of dueling inTiny TIna’s Wonderlandscan be justified, although it’s still a little disappointing.
Even though dueling has never been a major mechanic, it can still find a place as something thatBorderlands 4can revive from the past. WithBorderlands 3already introducing free-for-all duels,Borderlands 4can find its own ways to take dueling to the next level. Some ideas could include duels where players are restricted to a single weapon type that both have equipped, or duels where the first shot is an instant victory. Mixing up duels could make them more exciting when they take place, and turn them into a grander part ofBorderlands 4’s gameplay.
Even though dueling got passed over inTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, being left out of one spinoff doesn’t mean that the mechanic is gone for good. Even though it’s aminor feature thatBorderlands 4could bring back, it’s a long-lived part of the series that has been enjoyed by many players. Duels can be a good way for players to celebrate a big victory, test out new guns, or just start up a fight for fun.Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsmay have left duels out, butBorderlands 4has a valid reason to add them right back in.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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