In 'Borderlands 4', the open-world design allows players to ascend, 'That Literally Giant Mountain Over There'.
After five years since Borderlands 3 debuted, enthusiasts are eager for the series to progress in substantial ways. Despite retaining our four Vault Hunters and the same cel-shaded design, there's at least one noteworthy transformation in sight.
Borderlands 5 is committed to establishing a genuine open world. The franchise is recognized for its enclosed “zones” featuring distinct visuals, opponents, and motifs, often requiring multiple loads between instances. However, this is set to alter, as they aim to replicate Bethesda's well-known claim about Skyrim: "See that mountain? You can climb it."
Randy Pitchford, talking to GameStop, offered a similar sentiment:
"Look at this [trailer] scene where these figures gaze out onto a landscape," Pitchford stated. "In virtually every video game you've ever played, that's just background, right? In Borderlands 5, everything you're watching is explorable space accessible without any loading time."
Pitchford adds that this includes what seem like background landscapes, such as the tower seen above. Despite his reluctance to label it as "open world," owing to its connotations, his description leaves little room for debate.
Personally, I'm indifferent to this terminology and not seeking to poke fun at Pitchford. I believe the concept of a fully seamless Borderlands world offers an opportunity to surpass its segmented zones, potentially leading to improved gameplay with more engaging encounters. Pitchford hints at innovations that "none of the other open world games [have done]," although the exact meaning remains unclear.
Although not entirely original, players will now also be given a grappling hook. This is a staggering throwback to Halo Infinite, which for the first time placed Master Chief in an open world. The grappling hook greatly enhanced movement and combat, making it an asset I strongly advocate for in all video games – hardly a joke!
I remain unyieldingly enthusiastic about any Borderlands installment. Although the BL4 trailer didn't spark the same excitement as The Game Awards' audience, it still appealed to me, and the open world format, or whatever they choose to name it, appears to be a promising direction for the series.
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Borderlands 5 promises to break away from the series' traditional zone-based structure, aiming to create a truly open world where players can explore without loading times, as suggested by Randy Pitchford's description. This open world concept, while not officially labeled as such by Gearbox, could potentially lead to improved gameplay with more engaging encounters in Borderlands 4.
The inclusion of a grappling hook in Borderlands 5 is reminiscent of Halo Infinite, expanding players' movement and combat options in an open world setting, a feature that Pendleton strongly endorses for future video games.
