Borderlands 4
" Engaging action RPG with tight gunplay and deep loot, but plagued by severe performance issues "
Borderlands 4 Review
Borderlands 4 offers a fresh take on the franchise with an open-world design, improved gunplay, and a more serious, engaging storyline that many players appreciate. The game introduces diverse skill trees, dynamic weather, and better character interactions, enhancing the overall experience. Cross-platform co-op and the return of satisfying Jakobs weapons are also praised. However, the launch is marred by severe optimization and performance issues, even on high-end PCs, leading to frequent crashes, low frame rates, and stuttering. Players express frustration with the developer's CEO for dismissive comments and blame-shifting regarding these problems. The pricing strategy, including expensive DLCs and microtransactions, is widely criticized as excessive for the current state of the game. Despite its technical shortcomings, many enjoy the core gameplay and story, hoping future patches will address these issues. Overall, Borderlands 4 is seen as a promising title held back by poor optimization and controversial management decisions.
Highlights
Players praise Borderlands 4 for its engaging storyline with a more serious tone and improved writing compared to previous entries. The gameplay mechanics shine with tight gunplay, multiple action skills, and meaningful loot drops that restore the thrill of grinding. The open-world design encourages exploration with dynamic weather and day/night cycles, making the world feel alive. Visuals are an upgrade from Borderlands 3, featuring detailed environments and solid character animations. The addition of cross-platform co-op at launch and a well-implemented quest system further enhance the experience, delivering a fresh yet familiar Borderlands feel.
Criticisms
The most significant criticism is the poor optimization and performance across all PC hardware tiers, causing frequent crashes, stuttering, and frame rate drops even on top-end systems. Many players report issues with the Unreal Engine 5 implementation and the detrimental impact of Denuvo DRM on performance. The CEO's public statements blaming players for performance problems have fueled community backlash. Additionally, the game's pricing is viewed as excessive and greedy, with costly DLCs and microtransactions. Other complaints include the lack of a minimap, bugs affecting audio and gameplay, and some balance issues with weapons and classes. These factors combine to make the game feel unfinished at launch, undermining player enjoyment.
Pros
- • Engaging storyline with a more serious and well-written tone than previous games.
- • Tight and satisfying gunplay that enhances combat enjoyment.
- • Meaningful loot drops that restore excitement in grinding.
- • Open-world design encourages exploration with dynamic weather and day/night cycles.
- • Cross-platform co-op available at launch for seamless multiplayer.
- • Multiple action skills and large skill trees offer diverse playstyles.
- • Characters actively respond in dialogue and appear in cutscenes.
Cons
- • Severe optimization issues causing crashes and low FPS on all PC hardware.
- • Unacceptable performance even on high-end GPUs and CPUs.
- • CEO's dismissive attitude blaming players for technical problems.
- • Excessive pricing for base game, DLCs, and microtransactions.
- • Lack of minimap makes navigation frustrating for some players.
- • Audio bugs including missing voices and popping sounds reported.
- • Balance issues with weapons and class skill trees limit variety.
Rating Criteria
Borderlands 4 is a mayhem-fueled looter shooter, jam-packed with billions of weapons, deadly enemies, and intense co-op action. Break free from a dangerous hidden planet as one of four new badass Vault Hunters.