When Gearbox Software released Borderlands in 2009 it took a hit as few are remembered in the industry. In a genre as hackneyed as Shooters in the first person, the formula of shots, looting and RPG for which the studio bet, together with its nice Cell-Shading graphics, its peculiar humor and its so characteristic protagonists, turned the title into a endearing adventure, and
an instant success . Then came the second part, sensational in all sections, and the somewhat inferior ‘The-PreSequel’, which despite being for many in a
division inferior to that of his older brothers, was a Borderlands in every rule. Those of us who have played all the titles of the saga, have been amazed by its virtues.
And when this was announced Battleborn ‘, the comparison began to take shape from the minute one .
Because we are not the only ones who compare it with Borderlands from the beginning, but also its creators. “In this title we have included all the characters that, by number, we could never enter in the original Borderlands”, their creators entrusted us not long ago.
The multiplayer, apparently, is also something that had in mind during the adventures in Pandora, but that finally did not take place. We wanted to start the analysis like this, explaining that the comparison is not only a matter of users and press, but also of the study itself. Measuring with Borderlands is risky. Because for a
Marketing campaign it’s fine to be “a Borderlands parents’ game” or “a title that collects many ideas from Borderlands that were not carried out”. But then you have to answer for it, and measure yourself against the titan of titans. Battleborn has a lot of Borderlands,
and that is precisely one of his great virtues. The dialogues, the style of the graphics and even the enemies, but, is Battleborn up to Borderlands? We tell you.
What happens when you mix Borderlands and League of Legends
We have, in Battleborn, a simple premise , but at the same time, complex enough for the title to invite deepening and considerable investment in hours of play. The new bet of Gearbox presents 25 very different heroes to each other, and whose abilities, characteristics
and ways of being used are so different that each player can find here his warrior alter-ego with which to sweep his enemies off the map. Because yes, Battleborn fully meets this section. They said, in Gearbox, that in the
Borderlands they always wanted much more than four heroes (six, if we consider the downloadable ones in the second installment), and that in Battleborn they had wanted to accommodate many ideas regarding the development of characters that
They were in the inkwell. Well, the thing has worked. Each hero has a skill tree structured in dual choices , so, each time we move up, we must choose one of them to the detriment of the other.
Far from appearing to be a limitation, this reflects the MOBA character of the game and invites replayability and rethinking of strategies . What worked for us in one game may not work in the next. We can have a favorite character, yes, but the way to
build it will have to be in constant variation so as not to succumb to the hordes of enemies or rival players. If so many players and professionals have called it ” MOBA “ in the first person, “is for something. We will talk more about his
Incursion Mode, which is the most vivid reflection of this essence, but speaking of the construction of characters, the orientation is clear. However, a greater depth is lacking.
We know that this is precisely the intention of the title, to be the best of both worlds. But, far from achieving it, when we play we can not help thinking that, although we are looking at an entertaining and fun formula,
Battleborn remains in no man’s land and denotes a certain lack of personality. It is not a shooter to use, that is clear from the minute one. It’s not a Borderlands either, but it’s certainly not a League of Legends. What is it then? That is the question that has assailed us
most of the time we have dedicated to Battleborn, and we suspect, it will be what many of you are going to raise when playing it. It looks like Battleborn is going to be one of those games that you either hate, or love.
From Cell-Shading to ‘Cartoon’ style
From the first moment, Battleborn draws attention for its focus, this time a step beyond Borderlands in terms of that “cartoon” aesthetic. However, far from that spectacular Cell-Shading that shows the success of Gearbox, Battleborn seems more
childish in its aesthetics, less worked . It is a game that loses impact at a graphic level with respect to Borderlands, we assume that in favor of greater versatility especially in the compatible version. The graphics are nice and have a lot of detail, and the cinematics are made with the same essence. But it’s a step back.
The comparison, again, becomes undeniable. Why has not Battleborn employed the same Cell-Shading as Borderlands? Until the imminent (and for many players, direct rival) Blizzard Overwatch beats the title at this point. The scenarios are beautiful, and the
artistic finish of most of them and the enemies is very special, but we can not stop thinking that a less ‘cartoon’ aesthetic would have made the title better. If we face a Borderlands 2 in Ultra and a Battleborn in Ultra, the differences are very noticeable, and that it’s been a few years.
