Gearbox Software and 2K Games' violent space western seriesBorderlandshas had many successful entries. The games' unique blend of outrageous gore, silly humor, and cell-shaded style made the originalBorderlandstrilogy a success and launched a slew of spin-off titles as well. Building onBorderlands 2’sTiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon KeepDLC,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandstakes players once more into the twisted world of Bunkers & Badasses – the franchise’s take onDungeons & Dragons.Tina Tiny’s Wonderlandswas well-received by fans and was felt by some to be the best FPS action of the series so far, and it had a great mix ofBorderlands-ness as well as original elements.
WhileTiny Tina’s Wonderlandslooks very much at home within theBorderlandsfranchise’s specific aesthetic and sensibility, it does try to forge its own path with some of its features. Developer Gearbox Software seems to be trying out some new things while hoping to improve on some aspects of the original games that might feel a little aged. With its own distinctblend of classicBorderlandscharacteristicsand new-to-the-series features,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis really its own beast.
RELATED:Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ Mirrors of Mystery Would Have Made Great Seasonal Events or Minor DLC
A More Fantastical Focus
One of the biggest waysTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsseparates itself from its predecessors is with its setting. It still retains a lot of theBorderlandslook and feel, but it moves the action from planets like Pandora to a more fantasy-themed locale complete with dungeons, castles, and swords. Taking inspiration from fantasy tabletop role-playing games,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsmoves away fromBorderlands' punky sci-fi settingsand establishes its own style.
In addition to informing its setting, the tabletop role-playing focus also changes the dynamics of gameplay. Instead of a more straightforward action FPS,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandshas an omnipotent dungeon master (or Bunker Master, as the case may be) in the form of Tiny Tina and features an overworld that players can use to move about the various regions. This adds a layer which isn’t present in otherBorderlandsgames and helps withTiny Tina’s Wonderlands’tabletop aspirations.
Character Customization
Borderlandsgames typically feature a group of Vault Huntersthat players can choose to play, each one with their own class, look, and personality complete with a specific voice actor.Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsswitches this up, and in true RPG fashion, lets players create a character of their own. This includes customizing how their character looks and plays, with six classes to choose from as well as a secondary to select.Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsoffers players so much more freedom in this respect and even lets them take along a companion or two depending on their class selection.
The characters in theBorderlandstrilogy were great, but it was usually the NPCs that became more popular with players rather than the Vault Hunters that they were playing as.Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandscircumvents this problem and lets gamers create their own character from the ground up, choosing their voice and background, and imbuing them with their own personality and quirks instead of relying on a preset version. Mix and matching character skills give players a lot more scope when it comes to how they want to play as well, rather than locking them intoBorderlands' more restrictive class and weapons systems.
Mixing Up The Weaponry
Rather than a pure focus on ranged weapons,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsgives players a lot more options and combos to take out enemies and approach combat. Although games likeBorderlands 3gave gamers the chance to unlock three special skills and useabilities like Amara’s elemental fists,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandstakes this further with a wide variety of spells that characters can use alongside their guns and melee weapons.
Switching up spells for grenades inTiny Tina’s Wonderlandswas a popular move in the opinion of some fans. Not only does it tie in really well to the new fantasy focus, but short cooldowns and unique options make for some fun and tactical gameplay, as well as some interesting combos. Melee weapons have been another great addition to theBorderlands-style combat, and it is hopefully one of the many things that Gearbox will take fromTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsinto the next mainline entry.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis available for PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
