After the pleasant spin-off that wasTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, players are no doubt looking to Gearbox Software and what it has planned for theBorderlandsfranchise.Borderlands 3was first released way back in 2019 and since then, the gaming landscape has changed considerably. For better or worse, what makesBorderlandsso unique is its insistence on sticking with what works.
This practice has both helped and hindered the franchise. While looting and shooting in theBorderlandsgames are still as fun as they have ever been,titles likeDestiny 2have been able to refine the experience and interweave meaningful storieswith all the carnage.Borderlandsproved successful in creating a memorable main campaign villain once, but its other efforts haven’t been as fruitful.
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Gearbox Software Struck Gold With Handsome Jack
Whenever players think of aBorderlandsvillain, they think ofBorderlands 2’s Handsome Jack. Witty and capable, what made Jack so memorable was how Gearbox Software added multiple dimensions to the character. He could be snarky toward players one moment and furious at his Siren daughter Angel the next. Jack’s backstory was fleshed out inBorderlands 2andBorderlands: The Pre-Sequeland made players feel like he was the protagonist of a game that hasn’t been made yet. Thanks to the wonderful performance of actor Dameon Clarke, Handsome Jack has become of the gaming industry’s most iconic villains.
Every Other Main Villain Pales In Comparison To Jack
The main villains ofBorderlands,Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, andBorderlands 3and are another story. Since the developers were still testing the waters with its then-new IP,Borderlandswas more focused on its gameplay rather than character development. The stories told in the first game served little more than to give context to the missions. The same can be said for the main antagonist, Commandant Helga Steele, who was a Crimson Lance officer anda Siren looking to open a Vaulton the planet Pandora. Commandant Steele was a very one-note character whose sole purpose was to open the Vault. She doesn’t appear for most of the first game and only makes her presence known towardBorderlands' final act. In the end, she gets impaled by the true final boss, the Destroyer, without ever having a chance to show players what she is truly capable of.
Tungsteena Zarpedon suffered a similar problem. Even thoughBorderlands: The Pre-Sequelis a prequeltoBorderlands 2, the game came out after Gearbox Software’s massive hit. As a result, having a leader of the rogue Lost Legion with little to no backstory fill in Handsome Jack’s shoes made her feel underwhelming as a main antagonist. Her goal to destroy Elpis and keep the Vault within it closed as opposed to opening it makes her stand out from otherBorderlands' antagonists, but she ultimately became lost to players' memories due to the mixed reception of the game and the poor writing of her character.
The Siren twins Troy and Tyreen CalypsofromBorderlands 3weren’t popular either. The two stylized themselves as Cult of the Vault influencers looking to open Vaults all over the galaxy. The twins of Typhon and Leda DeLeon, the two were forced to live on the Eridian homeworld of Nekrotafeyo by their parents who lived in fear of their children’s Siren powers. WhileBorderlands 3tries to paint the twins in a more humane light by connecting them to Typhon DeLeon, the first Vault Hunter, most of the twins' appearances have them acting like jerks without any humanity or maturity.
Borderlands 4 Would Do Better To Have Compelling Side Stories Instead
Rather than attempt to make a villain that can compare to Handsome Jack, aBorderlandssequel should focus onwhat players really want to do: loot Vaults. Not the kind of Vaults that have giant monsters inside them, but Vaults with loot worth working toward. The writers can create short stories around each Vault that are compelling, contained, and most importantly, don’t always have to be interconnected with one another.
It isn’t an impossible task. Gearbox Software has proven it can create good side content by way of theBorderlandsfranchise’s many DLC expansions. An ideal example isBorderlands’The Secret Armory of General Knoxxwhich compensated players for the disappointing ending of the main campaign by giving them an armory full of stuff to loot. When it comes to story, however,Borderlands 2’sTiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keepexpansion is a greatDungeons and Dragons-inspired adventurethat centers around Tina’s coming to terms with her friend Rolands' death. Even though the DLC’s main villain was Tina’s fictional version of Handsome Jack, the stories interwoven into the narrative were well-written and made full use of the unique theme.
TheBorderlandsfranchise has so much potential that it would be a shame to waste it on more forgettable villains. If Gearbox Software cannot get its villain down within a respectable amount of time, maybe it should ditch the idea altogether and focus on the overarching narrative instead. Doing so might help create more meaningful characters that can be added toBorderlands' already diverse cast.
