Borderlands 4 isn’t out yet, but fans are already calling it one of the most interesting entries in the series. This is a pretty monumental fourth game, abandoning Pandora for a new world called Kairos, and opting for darker writing. Obviously, there’s still going to be a lot of jokes and insane weapons, but we see why Gearbox Software is calling this a soft reboot.
The real question is how far this soft reboot should go.
Soft reboot is a term often used when a franchise starts from scratch, while also staying in the same continuity as previous entries. It's like how Alien: Romulus is able to tell a new story with different characters, while still using the same elements from the universe. With all that in mind, we can see why the fourth entry is using that term.
Gearbox Software was wise to use “soft reboot” for Borderlands 4, as the shooter hasn’t shown a lot of references to the past three games, minus certain enemies and characters. Claptrap is still around, and the enemies still look like Jason Voorhees cosplayers, but everything else is new.
Now this game has female psychos who dress like Jason Voorhees, and they’re going to be every gamer’s hear-me-out crush for the next few years. Just you wait.
We also think it's fair to say that Gearbox Software has done everything they could with Pandora, so this change in setting is a good thing. The wildlife settings in Kairos should add some much-needed variety to this franchise, which often felt like the same games over and over. None of those older titles are bad, but things were getting stale, and a big change was needed.
Despite the marketing blurbs talking about the darker setting and writing for Borderlands 4, the devs at Gearbox are still cranking up the fun meter. I already wrote about the new traversal mechanics, adding some brand-new fun to this looter shooter, but they genuinely look exciting to use. Even if the older games were never slow, these mechanics will make exploring Kairos way more fun than in previous games.
Admittedly, just because the term “soft reboot” has been tossed around doesn’t mean we won’t see returning characters in this franchise. We’re sure there will be cameos from fan-favorites from previous games, with us already mentioning Claptrap. They just won’t have a dominating presence in the story to make it more appealing to newer gamers, which isn’t a bad thing at all.
Borderlands 4, being a soft reboot, is a risky maneuver, given how much fans love the lore of this series. However, with three mainline entries, a pre-sequel, and numerous spinoff titles, it was time for a change. Could these changes be bad? Sure, but sometimes you have to stray off the beaten path to find yourself again.
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