--CU5TM-TP, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
The Pre-Sequel may be a spin-off, but it is immensely superior to the original Borderlands game, building off of the best additions Borderlands 2 made to the series while bringing new features like the oxygen tank mechanics, cryo weapons, and item grinders (one was previously seen in a side mission of Borderlands 2 but not used beyond this). The franchise emphasis on technology, philosophical humor, and pop culture references remains strong, and the internal lore deepens all throughout the primary and optional missions. In fact, every playable character in some way relates to the story or characters of the previous two games in the franchise. The Pre-Sequel has a smaller overall scope and a shorter length than Borderlands 2, yet it contributes much to the series while celebrating many improvements that the game before it had already set in place.
Production Values
The graphics are the best out of the visuals from the Borderlands ports to the Switch, with the colors and details standing out more distinctly than ever. The molten red of Elpis, the purple of the Eridian Vault, and the blue of shock weapons, among other things, can be very vivid. Accompanying the graphical quality is the voice acting, which is perhaps even better. Each of the playable characters now has their own dialogue that plays at scripted moments. This distinguishes their personalities, worldviews, and goals far more than was the case for the Vault Hunters in the previous games, letting them respond to Handsome Jack and other characters in their own ways. As might be expected, the voice acting is excellent across the board for the whole cast--and each of the core characters gets plenty of chances to use their voice.
Gameplay
Many of the location functions and mechanics are very similar to aspects of Borderlands 2--which is not negative given that Borderlands 2 is one of the best games of the past 20 years. Still, some of these mechanics undergo obvious evolutions. Concordia replaces Sanctuary and moonstones replace Eridium bars, both serving the same purpose as before, but this time moonstones are far easier to find from defeated enemies and random containers than Eridium is in Borderlands 2. Badass Tokens, which can be spent on minor but permanent upgrades that can be continuously stacked, also return and are still shared between all characters on a given Switch profile. This provides an incentive for replaying the story with multiple characters or even developing more than one character at a time. Moreover, the diversity of the characters themselves and their skill trees could encourage multiple playthroughs.
Athena, the rogue Atlas Corporation agent who debuted in DLC for the original Borderlands, is finally playable, wielding her throwable Aespis shield. Wilhelm from Borderlands 2 is another playable character who appeared in the series earlier, and he has two drone companions that can heal him and attack opponents. His fascination for machinery spurs him to gradually replace his biological organs with robotic components until he is seemingly nothing but a consciousness in a machine body in the second game. Nisha lives out her gunslinger persona by using twin revolvers with extreme precision, going on to become Handsome Jack's girlfriend and the tyrannical Sheriff of Lynchwood in the next chronological game. Then there is still Lady Aurelia Hammerlock, sister of Sir Hammerlock, a Claptrap unit reprogrammed to serve as an assassin, and a body double of Jack himself.
Story
Some spoilers are below.
Before he became the CEO of Hyperion and one of the most tyrannical figures in the galaxy, Handsome Jack was a rather altruistic person struggling to retake the Helios station after Colonel Zarpedon and her Lost Legion suddenly attack. A Vault Hunter named Athena who once helped him has been captured by Sanctuary's leadership, and she tells the story of Jack's change from a selfless employer to a sadistic egoist who murders and tortures people in order to bring "justice" to Pandora. Jack eventually breaks down when faced with betrayals and Zarpedon's utilitarian willingness to destroy an entire moon called Elpis in order to stop a Vault under its surface from being opened, all of which become his excuse to eventually adopt a kind of utilitarianism driven by emotionalism.
Intellectual Content
Handsome Jack's downfall brings thorough nuance to his characterization that brings tragedy to his actions in Borderlands 2. Starting out as an idealistic, altruistic man hoping to fight injustice, the repeated betrayals he faces and his increasing desperation to stop Colonel Zarpedon chip away at his resolve until he has become worse than the very bandits he speaks spitefully of. With this backstory, what was once just a somewhat comedic but ultra-sadistic tyrant becomes an archetypal example of how even a mostly righteous person can fall if they refuse to remain consistent and let personal reactions to circumstances dictate their worldview instead of reason. In typical Borderlands fashion, even some of the jokes and side missions that have nothing to do with Handsome Jack's descent into extreme egoism and tyranny are still philosophically charged. For example, in a DLC mission that sees the player's Vault Hunter enter Claptrap's consciousness in a seeming allusion to Inception, Claptrap says he did not know he had a subconscious upon finding the "subconscious" part of his mind--which is ironic because a subconscious part of a person's mind could never be demonstrated to exist because it would literally be outside of the scope of their perception, or else it would no longer be subconscious. Much of the game is filled with clever philosophical or artistic ideas that mock stupid beliefs or reference other entertainment.
Conclusion
One could literally play The Pre-Sequel for hundreds of hours and possibly still find grand new secret locations, special weapons, and easter eggs that help make it a very deep game in a series already brimming with gameplay depth. It accomplishes more than this: it makes one of the standout villains of recent gaming history a formerly heroic character whose descent into egoism and sadism is a reminder that all who try to use hypocritical methods to fight evil become evil themselves. No, it does not always reach the heights of Borderlands 2, but was that likely to happen begin with? Taken for what it is, The Pre-Sequel fits perfectly into the established universe of the series. Whether it is for the characters, humor, references to other works of entertainment, periodic philosophical comments, or the weapons, there is reason for fans of the franchise to play this game all the way through.
Content:
1. Violence: This might be the most bloody Borderlands game yet (I have not played Borderlands 3, so it might be more violent)! Blood spurts out from some biological enemies, even though there is little to no true gore.
2. Profanity: Words like "bastards" and "damnit" are used.
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