Shane
Vault hunters, there’s a lot of loot to be found on your Nintendo Switch, oh and like a bazillion guns on offer in 2K Games’ Borderlands 3.
Almost 12 months since first exploding on consoles and PC Borderlands 3 takes us back to Pandora on Nintendo’s portable The post apocalyptic wastelands dotted with outposts, rebels, rascals, cannibals and cybernetics.
The cross fused genre bending FPS RPG gives you the options of selecting your hero from four character classes; Fl4k who is mostly robot and has a penchant for Beasts, Amara who summons ethereal magic to battle with, Moze the ‘Gunner’ and a gadget wielding Operative.
With Handsome Jack long deceased and the fall of the Hyperion Corporation, you are guided for the most part by the memorable, witty and super annoying Claptrap droid as you pursue the long rumoured vaults containing tech and treasure.
The legend of these Vaults that contain an extreme wealth of booty has been the cause of demise for many a explorer (and Corporation), so naturally, you’re as keen as any of them to locate and pillage.
But you have an obstacle. Well… two.
Troy and Tyreen Calypso, who gave birth to the loosely organised group called ‘Children of the Vault’. A violent and crazed member filled series of satellite factions all made up of most of the bandits and no-gooders sprawled throughout Pandora – in search of the holy grail called the Great Vault.
You are answering the recruitment call by Lilith (Borderlands) who is in charge of the Crimson Raiders. A resistance movement designed to protect Pandora and any treasures within.
A multitude of missions are laid out in the free roam, destroy anyone and anything planetary explorer title with a huge RPG element.
Both your character (that you have chosen), weapons and unique abilities are upgrade-able via a simple to use skill tree. Further items can be purchased in-game, with in-game currency that you loot, at stores and/or traders.
Perks not only make up the voluminous amount of ‘a billion guns’ within Borderlands 3 but can add elemental power-ups aswell.
Online co-op has reduced from the console version, from four players to now only two in a squad, or single player offline equally results in the realisation of just how massively over-the-top super large and expansive the glorious cell-shaded Borderlands 3 is.
You will not always stay on Pandora and will gain access to a space-craft and go intergalactic. Remember, there’s Vaults on other planets too…
Borderlands 3 is an excellent port on to Nintendo Switch. For the main campaign play, everything is there, graphically looking mint with little to o watering down that I can see.
The characters that we know and love from Borderlands 1 and 2 feature as NPC’s – and I have to admit is a welcoming familiarity as you encounter personalities from the past, making you feel like you are a part of an epic legacy.
Borderlands 3, has a truck load of crazed and enthusiastic love put into this third edition, and this has spilled over in to this new fresh port, which also includes the DLC.
Your quests are before you Hunter – get looting, do a lot of shooting at home or on the go.
Released: October 2023
Rating: M15+
Platforms reviewed: Nintendo Switch
Genre: FPS, RPG
Developer: Gearbox
Publisher: 2k Games