There’s no question that the long-awaited Borderlands 2 lived up to every bit of its potential, and then some. Featuring hours worth of gameplay, seamless co-op support through both online and split-screen, and a storyline that kept you intrigued – while smiling – around every turn, it really lived up to the hype. So it should be no surprise then that 2K Games, the publisher of the franchise, wants to keep that rush going, but this time it’s looking to do it on a mobile front. You ready to wear out your device batteries vault hunting in the back seat of the car? Sure you are.
Yesterday, Entertainment Weekly ran a special first look at 2K’s Borderlands Legends, a game that takes the theory of mayhem-filled shooting and collecting treasures along the way and has formatted it so that it can work in iPad and iPhone devices. The mantra of the game still remains intact – stay alive while you wipe out enemies and exceed your special abilities – but this time, rather than playing through a first person perspective, you’re wiping out enemies in a top-down style shooter. And from what we’ve seen so far, the format works tremendously.
The original vault hunters from Borderlands 1 – Mordecai, Roland, Lilith and Brick – make their return in this game, and though the story hasn’t been unveiled as of yet (we’re guessing it’ll possibly include events that tie the first Borderlands to the sequel), many of its enemies will, including the likes of Spider Ants, the Crimson Lance, and a fair share of Bandits and Skags to make your life miserable. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll also have to deal with a Hellhound over the course of the game, which fills the entire screen and, as expected, takes a mother load of damage. Pack your best weapons for this one.
The skill trees are based on the original Borderlands, from what we could tell by the first details of the game. You’ll be able to choose three action skills right off the bat, while also working to improve your six additional abilities. Throughout the course of the game, you’ll level up effectively, pushing your skill tree to new boundaries and eventually becoming more powerful in the process. Considering how you could really level up players in the original game, this is a huge plus, especially considering that this is, in essence, a mobile effort, compared to one of Gearbox’s multi-tiered console developments. You just gotta say “wow” to that.
But wait, there’s more. Like in the game, you’ll be able to stop and shop at a number of vendors, in case you require weapon upgrades, which are quite useful, especially against bigger behemoths like that Hellhound. Expand a weapon’s range and firepower, or just go with something new entirely – the choice is yours. You’ll also be able to pick up secondary tools for the job, as well as health restorations, which you’ll need when things get tough. And, boy, do they.
While it sounds like it doesn’t differ too much from the original game, there is an element to Borderlands Legends that stands out on its own – team control. Rather than just controlling one member of the team and taking them out alone into action, you instead change up control among all four members, gaining access to their abilities almost immediately. So if you want to use Lilith’s warp capabilities can stun an enemy for a second, and then bring in Brick to clean house, that’s entirely up to you. The potential of this alone is staggering, even if it does kind of rule out the possibility of teaming up with a friend. Ah, well, you’ve got the console versions for that, right?
On top of that, Borderlands Legends also introduces a new strategic cover system, enabling you to hide from incoming shots from groups of enemies as you figure out your next move. While that might not seem like a truly ideal addition, you’ll be thanking 2K for including it when you’re flanked under gunfire.
Though we have yet to see the game in full hands-on action, the visuals we were shown through screenshots are really impressive. There’s a lot of chaos going on in the action images, and the weapon/health menus look relatively easy to read, so you should have no trouble making your decisions and moving on. We’re guessing it’s bound to run even smoother on the new iPad and iPad Mini models, thanks to the graphic processing power they possess. We’ll see soon enough.
Though Legends probably won’t make you quit Borderlands 2 anytime soon, it appears to be a pleasant diversion when you aren’t near a console. Plus, it looks to be a steal for $6.99, especially with what it’s packing under the hood.
Look for Borderlands Legends on October 31st, next week. And here’s hoping Claptrap shows up somewhere…
