Preview: Borderlands 4 returns to the roots of the franchise (and it feels good)

With Borderlands 4, Gearbox Software openly wants to be reconciled with his ex-gains by returning to the atmosphere of the first episode, while continuing to modernize the gameplay. We were able to discover this rebalanced mixture during the Gamescom 2025 on the occasion of a 20 -minute demo at Nvidia, on the sidelines of the main event, and the circumspection quickly gave way to fun, even if we have to specify that we were only able to cross a series of arenas which seems to take place towards half (or more) of the intrigue.

Thus, we had the right to take the hunter of the ark of our choice before going to zigouille several waves of golden antagonists with a selection of handpicked guns. Not easy to take charge of this arsenal since each weapon has its little whims. It’s normal: Borderlands 4 preserves the franchise formula. Sensitive to mascots, we have taken the vex mermaid, and its strips are not commonplace: shotgun to throw on the opponents between each burst, pistol-mixer who vomits black holes, assault rifle that alternates between frost damage and radioactive damage … Many weapons have an alternative shooting mode to recharge on duration, and the solution seems rather clever, kinds of additional skills to be equipped.

Likewise, Borderlands 4 To the excellent idea of ​​grouping explosives, heavy weapons and other weapons to launch in a single location to be equipped. Grenado launcher or sticky grenades with plasma, you must choose. Here again, the solution is elegant, and if the frame of demo does not allow to assess the real interest of loot or builds, this first contact inspires good things. In the novelty department, there are also grapples, double jumps and other travel capacities that make the clashes a bit more frantic.

And frantic, that’s the word! Enemies soldiers disembark on all sides to come and pour out our sides. Luckily, Vex is an invocator, and I can generate clones armed with machine guns to accumulate the elementary effects from afar or call the mower in person in order to take the aggro and inflict heavy damage. Borderlands 4 Sometimes slightly lacking in pep under the trigger, but the overall balance is rather well managed. Strategy and Bourrinism end up alled under a limited quantity – Thank God – replicas of our protagonist. In the end, only one big defect to be noted: the sound mix, which was poorly spatialized in this version, and gave a little the impression of running in a haunted house filled with extras when only one peon left on the other side of the arena. Nothing impossible to correct in the final version.

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