Gearbox's latest shooter might not end in "lands," but it does share plenty of similarities with the developer's most well-known franchise.
That much is clear upon playing one of Battleborn's story missions, two of which are available in open beta. All the signature trademarks of Borderlands are there; the quirky (and potty-mouthed) humor, the stylized boss intros, the cartoony art style, an emphasis on cooperative play, the plethora of money and items that decorate the ground upon defeating enemies or bashing open a chest.
Those familiar elements should put fans of Borderlands who are unsure whether they might enjoy Battleborn a little at ease. No doubt, that's part of Gearbox's intentions. Battleborn is a new IP, and if it's to succeed, it's going to need some of the massive fanbase that Borderlands has garnered over the years.
That, however, is where the similarities end. While the two games share more than a few things in common on a surface level, Battleborn has more in common with a MOBA like League of Legends than with Borderlands. Instead of four classes to choose from, Battleborn presents a roster of more than two dozen heroes, each with different weapons, abilities, strengths and weaknesses.
Rather than select one character and level them up over the course of the entire game, players level up over the course of a single mission or a multiplayer match, slowly augmenting their hero on-the-fly to their liking. There are enemy minions to attack, bases to destroy, teamfights to be had and more, all of which will be instantly familiar to those who have played games like League of Legends or Heroes of the Storm.
The main difference is that it's all in first person. Rather than something like the third person MOBA Smite, Battleborn succeeds in that it feels like a shooter first, MOBA second. The moment to moment action is fast and fluid as you would expect from a game made by Gearbox. There are support heroes and pushing heroes, healing heroes and tank heroes, but they each feel powerful and dangerous, which isn't always the case in some MOBA-style games.
MOBAs are more than a little notorious for having steep learning curves as well, and Battleborn doesn't look to be an exception. The sheer number of heroes means that it will take time to learn what each one does and how to use (and fight) each one effectively. The idea of "minions" in general is likely new to more than a few players, as are many of the game's other MOBA trappings, such as capturing mercenary camps to help push lanes and destroy bases.
Given how complex MOBAs can be, it's surprising that there doesn't appear to be any kind of tutorial to give players the quick and essential information needed to understand what's going on. Battleborn throws a lot at players all at once, and it takes several rounds of the various multiplayer modes to truly get an understanding of what needs to be done at any given time. If you've never played a MOBA before, expect to be even more confused.
If the beta is any indication, there will be plenty for players to do in the full game. In addition to the various mulitiplayer game modes, the game's single player campaign looks to offer a good time for those who prefer co-op to versus. That being said, it's clear that the real meat and potatoes of Battleborn will be in the game's multiplayer arenas. Mastering a given character, tailoring their Helix augments just to your liking and going to town on the other team is simply a pleasure that isn't to be found fighting the AI minions and bosses presented in the game's story missions.
For those looking for customization outside of a mission or match, there is plenty to unlock on that front as well. Playing a hero repeatedly will increase their rank, unlocking new taunts and color variations. Curiously, lore about each given character is locked between various character-specific challenges, which seems like a needless aspect of the game to force players to unlock (though doing so does unlock additional cosmetic upgrades).
A gear system is in place as well to give players even more personalization over their heroes of choice. Gear is acquired from Loot Packs that can be scored from playing missions or purchasing packs with in-game credits. This gear isn't cosmetic, but instead functions more akin to something like Runes from League of Legends. Each piece of gear provides various passive bonuses in a match, like more health or faster reload speed. The catch is players must spend shards earned during the match to "equip" the various pieces of gear.
This is yet another element that Battleborn borrows from traditional MOBAs. Rather than having a universal item store in-match for players to use, players simply bring the store with them. Players can also choose to use those shards for turret defense in multiplayer matches or allied minions in the game's cooperative story mode.
It's a lot to take in. Battleborn is chaotic at the best of times and confusing at the worst. However, there is a certain addictive quality that MOBA-style games seem to create, and Battleborn manages to capture that essence while blending it with that signature Gearbox style that fans of Borderlands have come to love. It remains to be seen if Gearbox's spin on the MOBA genre will attract FPS fans or run them off, but Battleborn's open beta should at least help gamers decide.
The Battleborn open beta is currently available on PlayStation 4, with Xbox One and PC users gaining access to it on April 13. The beta ends for all platforms April 18.
Battleborn releases on May 3.
