Thu. Mar 28th, 2024


Technically, this could be considered more of a sequel to a DLC mission that was released for the amazing “Borderlands 2,” one of the best games of the 2010s. 2K very robustly supported that game with new downloadable missions, worlds, and stories. One of them, released in June 2013, was called “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep,” which featured the character from the “Borderlands” world guiding a tabletop role-playing game called Bunkers and Badasses. She could modify the world like a dungeon master, shifting the gameplay as it unfolded. This critically acclaimed add-on became the basis for a whole game nine years later in “Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands,” which blends fantasy elements from Dungeons & Dragons into the world of “Borderlands.

To start, you don’t pick a vault hunter, pre-made character like in the other games, which allows for more customization from the very beginning. A player chooses a character class with upgradeable stats and skills, creating a more RPG-esque experience at the very core. In keeping with the fantasy theme, it also allows for the use of spells, which come in handy when one has run out of ammo and can’t afford to take the time to reload. New melee weapons, some with special skills of their own, along with armor and attribute-altering rings, make for a game in which you’re constantly adjusting your inventory to meet your gameplay preferences. And, once again, this “Borderlands” game is a deep loot collector—every mission involves finding new weapons or items that can be swapped out for firepower or purely for preference. The endless array of combinations in terms of character class, spells, and weapons create a game that could be played through multiple times in very different ways, giving it that sense of authorship that RPG fans really desire.

As for the story, it’s creatively buoyed by smart writing and A-list voice work. Ashley Burch returns to voice Tiny Tina in a plot that actually picks up right after “Dragon Keep.” Valentine (Andy Samberg), Frette (Wanda Sykes) and you, known as “The Newbie,” are about to defeat Tina’s big bad, the Dragon Lord (Will Arnett) when he (Tina really) derails the group’s chance for success by raising the dead. He is defeated by a legendary creature known as the Butt Stallion, which sort of restarts Tina’s adventure, allowing you to be the true hero of the tale. Of course, the Dragon Lord is awakened, and you will have to traverse fantasy worlds to stop him and save the city of Brighthoof from destruction.

By Dave Jenks

Dave Jenks is an American novelist and Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Between those careers, he’s worked as a deckhand, commercial fisherman, divemaster, taxi driver, construction manager, and over the road truck driver, among many other things. He now lives on a sea island, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, with his wife and youngest daughter. They also have three grown children, five grand children, three dogs and a whole flock of parakeets. Stinnett grew up in Melbourne, Florida and has also lived in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Cozumel, Mexico. His next dream is to one day visit and dive Cuba.