Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, the proven Borderlands fantasy spin-off
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
The Borderlands universe is always in a state of great turmoil. In these days the news is that even the third chapter of the series has reached and exceeded fifteen million copies sold and the success shows no signs of stopping. In this panorama made up of a thousand DLCs, Gearbox is almost ready to launch the new stand alone spin-off of the series, that Tiny Tina's Wonderlands that has found interest in fans since the announcement. On the other hand, the additional content dedicated to her in the second chapter is still considered the best of the saga, as well as one of the best DLC ever. It was therefore only a matter of time before the Texan developer decided to retrace his steps and put on a title that was totally the prerogative of the crazy Tina.We had the opportunity to try Tiny Tina's Wonderlands in preview for a few hours and we're ready to tell you what we think about it, for better or for worse.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: Tina's DnD That Tiny Tina is "adorably insane" has never been in doubt. She has always been represented as a crazy girl with a remarkable propensity for explosions, but also with a strong passion for fantasy and role-playing. Putting these premises together allowed Gearbox to work on a fantasy drift that combined the frenzy and the spasmodic search for the loot with the creation of a totally imaginary world in which Tina herself could cast all her most perverse fantasies.
We have no way to give you more information than we should, because our test allowed us to embark on the adventure already started and to enjoy a small portion of it, but it was enough to find the feeling with a now iconic narrative and that shows no sign of losing its bite. Via the star map of the third chapter and welcome to the map drawn by hand on a sort of parchment. The references to fantasy literature are powerful and, although the world does not seem to be very vast, the desire to deepen the kingdoms and races present is great.
On the other hand we cannot hide that, in spite of that that we expected, wandering around the "wonderlands" of Tina does not differ almost at all from what we have always done in Borderlands. If on the one hand this allows you to feel at home, on the other hand we would not have been sorry to find some more marked differences, both in terms of exploration and naked and raw gameplay. Basically if you still don't have enough of Borderlands this Tiny Tina's Wonderlands will make you feel at home. If, on the other hand, you were hoping to find a different variation of the Gearbox adventures, it is likely that you may be slightly more disappointed.
FPS Fantasy
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: fantasy structures are suggestive During our test we were able to test two different classes, ready for us in a very similar way to the tests carried out a few years ago for Borderlands 3. Once we had chosen the class we were catapulted into an area where our help was requested to resolve a diplomatic issue. We don't think it necessary to tell you that the only way to resolve the dispute turned out to be lead and it was at this point that we really felt at home, for better or for worse.Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is exactly what we know best, with the subtle but important difference of being all told by the madness of its omniscient protagonist, who tells a story and makes us live as if we had a dungeon master of DnD to follow our every move. Once this "reality" has been ascertained and digested, everything else appears exactly as we know it. You shoot a lot, collect trillions of weapons and accessories of different kinds and unlock new skills from the skill trees present.
We will return shortly to the progression, because it is on this aspect that we have noticed some small variations on the path , but it is in the feeling of the gunplay that we lost ourselves in the immense fun that Borderlands is still capable of giving. Thanks to the constant refinement of the shooting and the ability to always invent different weapons and opponents, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a blast, even if it still needs a bit of balance from the point of view of difficulty. At present there is too obvious a disparity even within the same categories of enemies, with some made of butter and others that do not hint at suffering even after having experienced the plagues of Egypt. Nothing to worry about, mind you, but it is clear that the game also requires a few sprinkles of balance here and there in order not to be frustrating, especially for new players who might approach a stand alone title like this.
For the rest, what we could see is exactly how we left it: the world is full of missions divided between main and secondary, with the possibility of moving at will for the maps and game areas interspersed with the usual, imperishable, walls of boundaries that require a short loading to switch from one zone to another. We had already explained in unsuspected times how this structure is now dated and anachronistic, but it is increasingly evident that Gearbox does not care too much about innovation as long as the formula continues to work and from this point of view they are clearly right.
Feeling in a role-playing game
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: skeletons are never lacking in a fantasy During the hours of our test we tried to understand the direction of growth of the different classes. We are not sure how much the progression was eventually blocked and how many elements we were not given to know, but unlike Borderlands 3 we have not noticed the presence of different branches of skills available. The whole leveling phase is very similar to the past. You accumulate experience points, level up and with skill points you acquire new skills and raise the level of those already in your possession. All within a screen that loudly recalls that of the previous chapters.What is changed in this case, probably to try to give that hint of role-playing game derived from the setting, is the presence of a second screen dedicated to the characteristics. In addition to skill points, hero points are in fact awarded, which can be spent on a series of stats ranging from strength to dexterity, passing through intelligence. Each of these affects an aspect of its protagonist and some defenses of him. It is impossible to get an idea now of how successful this mechanic is and how much it really affects what we already know. The two classes tested clearly started from very different characteristics: one more devoted to brute force, while the other tending to magic.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands promises to be an interesting hybrid, which however remains perhaps a bit too much anchored in the past. This same error had been noticed for Borderlands 3, but in the case of this spin-off we were hoping to see that extra twist that this road test did not give us. Net of this consideration, wandering around the world created by Tina's mind and pretending to play a great game in her personal Dungeons & Dragons remains an extraordinary inspiration and we are sure that having the opportunity to enjoy the entire adventure will also allow you to discover elements and situations that are as absurd as they are rewarding. This is why we can't wait to get our hands on the full title, now very little is missing!
