It's been over half-a-decade since we got a proper new Borderlands game, and if there's one thing I've missed more than the loot, it's the vibe of the game. Borderlands has always served up a perfect cocktail of chaotic shootouts, co-op carnage, and outrageous weaponry, while dousing it all in cel-shaded madness. Now, with Borderlands 4 on the horizon, it finally feels like the franchise is ready to remember what made us fall in love with it in the first place.

I know that the $80 price tag caught everyone off guard. It's hard to pretend that it didn't sting a little, and I'm not emotionally (or financially) ready for the age of $80 standard edition games. Still, they slashed the price, and I'm willing to look past it for Borderlands 4, because it genuinely feels like the upcoming Gearbox title is bringing the soul back into a series that had lost a bit of it along its way.

Kairos is the fresh start this series needed

It is the perfect decision to make Borderlands 4 accessible to newcomers

Every Borderlands game has had one thing in bucketloads — personality, which oozed out of its environments. Whether it was Pandora or Promethea, the world has always felt amazing to explore, but it did feel like the characters and the world were trying a bit too hard by the time Borderlands 3 came around. To a point, it felt like the franchise was leaning and depending on its characters too much, and the humor fell completely flat. Now, I'm glad that Borderlands 4 is taking place somewhere brand-new with a totally fresh cast. Kairos looks like a beautiful new world to discover, and the right call to reframe the entire series.

By changing the location and crew, Borderlands 4 becomes something that lies between a sequel and a soft reboot. First, it doesn't alienate long-time fans like myself (hello, Moze, please return somehow). Secondly, it also gives new players a clean slate to jump in without having to trudge through three games' worth of homework (which I would still recommend doing just because of how incredibly fun the three games are).

After the terrible Borderlands movie fumbled the bag and left the franchise's name in a rough spot, this is the smartest move Gearbox could have made. Kairos is clean, bold, and the first time in a decade that I feel like the series is headed in a new direction.

Movement is king, and Kairos will be my playground

With its deep movement system, Borderlands 4 wants to reclaim the looter-shooter throne

Borderlands has always been about fast gunplay and crazy builds, but now, it looks like the game is finally realizing how important movement is in the modern FPS landscape. Between the omni-movement mechanics in Call of Duty and Valorant's movement mechanics, Borderlands 4 definitely needed to come back stronger than ever, not leaving anything up to chance. Thankfully, they haven't, because with Borderlands 4, you've basically got an entire movement toolkit from the get-go.

Grappling hooks, double jumps, sideways dashes, gliding, and even swimming — Borderlands 4 is offering up such different and impressive ways to traverse through its new world of Kairos, that it's clear the game wants to reclaim its throne at the top of the looter-shooter genre, and it's aiming to be the most mobile and dynamic entry in the franchise to get there.

With the bigger, more open world of Kairos, these traversal mechanics are certainly going to come in handy. Between these and the ability to summon your vehicle out of nowhere, the map feels a lot like Elden Ring's — not in look and feel, but the structure underneath, where every corner of the huge, beautiful open-world is teeming with purpose, a boss, and a unique reward. I'm positive that I'm going to be exploring Kairos because I want to, and not because a quest marker tells me to. If Borderlands 4 nails that, while, of course, keeping its core gunplay intact (which it always has, so no fear there), the game could very well become the new gold standard in the genre.

The Borderlands franchise sorely needed a darker tone and higher stakes

The new Borderlands game looks somber and grounded

Borderlands always managed to get a laugh out of me thanks to its dark humor (at least the first two did). I will always have my complaints about how the third game handled its humor and how contrived the setups and punchlines were, but the solid combat and gunplay made me look past it. With Borderlands 4, you can tell that the mood has shifted, and I say it's about damn time. The fourth mainline game is clearly looking more grounded in its approach, and The Timekeeper as the central antagonist already sounds ominous.

This tonal shift doesn't mean that the humor is gone from the franchise — it's still Borderlands, after all — but the previews show enemies, mechanics, and bosses that demand you engage your brain along with your firepower. Then, there's the story trailer, which immediately tells you that Borderlands 4 is going to be a serious affair — The Timekeeper looks like a dominant antagonist, and there's a revolution to ignite in a new world. I welcome that with all my heart — give me high stakes, give me weird lore, and give me a campaign that doesn't feel like a parody of itself (looking at you, Calypso twins).

If this is Gearbox turning the page and entering a new era of storytelling for the franchise, I'm completely locking in for the ride.

I can't wait to try out Borderlands 4's weapon system

There really was nothing quite like Borderlands 1 and 2

When the first Borderlands came out, it gave us a wild, Mad Max-esque world with the kind of looting Diablo had. On top of it all, it had undeniable bucketloads of charm, which helped the game run laps around other shooters. The first game never took itself seriously, and that was the most wonderful thing about it — it just wanted players to have a good time blowing stuff up. Then came Borderlands 2, and suddenly, everything leveled up. The humor hit harder, the story had more heart, and Handsome Jack became one of the most unforgettable villains of all time. Between Vaas and Handsome Jack, 2012 was a great year for video game villains, I'll say.

Now, it really feels like Borderlands 4 is gearing up to finally give us more of the same, and I'm ready to forget about the problems I had with the third game, its DLC, and New Tales from the Borderlands.

There's a new build system I'm incredibly excited about, which blends skill trees and weapon modding in a way that looks incredibly nuanced. Now, this could just be me, but the new menus look way too much like a generic looter-shooter in the previews, and I really hope they change it to become something that stands out more, reflecting the game they're in. With the new weapon system being as diverse as ever in Borderlands 4, I can't wait to min-max a weapon until it feels broken in the best way possible.

Borderlands 4 feels like it's ready to run it back, stronger than ever

My wallet and library are ready for September 12

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Borderlands 4 feel different. Is it the subdued tone of the trailer? Is it the fact that the characters aren't screaming their heads off like it's a cartoon? Or maybe is it because it feels like the devs stopped chasing the algorithm and remembered what made Borderlands special in the first place? This blend of stylized chaos with the franchise's trademark sci-fi melancholy finally seems like it's coming together as it should, and I can sense hints of a strong heart and soul underneath it all.

It might not be perfect, and it might not even be top 2, but Borderlands 4 makes me feel like the franchise is reloading with a purpose for the first time in years. We've got local split-screen co-op on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S once again, some narrative intrigue peppered through the trailers, and a tone that isn't just loud, but feels layered, instead. Someone, somewhere at Gearbox, still gets it. That's all I need to believe again.

I've got seventy bucks neatly set aside for Borderlands 4

From the somber tone and smart writing, to the brand-new world of Kairos and the deep weapons system, along with movement that feels truly next-gen, Borderlands 4 is shaping up to be the cleanest and boldest (soft) reset that Gearbox has attempted in years.

Every single preview so far makes it look like they get it this time around, and I can't wait to get it in my hands (or my library). Strap me in, because I am ready. We are so back, Claptrap old friend.