Tiny Tina’s Wonderland Preview – Mage Against the Machine
Since childhood, tiny Tina’s Wonderland has been the Borderlands spinoff game I’ve been waiting for. Borderlands was a significant part of my childhood, and I played Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 2 many times during university. Borderlands 3 will not be discussed. Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, while very much its title, borrows heavily from Borderlands, feels a lot more heroic and fantastical this time. It feels very different from Borderlands 2. However, it has been eight years since Borderlands 2 was released. I welcomed this new experience with open arms.
Borderlands, but Fantasy?
2K graciously allowed me to access a preview version of Tiny Tina’s Wonderland. This gave me unlimited, full access to Mount Craw. Although this area is not part of the entire game, it allowed me to complete the main plot quest and side quests and experiment with puzzles and collectables. I saw a few things while roaming Mount Craw for the five hours I was there: dragons, elemental weapons, a political goblin-versus-trolls movement, and many more. Although the environment was not significantly different from its spiritual predecessors, it felt more significant. I imagined what the main areas in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands map might look like, considering that the Mount Craw area is more of an option.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is not, in essence, a Borderlands title. However, many of the menus and mechanics remained the same. It wasn’t easy to accept this fact. The preview made me feel like everything I loved about Borderlands games was being reimagined, with the addition of new, magical enemies and elemental abilities that can be combined with magic-infused weapons. It felt almost like Borderlands had been merged with Skyrim. Tiny Tina’s Wonderland has the same humour and notoriously hard-working humour that we loved about Borderlands. But there’s also magic, dragons, and so many goblins. I’m eager to discover what other creatures are waiting in the Wonderlands.
Viva La Revolution
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands preview build consisted primarily of liberating a group of goblins from their oppressed workers, looting all within arms reach, and even dying a lot. Perhaps it was the liberal nature of the project, Jar the goblin, my companion, or the fact that their movement was called G.T.F.O. It kept me thinking back to the horror-survival title I loved so much. This quest was entertaining and satisfying in any case, and it showed me how fun and fast-paced these games could be.
The quest was a great way to look forward to the revolutions that I would be participating in and if there are more. Gearbox Software, the creators of Borderlands, are no strangers to making fun of generalised political hardships and using it in their games. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is no exception.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderland stuck to a familiar formula in gameplay and narrative. However, the addition of fantastical elements has made a huge difference. Although I doubt that the game’s fantasy nature of the freedom of goblins from oppression will appeal to everyone, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will make many happy. It’s still a lot of the same, even if it isn’t. It’s a significant improvement over Borderlands 3.
