Tiny Tina's Wonderlands - How to Make Something New

Let's be honest. It can really feel like gaming companies are running out of ideas. I just bought Rune Factory 5, and I'm having more fun than I probably should be, but I have to say you can only use that amnesia story so many times before it feels old. Now, I want to preface this whole blog by saying I haven't yet had the honor of playing Gearbox Software's newest addition to the repertoire of shooters because it doesn't get here until tomorrow and all the stores around me are sold out and I'm very upset. But that's besides the point. What I wanted to look at, specifically, was how Tiny Tina's Wonderlands used their own style of weird to draw to create a new and interesting game.

The first thing that really stands out, just like every Borderlands game, is the writing. The writing is just... beautiful. Gearbox has always known how to have fun with their plot and characters while not going overboard and making them too annoying or overbearing. The biggest takeaway from the trailer

Credit: Gearbox Software

is that we're in for interesting narrations by some enthusiastic characters. The studio always goes above and beyond with trying to make the player laugh at least once in a playthrough. It doesn't matter if it's a witty one liner from a villain or a wacky side character, you're going to have something to smile about. Honestly, a part of me is looking forward to Tina's lines just as much as I'm looking forward to the shooting and exploding.

The other part that really makes this game feel like something new is their use of Dungeons and Dragons. As a huge fan of the game myself, I've always had a special love for those rpg's that feel like just enough high fantasy and just enough character customization - especially with deep skill trees. A lot of games unknowingly draw from D&D too. This is the exact opposite of that and I love every part of it. We do get a lot of character customization but it's not a game that's like D&D, it's just D&D - or B&B, as the game calls it. I've never seen a game like this and I have to say, I'm thrilled. It feels amazing to see D&D, which was just some nerdy thing me and my friends did on the weekends, get pulled into the spotlight like this.

Credit: Gearbox Software

There's a lot more we could talk about for this game, just from the trailers and the first hour or so of gameplay, the art being a personal favorite of mine, but these were the first two things that really stuck out to me. Gearbox Software took their style of weird fun and lent it out to another game and made it feel like something new for the players who may not be overly familiar with the Borderlands series. At the same time, they took Dungeons and Dragons, something a whole lot of games draw from and said... you know let's just play some B&B. It's fun, it's new, and I can't wait to get my hands on my copy when it comes in.

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If you're interested in Dungeons and Dragons, check out my Vox Machina Review!