The Loveable Borderlands Meta-Fantasy Spinoff 

From the award-winning 2012 first-person shooter, Borderlands 2, ten years later, Gearbox Software present a rowdy, adrenaline-boosting spinoff called Tiny Tina’s Wonderland. To be more specific, the video game is actually based on Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC. 

However, where Tiny Tina’s Assault on the Dragon Keep was a fun expansion, this version is a crazy, meta-game based on the original Borderlands 2. The world takes place in a tabletop game played by the Borderlands 2 characters. In fact, at one point, there’s a funny side mission where players have to move a cheese puff out of their way because one of the characters drops it on the board game and fails to notice.

The title has made it onto Polygon’s best games of 2022 list, and the placement is well deserved. The game is full of similar antics, emitting the Borderlands humor and spirit players know and love. As a matter of fact, some gaming critics have mentioned how the hilarious writing and character development was the stand-out feature of Tiny Tina. Of course, that is up for debate, as many players have praised the newest release for its imaginative weapons, spectacular graphics, and successful fantasy twist. 

Fantasy Twist

Since Tiny Tina’s Wonderland is basically Dungeons and Dragons for Borderlands characters, with Tiny Tina as the dungeon master of sorts, the game takes on a high fantasy setting that still blends Borderlands’ classic sci-fi features.  

Applaud imaginative blend with science fiction and high fantasy, how weapons are hilarious and true to borderlands impressive weapons selection. While remaining a fantastic first-person shooter to the likes of titles such as Destiny 2, Tiny Tina’s Wonderland incorporated innovative plays on weaponry. 

For example, one of the weapons in the game is a shotgun that offers fireballs when gamers run out of ammo. There are other unforgettable weapons including enchanted frying pans and medieval-inspired crossbows. Another interesting thing developers seemed to switch was grenades, which in the world of Tiny Tina appear as spells or weather-controlling powers like tornadoes and hail storms. 

Surprisingly, blending high fantasy with classic science fiction turned out to work quite well in the game’s favor. Critics and gamers alike claimed that the two genres complement each other quite well and that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands felt right at home in the library of Borderlands titles. 

However, gamers have complained that this version is a bit too much like the original Borderlands games. For example, where the Goliath enemies in the original Borderlands titles grow stronger and more destructive as players attempt to kill it, the same rampage-loving enemies can be seen in Tiny Tina, but as cyclops. Many of the assets and infrastructures are similar if not exactly the same, making the gameplay entertaining albeit repetitive for big Borderlands fans. 

New Features

Tiny Tina’s Wonderland has a couple of new gameplay features that have gotten a love/hate from different audiences. As many players know, understanding what mechanics a game offers ahead of time makes the experience much more enjoyable than going in blind. Of course, this is a general opinion, but that doesn’t mean it’s everybody’s opinion. Many players enjoy the surprise, especially with exploratory sandbox-style games, where the surprises are the entire point of playing. 

However, some crowds enjoy knowing ahead of time, which tends to be the case with online games such as slots, which offer features such as Wilds, Scatters, Multiplier Symbols and Free Spins. That’s just one of the few dos and don’ts to watch out for; other “dos” include knowing which device to play on and checking the game’s RTPs. In the case of Tiny Tina, these new features have attracted new audiences while turning off others. For readers who want to maintain the element of surprise, scroll to the next section!

For dos and dont’s enthusiasts, here’s the scoop: Tiny Tina introduced a couple of new features including an explorable overworld. A bobblehead avatar topples around the world, looking for side missions, which works as a nice buffer between intense first-person combat sessions. While in the overworld, players can coincide with enemies, which leads to something called Combat Encounter. 

The combat encounters have been unpopular for some gamers because they trap players in one on one battles and aren’t able to leave until they’ve wracked up enough kills. While it’s a great way to earn loot, players claim it doesn’t show new parts of the world, enhance the story, or challenge combat methods. 

Outstanding Comedy Writing

While the new features are a hit or miss, everyone agrees that the stand-out best part of Tiny Tina’s Wonderland is the hilarious writing. Featuring a dynamic cast including Will Arnette, Wanda Sykes, and Andy Samberg, the game hosts a variety of wacky, charmingly annoying characters. With arrogant villains, rule-loving characters, and seemingly innocent party members, Tiny Tina promises the most hearty laughs out of all the Borderlands games. 

In fact, many gamers mention that the script alone is what makes the game memorable and original. Besides the quirky missions where characters become overly paranoid of each other or go on a witch hunt for a character with a bizarre hat, the script is chock-full of smart writing tailored for gamers. Without giving away any spoilers, Tiny Tina’s Wonderland squeezes in easter eggs, inside jokes, and hilarious banter everywhere it can. A word of advice look for the red text, that’s where some of the best lines are.