Borderlands has had a huge impact on the gaming industry since its inception and is a crown jewel of the looter-shooter genre. From its diverse playing style, its iconic characters and the huge community it mustered over the years, the franchise has surely reached a strata of its own.
A new contender for this crown has risen from the same house that Gearbox built i.e. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. To the uninitiated, this looks very similar to Borderlands but there are many subtle differences that give this game its own identity that the fans of the previous series wanted to know. Let’s see what these are!
Is Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Like Borderlands?
Both Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and Borderlands 3 are looter shooters made by the same developers and share a universe. They have a similar cell-shaded art style and revolves around some of the same characters. The formula might look the same but there are some crucial differences that can either rope you in or won’t gel with you.
Story Setting
Borderlands was set in a sci-fi post-apocalyptic setting where characters were fighting for power. The game always had this tongue in cheek way of showcasing its diabolical characters and the humor was in the same vein.
With Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, the story has been flipped to high fantasy and you are playing a Dungeons & Dragons type of tabletop game with the titular Tiny Tina dictating the events of the story. Keeping her craziness and setting in mind get ready for many fantasy tropes to be hurled at you with the Borderlands coat of paint.
Classes
Borderlands had a good selection of classes to choose from and further specialize in particular builds. From the start, you had to choose one and mold it to your liking. In Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, the classes are 6, to begin with you have to select one, but later down the line, you will be given the option to carry two classes at the same time. This alone gives so many options and freedom to create a hybrid build. Coming up with new and unique combinations will surely tickle the fancy of the community. Already the internet has started to experiment.
We have a complete guide on all the classes in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands here.
Weapons
I’d be selling it short if I were to say Borderlands has been known for its guns. With an advertised 1 Billion guns, it’s safe to say that guns play an integral role in the success of this franchise. While guns are somehow cramped in the world of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, the settings have also given way to melee weapons as well. So along with some truly amazing guns, you can get your hands on some legendary fantasy weapons and build your character around a more in-your-face kind of approach to dealing with the enemies.
Also read: How to Get the Apex Crossbow in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Grenades vs Spells
Borderlands also housed many types of grenades, and they too had their own distinct identity like those of the guns. These were your go-to tools whenever you see a group of enemies standing close to each other. They required ammo pick-up to replenish their number.
In Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, these grenades are replaced with spells in line with the fantasy cliché. These spells have a cooldown mechanic attached and don’t require any ammo, can be used perpetually if you want. Some spells can even become an integral part of your overall build hence their utility far exceeds that of the grenades.
Open World Design vs Table Top Approach
Where previously the Borderlands series had an open-world kind of map design, where vast areas were traversable when moving from one objective to another, this time around the focus is more straightforward.
Though the levels in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands are also grandiose, but the moving about has been made limited. The new addition is the D&D style tabletop overworld where you control a miniature. Here, like its muse, the game can plop you into random encounters and altercations which result in small combat-focused maps. Some people will have a swell time going around guns-blazing but others might miss the relatively quiet moments of Borderlands.
What did you think about this comparative analysis of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and Borderlands? What changes do you feel between the two games? Let us know in the comments below.
Thank’s for posting this, was on the fence about Tiny Tina.