Borderlands 3's Season Pass Expands the Universe, But Not the Fun

Afterward waiting the better part of a decade, fans finally got their hands on Borderlands iii last year, and the response was…polite. Information technology was more than Borderlands, which was all nigh people actually wanted, but most weren't particularly diddled away. That's certainly how I felt (catch up on my 7.5 out of ten review here). The game ended up with a 78 on Metacritic, so my stance wasn't an outlier.

Of course, Borderlands games take ever offered a healthy array of mail-launch content and Borderlands 3 carries on that tradition with a $50 Season Laissez passer. The fourth and final DLC entrada, "Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck," launched this past Th, and so it's the perfect fourth dimension to wait back at the Borderlands 3 Season Laissez passer equally a whole. Is this DLC Legendary or not worth a spot in your inventory?

Note: This is an opinion piece, and thus non as detailed a full, scored review would be. Since we didn't review each Flavor Pass entrada equally they came out, I felt more than of a full general overview would be more fitting.

As I laid out in my Borderlands 3 review, the action is equally good, if not better, than information technology's ever been, but the game feels rather disjointed in terms of level blueprint and storytelling. While good ol' Pandora still allows for some open-world exploration, the other planets you visit are mostly a series of long, rather linear dungeons. Y'all run down an empty narrow corridor until y'all come to a more open up area, impale the enemies in that location, collect your ammo and boodle, then head down the next narrow corridor. Rinse and repeat until you get to the boss. In terms of writing, it's a very "And and then…" blazon of story. Some things happen, and and then other things happen, without much of an overarching plot to speak of. Borderlands iii feels very episodic, like DVD box set or Netflix series, rather than a cohesive movie. Unfortunately, the Borderlands 3 Flavor Pass just intensifies this feeling.

Make no fault, Gearbox has cooked up some clever scenarios for the Season Laissez passer. "Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot" leads players on a tour of the deceased villain'south abandoned casino, "Guns, Love, and Tentacles" invites you to Sir Hammerlock and Wainwright Jakobs' wedding, which happens to take identify on planet overrun Lovecraftian horrors, "Bounty of Blood" mashes Western and samurai tropes into a tasty grindhouse stew, and "Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck" takes you inside the mind of a Psycho.

Gearbox has gone all out on each of these DLC campaigns, serving up an array of unique and imaginative locations, ranging from the neon hell of the Handsome Jackpot casino, to the eerie cultist-infested Cursehaven, to the depraved, twisted flesh-and-bone worlds inside of Krieg's head. In terms of story, "Tentacles" is probably the best campaign of the bunch, as it features some genuinely creepy atmosphere and some nice character moments for fan-favorites similar Sir Hammerlock and Gaige. "Krieg" is the runner upwards, as information technology ventures into some trippy territory and actually manages to reveal some new facets of what's traditionally been a rather one-note character. Past comparison, "Handsome Jackpot" feels a scrap empty without the human himself, and "Bounty of Blood" doesn't really ascent above its clichés.

So yes, Borderlands 3's Season Pass content is inconsistent, merely information technology has moments that are better than anything in the core game. Unfortunately, none of the Season Pass campaigns are actually unique or exceptional enough to raise Borderlands 3 to another level. Each campaign takes you to a new planet or location, and as in the original game, level design tends to be linear to a error. There is a somewhat larger open surface area to explore in Compensation of Claret, just otherwise, you're once once more beingness shuttled down enemy-filled corridors. The window dressing changes, but the missions remain the same. As with the cadre Borderlands 3 feel, I finished each Flavor Pass campaign in around four of 5 hours, and was content to put the controller down. I wasn't drawn to explore, circular upwards sidequests, and search for ever-better-loot similar I was with Borderlands 2.

Borderlands 3 feels like a solid pitch for a TV series or expanded universe, merely every bit a game, information technology never comes together as a cohesive whole, and the Flavour Pass doesn't change that. If you loved the cadre Borderlands 3 experience, or find the Super Deluxe Edition (which includes the Flavour Laissez passer) for cheap, and then past all means, go for it. That said, if Borderlands 3 left you lot a flake lukewarm, the Season Laissez passer isn't going to be the napalm that reignites your passion.

Gearbox has announced there will be some other paid Borderlands 3 DLC, although this 1 will focus on new modes and expanding the skill trees of the game'due south four Vault Hunter classes.