Borderlands 4 can have a side story in the same vein as Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, and there would be a perfect narrative device to do so. Heading into its fifth installment, the Borderlands games need to keep coming up with ways to keep its fast-paced shooter gameplay fresh. Thankfully, 2022's Tiny Tina's Wonderlands offers the perfect twist. Even though both games hail from the same series, their stark differences may make the idea of combining the two seem odd. However, Borderlands 4 can incorporate the style of Wonderlands seamlessly alongside a more typical Borderlands adventure.
Even in the absurd world of Borderlands,Tiny Tina's Wonderlands' D&D-inspired adventure was a departure from the norm. An adventure full of guns, magic, and several fantasy tropes mashed together, Wonderlands is even more lighthearted than usual for the series. A lot of this has to do with both its setting taking place in a Dungeons & Dragons-styled tabletop RPG, as well as the presence of the bombastic Tiny Tina as the story's narrator. It's a less explicit experience than Borderlands' usual fare, as noted by its T rating, but that doesn't keep it from replicating Borderlands' usual high-energy fun.
Borderlands 4 Could Benefit From a Bit of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands' Brand of Over-the-Top Fun
The primary difference between Borderlands and Wonderlands is obvious. As silly as Borderlands and its goofy characters let themselves get, the worlds of Pandora and Bunkers & Badasses are incredibly different. This is especially the case following Borderlands 3, which featured a story that included the heartwrenching death of a previous vault hunter as well as a sacrifice that changed the series' status quo. In contrast to Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, even with the Dragon Lord acting of his own accord, the stakes remain low and the mood is still light throughout. Of course, there is also the fact that even in Borderlands canon,Wonderlands takes place in a fictional world.
This distinction makes Bunkers and Badasses a perfect side game for Borderlands 4. Aside from Borderlands 4's new story for its campaign, there could be a side mode where players can venture through a game similar to Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. The setup for such a scenario would be simple. The player character, either a vault hunter from the game or an unseen character like in Wonderlands, is playing a Bunkers & Badasses game with Tina as the game master. It could be a full side campaign to accompany the main story, and the player could switch between them at will depending on which story they'd rather advance.
Bringing a Wonderlands-style campaign into Borderlands 4 could be a good call. In addition to any other new ideas Borderlands 4 may have, the biggest perk would be Borderlands 4 essentially having two games in one, depending on the length of the Tiny Tina campaign. There could even be a reward for beating the Wonderlands campaign, like a LARPing themed gun or other piece of gear. If Borderlands 4 is set to have another dramatic story, then the ability to take a break with the unrelenting silliness of a campaign inspired by Tiny Tina's Wonderlands could be exactly what Borderlands 4 needs.
A successor to Tiny Tina's Wonderlands may be the best accompaniment to Borderlands 4, as unexpected as it may seem. Although Borderlands 4 shouldn't mimic Tiny Tina's Wonderlands too much, that's no reason to ignore the spin-off's influence entirely. Since Borderlands almost always manages to keep a tongue-in-cheek attitude, including a side game influenced by Wonderlands' fantastical brand of chaos is perfectly in line with the series' mission statement. After all, Bunkers & Badasses began as the setting for a Borderlands 2 DLC adventure. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands may not have a sequel yet, but Borderlands 4 could provide the next best thing.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
