Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands may be coming under fire for its approach to DLC, but the main game was a massive success for Gearbox. As such, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands seems poised to become a franchise, and there is a lot that could be done to make some follow-ups unique. With the next title, though, Gearbox should look to the past.
The first Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is set shortly after the events of Borderlands 2, which allows Gearbox to bring back the younger version of Tina while avoiding any other major events in the timeline. Considering that the main Borderlands games will likely keep featuring the older version of Tina, future Wonderlands releases could continue to be set after Borderlands 2. Filling out this seven-year gap could be a fun way to show Tina getting older over time, with Gearbox adding to her backstory to make her an even better character.
How Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2 Could Flesh Out Tina’s Backstory Further
One way that a Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands sequel could continue to expand upon its main character’s lore is through a flashback to her family’s death. Thus far, Gearbox has done an excellent job of showing how much Roland being killed impacted Tina. Beyond her family’s murder being revealed and Tina avenging them, though, fans have not gotten nearly as much insight into this part of her life.
While Tina clearly adored Roland and saw him as a father figure, she actually witnessed her family being tortured and killed, something that would undoubtedly be even more traumatic. Actually seeing this moment could be interesting, as fans have only heard recordings of what went down. Further, a look at a calmer Tina before anything bad happened could be contrasted with the over-the-top Tina fans know and love to create a memorable scene. While the unhinged Tina is incredibly likable, getting a glimpse at her life before everything fell apart could add another element of sadness to her story. A playable area similar to the one based on Krieg's tortured past from the Fantastic Fustercluck DLC could be a good way to show fans her family's death, too.
Speaking of Roland, Gearbox clearly wants to make sure that fans remember the connection between the Soldier and Tina. Roland returned as the Notetaker in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, with Gearbox revealing that he is the reason Tina grew to love Bunkers and Badasses in the first place. The developer did an excellent job of reminding fans of Tina’s loss without retreading the story of Assault on Dragon Keep, so it would make sense for Roland to be acknowledged once again in a sequel.
While fans have seen an adorable photo of the two together, and have gotten to hear them interact thanks to Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, seeing their first meeting could be an interesting scene. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2 could show the two become friends, and perhaps it could even highlight Tina’s original campaign where the Dragon Lord was the protagonist. This could make his story even more tragic while giving fans a lot more time with Roland and Tina, as gamers would be able to see them bond firsthand.
If Gearbox wanted to move on from the deaths in Tina’s life, it could still flesh out her backstory through sequels starring Frette and Valentine. After all, fans have no idea where these two characters went after the Bunkers and Badasses game. While it can be assumed that they moved on once their ship was repaired, they seemed to grow pretty close with Tina, so it would be odd if she never saw them again. It can be assumed that they had a substantial impact on her life, so learning more about them can simultaneously allow players to learn more about Tina. No matter what Gearbox does though, it will be fleshing out Tina’s backstory as long as the Wonderlands games are set between Borderlands 2 and 3, so there are plenty of routes to take.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
