I feel like a kid whose parents let him eat cake for breakfast, just to go and yarf in gym class. Not sure what that means? Hell me either, but I can tell you it is entirely possible to have too much of a good thing and 2022 is proving that in spades. In gaming, anyway. Gaming is the darling of the godforsaken pandemic/political nightmare we’re all living in. I’ve clocked 160 hours on Elden Ring alone, not to mention the time I've spent with Sifu, Horizon Forbidden West, the new Fortnite season, Pokemon Arceus, Dying Light 2, and so many more. Now, with the release of the truly stellar borderlands rule breaker Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, some (read: me) might wonder if I’ll ever go to the gym or breath fresh air every again. It’s too much and we need to slow down, but for now, I’m just going to keep yarfing in gym class.
Tina Tina’s Wonderlands is set in the borderlands world, through a dungeons and dragons tabletop adventure. Well, it's set in the borderlands view of a fantasy world, so it's a fictional world's view of a fictional world—which yes, gets as damn wacky as it sounds. It’s a full scale follow up to the 2013 release, Tiny Tina's Assault on the Dragon Keep, and man is it great to be back. Being a borderlands fan and just generally a huge nerd, the fantasy elements and more in depth role playing allows Wonderlands to break the tried and true (and somewhat exhaustive) gameplay loop of borderlands. Something about a fantasy world just makes grinding and looting feel better. The game melds the normal hack-and-slash chaos of borderlands with a goofy table top section that allows for some much needed relief along the way.
2K Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Chaotic Great Edition - PlayStation 5
Something else Tina Tina’s Wonderland absolutely aces is the masterful comedic writing. (Borderlands has always had some fantastic dialogue and world building, being one of the only games that consistently gets laughs in the middle of battles. Which is why it makes sense that there's a movie coming out with comedic legends like Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart attached.) And the writing here comes by way of a no-expenses-spared cast that would make the game worth playing even without the addicting journey. The game is led by Ashley Birch (Mythic Quest, Horizon Zero Dawn, Attack on Titan) as the titular Tiny Tina, and support features legends like Andy Samberg as Captain Valentine, Wanda Sykes as Frette, and Will Arnett as the Dragon Lord. A few other very recognizable voices pop up here and there but I won't spoil that for you.
As someone who always wants to play as a wizard, it's my favorite game in the borderlands series so far because I get to do just that. Add in the custom character build, and more expansive class system than the typical borderlands pre-built options with customizable skill trees and cosmetics, and it opens up a fresh leveling and growth system. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands proves that even with a game like Elden Ring out, Game of the Year designation is going to be a hot topic in 2022.
