Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGearbox Humor and Mayhem, Toned Down For Teens
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2016
This is a game from the makers of the Borderlands series (1 and 2), and where those games went over the top (gaining them absolutely deserved M ratings) the goal with Battleborn is clearly to capture the same sort of humor with edge and sass, without treading the crude line so harshly, or indulging in the blood and gore.
The game is a first person shooter with multiplayer battle arena conventions. There's a cooperative campaign mode (with freely replayable missions which scale in difficulty for number of players and self-selected levels) that offer up progression, and competitive multiplayer matches, which pit players against each other (and swarms of AI opponents) with a different set of rewards at stake.
Players progress every match anew, building their "helix" as they see fit as they progress with their chosen hero (25 at launch, 5 more confirmed), but also rank up their chosen hero's permanent level, as well as their own global rank. This triple level setup means there's always something to strive for, even if only increasing the power of a hero within a single session.
But beyond that, there's gear... Because, Gearbox.
Gear is most easily earned via cooperative games (where gear is dropped by defeated enemies and earned through successful completion of the missions) , but can also be grabbed after completing competitive matches and acquiring currency sufficient to purchase bonus packs. These random packs scale in price with the quality and quantity of loot they offer, and are available in the generic sort, as well as those specific to one of the five factions. With the booster pack gear mechanic and loot drops in missions there's plenty of options for players to go hunting for the perfect loadouts for their favorite heroes.
Which, of course, will vary by player preference. There's a lot of variety in playstyle available across the 25 options. Each faction's Battleborn share a theme, but there are major differences even within that loose idea which ties the heroes together. Melee, run-and-gun, sniper, support... options abound.
Not that everything is given to you on a silver platter. No, the options to start with are a bit more sparse. With a selection of the available heroes unlocked from the get-go, there's a ton of incentive to meet unlock requirements for a specific hero, or to work on advancing through the global command rank in order to get all of them.
But, wait, there's more.
Remember, each character has a persistent level, which is gained through play as that individual. Well, that gets you not just neat taunt and color fluff (also available from loot packs) but unlocks new helix choices. So true masters of a character won't just have experience on their side, they'll also be able to choose from three options a certain number of times each game.
The initial verdict? Fun. Frenetic. Addictive. A must-buy for anyone looking for a stylish shooter with a lot of flexibility and depth.
