Summary
- Tiny Tina's Wonderlands failed to deliver on its promises and lost players' trust due to short, bite-sized DLCs and poor timing with their releases.
- The sequel needs to regain players' trust and move away from the Borderlands series to create a more unique and fantasy-focused experience.
- Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2 should feature more fantasy elements, creatures, and weapons to differentiate itself and capture the feeling of the beloved DLC, Assault on Dragon Keep.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands was a dream come true for many Borderlands fans when it was first revealed, as it seemed a standalone title that mixed the typical gun frenzy of Gearbox's looter-shooter series with the randomness of Tiny Tina and the success of Assault on Dragon Keep. Borderlands 2's Assault on Dragon Keep was arguably the single best DLC for what is widely considered the best game in the franchise, so expectations were high - but Tiny Tina's Wonderlands failed to deliver, for the most part, and especially with its expansions. As such, the newly leaked Tiny Tina's Wonderlands sequel shouldn't exactly be "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2," but rather embrace different aspects of its predecessor and other Gearbox games to become its own thing.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands had many good qualities, such as a deep and enjoyable character creation screen where players could go wild and make the weirdest protagonists imaginable, also featuring the option to change their appearance later on. The gameplay in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands was also fun, with spells effectively replacing grenades in Borderlands 3, while adding a nice touch to any build players could make and also a more diverse approach to fights as a whole. However, a sequel should learn from Tiny Tina's Wonderlands' shortcomings if it wants to be a successful and beloved entry.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2 Needs to Deliver on its Predecessor's Promises
Why Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Broke Players' Trust
One of the biggest issues a Tiny Tina's Wonderlands sequel faces is that players lost a lot of trust in the first title after it failed to deliver on its promises to enhance the endgame experience with plenty of new offerings. The main problem is that every DLC for the game was quite short - rather than full-blown expansions, which is what players expected based on the initial marketing for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, they got bite-sized content additions that didn't do enough to motivate them to keep playing.
The DLCs were also often poorly timed or simply announced for immediate release with little hype or momentum going for them, which in return didn't help their case. Many players had purchased the Chaotic Great Edition for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands expecting that it would be treated as a sort of live-service game based on the "season pass" label associated with its expansions, which were simply stated to come after launch. The four DLCs were instead delivered in a short span of time, and there was never a second season pass for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.
How Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2 Can Fix The Original's Problems
What follows is that many of those who pre-ordered Tiny Tina's Wonderlands may be skeptical about the sequel's ability to deliver, and things are made even messier with Embracer Group potentially selling Gearbox. Still, not only does a sequel need to impress and regain the trust of players, but it should also try and move away from Borderlands as a series to create something more unique. The main appeal of Assault on Dragon Keep in BL2 was that it felt like a Dungeons and Dragons spin-off for the franchise, and while Tiny Tina's Wonderlands partially recaptured that feeling, on the other hand, it also muddied the waters by heavily featuring gunplay and little fantasy elements.
There are many fantasy creatures for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2 to feature or at least take a closer look at, and that could help make it stand out compared to the original. More fantasy weapons rather than guns could also be a good idea. The sequel can and should double down on the positives of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, but the overall delivery should be different in order to make it more akin to what many players truly want - which is a standalone Assault on Dragon Keep.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 76%
- Released
- March 25, 2022
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Crude, Humor, Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
Embark on an epic adventure full of whimsy, wonder, and high-powered weaponry. Bullets, magic and broadswords collide across this chaotic fantasy world brought to life by the unpredictable Tiny Tina. Roll your own multiclass hero and loot, shoot, slash and cast your way through outlandish monsters and loot-filled dungeons on a quest to stop the tyrannical Dragon Lord. Tiny Tina is your disorderly guide through an extraordinary tabletop realm where rules rarely apply. Explore a vast overworld spanning majestic cities, dank mushroom forests, foreboding fortresses and more! Joining you at the table are headstrong captain Valentine and rule-obsessed robot Frette. During your quest to defeat the Dragon Lord, you'll meet a cast of lovable misfits like a lute-wielding Bardbarian and your very own Fairy Punchfather. Everyone's welcome, so join the party, throw on your adventuring boots and be Chaotic Great!
- Franchise
- Borderlands
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours
- Metascore
- 76
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
