Borderlands 2, the hit game from Gearbox Software, was a watershed moment for the FPS/RPG genre, cementing the notion that loot-shooters with RPG aspects could work mechanically while also telling a great story. Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep took that one step further by putting fantasy elements into the mix, telling a heartfelt story of grief while teasing new combat possibilities.
Now, over eight years after its initial release, players have the opportunity to jump into Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure as a standalone game before the next big Bunkers & Badasses adventure, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, hits shelves next March. And after jumping back into this adventure myself, I can safely say that it holds in just about every way.
Story
There are a lot of wonderful things I could say about Borderlands 2, but what stands out the most even today is how much better its story was over the original game. Not only were several returning characters expanded in new and exciting ways, but the original four Vault Hunters were now fully fleshed out NPCs with dialogue and stories all their own.
What Borderlands 2 did best, though, was balance humor with honest emotion, and its depiction of loss and trauma were truly inspired. The relationship between Siren and Jack remains one of the strongest moments of video game character development I’ve ever seen. And, of course, there’s the death of Roland.
I included all of that because Roland’s death plays a huge part in Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep (TTADK), and it’s impossible to discuss the game’s story without referencing the plot point. Because this game is ultimately about grief and how a 13-year-old girl copes with that all-consuming emotion.
Sure, there’s plenty of humor, from dice falling out of the sky and crushing people to Mr. Torgue (that’s his first name) crashing the game and causing all sorts of mayhem for our heroes. But the main thrust of the game’s narrative deals with Tina’s obstinate denial around Roland being gone. She even goes so far as to include him in the game, casting him as a heroic knight aiding the heroes on their journey.
It’s a powerful bit of storytelling and not something I expected from the studio that brought us Butt Stallion (who is also featured in this game). Bunkers & Badasses is a game about imagination and fantasy, allowing Tina to funnel her overwhelming grief into something constructive. She’s willing to lose herself in this adventure if it means not having to reckon with the loss of her friend.
It’s also painful for the other characters playing the game, as Roland was their friend and fellow Vault Hunter. The pain they feel is clear when trying to gently remind Tina that Roland won’t be joining the game, and their patience wears away as the game goes on. The final moments of the game, and Tina’s ultimate acceptance of his passing, still pack an emotional punch that had me on the verge of tears.
Gameplay
The moment-to-moment gunplay in TTADK is largely untouched from the base Borderlands 2 experience, which isn’t a bad thing by any means. It does feel a bit stale in a post-Borderlands 3 world, though, especially in terms of mobility. Borderlands 2 never had a slide or mantle mechanic, and neither does TTADK.
That said, nothing about this slight bit of rust makes the game unplayable, and it still feels great to pull the trigger and watch those numbers fly. Everything that made Borderlands 2 so enjoyable, from environmental hazards to wacky, off-the-wall guns is still here.
Gearbox got creative with their grenade mods for this release, turning them into magic spells that can regenerate over time and sport legendary versions with some truly impressive visual effects. One of my favorites was Firestorm, a fireball that summoned a rain of meteors at the initial explosion site.
Where the developer truly outdid themselves was in the enemy design, a feat that still amazes me all these years later. Just about every enemy in this game feels designed from the ground up to fit the medieval fantasy motif. Knights sport armored plating and can block bullets with their shields, and skeletons that have their heads shot off will wander around aimlessly, swinging their swords at random.
The one aspect of this game that doesn’t hold up as well as the skill system: the trees are very clearly designed for the base Borderlands 2 experience, which TTADK differs from in a majority of ways. Most of the enemies only use melee attacks, and the few that aren’t generally don’t use guns to attack from a distance. This would be fine if it weren’t for the many “bullet only” skills many of the characters can acquire.
Audio and Visual
For a game from 2013, TTADK has no business looking as good as it does. While there are a few issues with texture pop-in when loading into a new area, the game largely looks stunning. Enemies pop with distinct visual designs that have a remarkable amount of fidelity when seen from up close. And the vistas. Oh man, the vistas. The scenic design and landscapes are often breathtaking, and it’s a crime that Gearbox didn’t include a photo mode with this rerelease.
Verdict
Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure doesn’t change much from the game’s original release, but it never needed to. The, now standalone, adventure stands… on its own, offering players old and new the chance to experience an exceptional, heartfelt coda to the Borderlands 2 story. It sets the bar high for Borderlands and fantasy storytelling, and I can only hope that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands manages to hit the same heights.
