Gearbox Software is working with 2K Australia on a new ‘pre-sequel’ Borderlands that bridges events between the first and second game, and it’s set on a low gravity moon with four ‘all-new’ characters.
Technically they’re not ‘new’ new, as we already know them, but they’ll be playable. Oxygen is also a new resource, and is used to power jetpacks and… butt-stomping. New elemental effects too.
A younger Handsome Jack features in this pre-sequel Borderlands, which is why two playable characters are actually bosses from Borderlands 2. Life as a Claptrap?
There’s the tank class of Athena, from the General Knoxx DLC, Wilhelm from Borderlands 2 before he becomes a robot, Nisha before her days as the Sheriff of Lynchwood, and Claptrap will be playable for the first time ever. We’re unsure on the exact split between Gearbox and 2K Australia on this new Borderlands but it’s definitely a co-development.
The Moon of Elpis appears to be the primary setting for the game, and Oxygen becomes a vital mechanic. It can be used to give us special bonuses alongside just permitting us to live and shoot another day. Butt-stomping will let us literally use our butts to stomp the ground, and Ox-kits can modify their damage.
We also spotted a new lunar hover vehicle called the Stingray, and while all the action was seen taking place on the Moon and in the Moonbase, we can’t be sure if that’s the only locations being offered.
This new Borderlands is also in development for PC and current-gen consoles, as Xbox One and PS4 will go without. Gearbox doesn’t see the need for the next-gen machines as their user bases are ‘too small’. No release is yet scheduled but the rumour is a late 2014 launch.
Check out our full preview of Gearbox and 2K Australia’s pre-sequel Borderlands.
