Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

Words by Jose Alvarez

Think of all the things you loved in Borderlands, and bring it to a spin-off. Think of some of the funniest moments of the Borderlands series, and bring it to a spin-off. This is what Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is all about—humor, shooting things, and a lighthearted take on one of the most popular tabletop RPGs of all time, Dungeons & Dragons.

While looting and shooting can be hours of mindless fun if you just want to take a load off, this game takes the absurdity to an 11. You’re playing as Tiny Tina from the Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC from 2013’s Borderlands 2. This also has the fun of being a game within another game: you’re in a roleplaying campaign called Bunkers & Badasses, a clear parody of Dungeons & Dragons. Tiny Tina, who serves as the dungeon master, can change the world as she sees fit, and the plot revolves around stopping the Dragon Lord.

If you’ve played tabletop RPGs, you know how absurd the dungeon master (DM) can get during campaigns, and this game blends together two of my favorite things (comedy and first-person shooters) into one convenient package. There is no shortage of guns—after all, this is a Borderlands 2 spin-off we’re talking about. You can also wield melee weapons for the first time, and you can use new equipment such as rings and amulets. This allows for greater customization of your character, and mixing and matching can help you play in your own unique way.

Those familiar with the series can hop in and play without having to learn too many new things, but the real fun begins with all the references to tabletop RPGs—including a quest where you have to remove someone’s “plot armor” or an Among Us-esque quest where you get way too suspicious about a generic NPC. Other hilarious things thrown in include turning enemies into sheep, and the voice acting provided by veteran actors such as Will Arnett, Wanda Sykes, and Andy Samberg kept me captivated for quite some time.

The game seems to polish some issues, such as allowing you to make your own class from a list of character classes. You can make your character truly your own—but if you’re playing with friends, make sure you agree upon what skills you all will take before you dive into the game. One thing I wasn’t a fan of is the combat, which forced you to kill things to proceed, rather than just looting treasure and killing along the way. This is very uncharacteristic compared to many games in the same genre that I have played over the years. The enemies are pretty generic until you finish the storyline and enter The Chaos Chamber, which is basically a more difficult version of the game with roguelike mechanics but gaining rewards and experience really pay off when you reach this part of the game.

As of this writing, at least one DLC has been released for the game, and more are on the way. Hopefully, these DLCs can add variety and spice to a game that is already fun but can become boring if played for far too long. So far, there have been rumors of a seventh class and more new endgame content, the Mirrors of Mystery, which increases the difficulty through each playthrough.

“Those familiar with the series can hop in and play without having to learn too many new things, but the real fun begins with all the references to tabletop RPGs—including a quest where you have to remove someone’s “plot armor” or an Among Us-esque quest where you get way too suspicious about a generic NPC.”

DEVELOPER Gearbox Software

PUBLISHER 2K Games

PLATFORM PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S