Battleborn

Battleborn is inconsistent in every sense of the word. Its character design is interesting, but the heroes often don't feel like they live in the same universe with each other. The game's visual design choices bounce from stylish to overwhelming. And its progression system borrows freely from free-to-play titles, despite the game selling for full retail price.

I enjoy Gearbox’s work on games like Borderlands, and I was cheerfully enthused by the studio’s willingness to try something different with Battleborn. The chaos of battle and goofy tone of the team’s latest creation may work for some players, and even as of this writing Gearbox is actively patching balance and matchmaking issues that may improve the experience. But after many hours, many characters, and many matches, I can’t recommend something that so completely failed to click. I applaud the ambition, but not every grand venture ends with triumph.

Battleborn mixes the FPS and MOBA genres to produce a game that oozes character and original ideas. Just don't expect to love it...

Battleborn's strong Saturday morning cartoon vibes might actually be the game's single most defining aspect. Outside of that consistent, permeating voice, the game feels like an elaborate patchwork of ideas that compete for attention without necessarily adding much to the experience. The combat is frantic and tense, but often feels samey and superficial.

If you can handle that (and it's far less grating in multiplayer), then there's plenty to admire in Battleborn. This is clearly a labour of love - Gearbox believes in what it has created and has filled the disc with content - and when the multiplayer flows, it's fresh and new in a way that even Overwatch can't boast. It'll take time to see just how the online modes balance out, but there's definitely something here that could be worth pursuing. Will that be enough when Blizzard is dangling that shiny trinket in front of your face the whole time, though? There's only one way to find out... fight!

Gearbox’s ingenious hybrid has its problems, not the least that we’re all still wrestling with what it actually is. There’s not enough story mode content, the PVE missions vary in quality and the multiplayer modes can be a mess. Yet these are problems that Gearbox and the player community can fix. Battleborn has flaws but it also has potential. With time and the right attitude, it could be brilliant, but it’s going to take a little work first.

The cast of Battleborn is fantastic; I've enjoyed exploring the ins and outs of characters like the steampunk sniper Marquis and fungal healer Miko, and every time I play I'm focused on earning further access to the unique roster. However, there's no...

Battleborn has done what I would have previously thought was impossible: it has kept me interested in its multiplayer. I typically grow bored with adversarial multiplayer after about an hour or two, yet I have spent so much time with this title already and want to keep going.