After developing one of the most popular shooter franchises of the past decade with Borderlands, Gearbox Software is finally ready for its next big roll of the dice. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is the end result of years of trial and error at the studio, a game that looks to bring the satisfying gunplay of Gearbox’s previous work to bear in a fantastical new world.
Unveiled at this year’s Summer Games Fest, the unofficial kick-off of the annual E3 gaming week, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is eyeing off a 2022 release date but before then we’ve got all the details on this new take on the fantasy genre.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands casts players as a fully customisable hero who must do battle against the nebulously evil Dragon Lord. Unlike Borderlands before it, the latest offering from Gearbox intends to highlight player expression with its new multiclass heroes, complete with an abundance of cosmetic options. Once you’ve decided on who you want to roll as, you’ll be tossed into the high fantasy of the new realm with your choice of bullets, magic or blades to get the job done.
Exactly what the job entails remains to be seen, though the “tyrannical” moniker prescribed to the Dragon Lord in a statement from Gearbox certainly hints at some revolution in the air. Your quest will be narrated by beloved character Tiny Tina, once again voiced by industry veteran Ashly Burch. Burch took the stage with Summer Games Fest host Geoff Keighley to show off Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, promising a rollicking adventure that we would hopefully be seeing more of soon.
Burch isn’t the only star lending her talents to the game, with Gearbox enlisting the help of several Hollywood names to bring its new adventure to life. Comedian/Actor double threats Wanda Skyes, Will Arnett and Andy Samberg are also headlining Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a good match for Gearbox’s well-known sense of humour. Arnett will bring the Dragon Lord to life while Samberg and Skyes will be joining Burch in assisting the player along their journey.
The above trailer gives a few hints at what we might expect from the game, as a wizard/sharpshooter hammers away at an oversized gun at what is presumably a customisable workbench. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands looks to offer players spellcasting, melee builds and, of course, guns galore to play with. Locales include classic high fantasy settings and the art direction looks to sit nicely between the stylised lines of Borderlands and something a little more grounded.
Based on the details we have available, I’m pretty intrigued by what Gearbox has planned with Tiny Tina’s Wastelands. The mishmash of high fantasy and grungey metal weaponry makes for a promising aesthetic, especially when you consider how deeply rich both D&D and Western shooter lore and concepts are. On top of the generally cool vibe, you’ve also got a lot of potential with the class mixing, combining gunplay with spell casting evokes Bioshock and the like, cold steel in one palm, a crackling lightning bolt in the other.
How it all shakes out remains to be seen of course! You can head over to the game’s official site for another look and be sure to keep an eye on PowerUp! for more details as they become available to us and for more upcoming E3 content.
