Summary
- Borderlands 4 will tone down its use of toilet humor for a darker, more serious take.
- Many fans felt BL3 relied too heavily on crude humor that detracted from the story and character development.
- BL4 aims for a more mature and meaningful experience with its new antagonists and ongoing tale.
Following a wait that stretched on for nearly five years, fans have received some welcome updates about Borderlands 4 this year. After officially unveiling it in a teaser at Gamescom, Gearbox Software recently dropped a longer and more significant gameplay trailer for Borderlands 4 at the 2024 Game Awards. The latest footage highlights some of what’s to come in the next chapter in the tale of the Vault Hunters after the earth-shattering events of the previous title. Expectations are thus high for the fourth installment, with fans speculating on how it will move forward and evolve both its characters and established formula.
One thing the series is well-known for is its often sophomoric sensibilities in terms of humor. Although they contained meaningful themes and emotionally impactful arcs, there was also a constant undercurrent of more vulgar comedy and similar moments throughout each title, which seemed to peak in the latest mainline entry. However, based on comments and responses by Borderlands 4 narrative director Sam Winkler to fans on social media, it appears that BL4 will be reining this in. Specifically, Winkler reaffirmed his misgivings about Borderlands 3‘s “overabundance of toilet humor”, elaborating that Borderlands 4 won’t be embracing such comedy to the same degree as previously seen.
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Borderlands 4 Will Drop Some of the Series’ ‘Toilet Humor’ in Favor of More Darker Overtones
Borderlands’ Humor Usually Skewed Towards the Juvenile
From its very beginning, Borderlands incorporated a crass and crude style of comedy. This did reflect the irreverent nature of much of its world and zany characters, and was generally well-used in the earlier games. As time went on, though, the franchise bordered on relying on this type of humor as a crutch in place of more substantial satire. This seemed to culminate in Borderlands 3‘s villains, the Calypso Twins, who were essentially parodies of streamer culture. Many of their antics and dialogues were based on of-the-moment references that quickly staled and became irrelevant, which dramatically lessened their impact and memorability.
While all comedy is subjective at heart, it was a general sentiment among fans that more than a few of the jokes and meme-based gags in Borderlands 3 didn’t quite land as intended. They often came off as reaching for low-hanging fruit, and could sometimes detract from the other aspects of the story that were focused on more meaningful interactions and developments. Gearbox acknowledging this and aiming to rectify it for Borderlands 4 is a promising sign that the studio isn’t bent on doubling down on the approach.
Borderlands 4’s Setup and Story Seem to Demand a More Subtle and Serious Brand of Comedy
In his responses, Winkler did note that Borderlands 4 won’t be entirely bereft of the comedy stylings that have become associated with the IP. But he did iterate that it won’t lean into them as heavily as before, especially compared to BL3. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford also previously stated that the fourth title would be taking a much darker turn, with Borderlands 4 having a more sinister villain to rival or even surpass the legendary Handsome Jack. Such a shift in direction and focus seems to necessarily come with leaving some of the “toilet humor” behind in order to appropriately deliver an experience that aligns with that vision.
With The Timekeeper confirmed as one of Borderlands 4′s major antagonists, the upcoming conflict and story look to require a more mature grounding, which extends to the choice of switching up comedic tones. Borderlands 4 looks to account for this by moving away from its prior emphasis on “low brow” humor, while still promising to have moments that invoke its classic sensibilities in that area.
