Though its narrative and level design sometimes get in the way, the entire package is still a setpiece-filled action romp and one of the year’s best shooters.
Its adorable aesthetic and wordless storytelling make this brief adventure one worth sharing with family or a friend, but its distant camera angle and visual filters were frustrating obstacles on an otherwise picturesque road.
Though not explicitly called a roguelike mode by Nintendo, Emerald Rush allows DK and Pauline to partake in runs where they have to collect emeralds in a certain amount of time.
Though many of the series’ core elements remain intact, Gearbox has refined and reconfigured them in such ways that Borderlands 4 rises beyond anything the series has accomplished to this point.