More information has now been revealed about Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, a spin-off game to the popular Borderlands series with a Dungeons and Dragons inspired aesthetic. During today's IGN Summer Expo, a flurry of trailers have been released introducing new games for gamers to get excited about during this year, but Tiny Tina's Wonderlands gets just a bit more. Its previously released trailer is dissected by a member of the Gearbox development team, and fans can learn more about the characters, enemies, and the main villain in the upcoming game.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands was confirmed to be in development at Summer Game Fest. It is inspired by the popular Borderlands DLC called Assault on Dragon Keep, but will be a distinct game of its own set after the events of the DLC. However, the game will still focus on looting goods for players to analyze and equip as they explore the world. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands will have have an all-star cast, with voice talent provided by well-known comedic actors like Andy Samberg, Ashly Burch, Will Arnett, and Wanda Sykes.
The trailer breakdown is narrated by Tiny Tina's Wonderlands creative director Matt Cox, and fleshes out more specifics on the kinds of inhabitants players will meet in the game. Players will be able to join together in 4-player co-op and fight against an evil Dragon Lord, the main villain of the game. Along the way, players will need to collect a variety of loot for their customizable characters in order to properly face enemies such as skeletons and sharks with legs.
These odd enemies fit right in with Gearbox’s vision for the game as an “unpredictable fantasy world” that Tina dreams up while playing Borderlands’ version of D&D, Bunkers & Badasses. The high fantasy setting also creates space for some changes to the Borderlands formula, which means not everything from the games will make it into Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Grenades won’t be found anywhere, but there are plenty of spells to take up the job of explosive damage.
The focus on spellcasting in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is certainly one of the biggest ways it departs from Borderlands games. Although there will be some gunplay in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, weapons will not be customizable, which supports the idea that loot variety will be an important part of the player's experience. But if Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands draws inspiration from D&D’s vast catalogue of unique spells, players may enjoy them so much they decide to skip the guns entirely.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.