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Everything we know about Borderlands Legends for iPhone and iPad

Pandora goes portable

Everything we know about Borderlands Legends for iPhone and iPad
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iOS
| Borderlands Legends

So you may have noticed that 2K, in association with Gearbox, is primed to release the first mobile incarnation of its popular Borderlands franchise.

Due to land on the App Store next Wednesday (October 31st), Borderlands Legends is a new touchscreen interpretation of the popular loot-n'-shooter.

Abandoning iron sights for isometric perspective, Borderlands Legends reportedly combines the fan-familiar RPG and action elements inherent to the series with a new strategic slant, requiring players single-handedly look after a squad of four vault hunters.

If you're a Borderlands veteran, you'll probably remember the gnarly quartet of Brick, Mordecai, Lilith, and Roland from the first game. Now, after a brief sabbatical from airing out Skag's skulls, they're rocking up on iPhone and iPad with new skills, abilities, and a ridiculous collection of high-powered weaponry.

From what we can gather, you advance through the game by grabbing missions from a job board. These vary from straight up extermination requests to protecting NPCs, tasks which can be achieved by utilising the strengths of each individual character.

For example, Mordecai's sniper rifle allows him to pick-off targets other characters cannot reach. If you want to bring foes into the open, Brick's taunt skill encourages your enemies to break cover and charge towards him.

The gameplay itself is based around defending your squad against increasingly powerful waves of Skags, Bandits, and other hostiles over randomly generated levels. Movement commands are issued by swiping or tapping the screen, allowing you to control each squad member independently as required.

Slide to Play's hands-on with Borderlands Legends highlighted the 'fight for your life' mechanic, which allows characters on the brink of death to save themselves with one last kill. Alternatively, other squadmates can be directed to the wounded in order to act as medic.

Though an interpretation of the Borderlands skill tree system (which allows the upgrading of three action skills and six abilities) has been carried over onto the App Store, some might be disappointed to learn that looting guns from the battlefield is no longer an option.

According to Kotaku, coins are the only spoils of war in Borderlands Legends, cash which can then be spent on shiny new character-specific shooters in Marcus's gun shops.

Interestingly, there were no in-app purchases to be found in the preview builds, although developer 2K said that additional payment options could be added in the future if the demand was there.

Borderlands Legends will arrive on the App Store on Wednesday, priced at £2.99 / $4.99 on iPhone, and £4.99 / $6.99 on iPad. Look out for the Pocket Gamer review next week.
James Gilmour
James Gilmour
James pivoted to video so hard that he permanently damaged his spine, which now doubles as a Cronenbergian mic stand. If the pictures are moving, he's the one to blame.