With a big dose of fantasy, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands has brought fresh wind to the Borderlands formula. At the same time, it takes the typical clichés to task – and precisely for this reason, it does not fall into an obvious trap, finds MeinMMO author Max Handwerk.
I love fantasy games. Really. But don’t you think that many things often feel very similar, especially at the start?
“Here you have your first rusty sword, a small fireball spell, and a flimsy leather armor. With that, you are perfectly equipped for the challenges that await you now! Terrible spiders! Nasty ghouls! And, of course: skeletons!”
Especially the good old bone men seem to stumble through every fantasy game I’ve ever played. Dust-dry, emotionless shells that mindlessly lurch at you, armed with sword and shield, only to end up as a lifeless pile of bones on the ground shortly after.
They have usually done their job as a light-hearted spooky introduction to the fantasy world of your choice.
Admittedly: In Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, the skeletons also have little to do with a challenge. They are just the typical fantasy enemy you encounter at the beginning of such a game.
But in the Wonderlands, the skeleton hordes have a secret weapon that makes our bony friends directly more interesting: an utterly over-the-top personality.
What fantasy worlds have always needed: motivated skeletons
As already mentioned: The skeletons in Wonderlands are not particularly strong or dangerous. But heavens, are they motivated to come at you. And they really let you know that loudly.
“You are already dead, you just don’t know it,” they roar at you, or “Every hero has a skeleton that wants to be revealed. Don’t worry – we’ll take care of that!”
That may sound more or less threatening, but you have to read it with a rather high, almost breaking voice – because the skeletons all have silly voices across the board. So it sounds more like a pubescent skeleton threatening you: “My ankle fits just perfectly on your ass bone!”
This fits with the crazy Borderlands humor, which is also unmistakably present in Wonderlands.
However, not all skeletons in the Wonderlands suffer from massive megalomania. Some prefer to crack jokes in the midst of battle, or become almost philosophical. It’s also nice when you hit the things with frost damage and they suddenly start shivering. Real attention to detail was paid here.
Almost tragic it becomes, however, when you send them to hell: “I still had so much planned in my non-life,” one skeleton complains. Or, my favorite: “Oh no, died. Again!”
The skeletons are just one of many examples: When I first encountered the skeleton hordes, they hardly caught my attention. They’re just skeletons, which you expect in a fantasy game. But when they started rambling, I found myself smiling time and again. Too bad, however, that the voice lines get a little lost in the split-screen chaos.
Nevertheless: Wonderlands has managed to take a rather “boring” fantasy cliché and turn it into a fun, unique thing.
And thus, Wonderlands deals with all sorts of fantasy or tabletop clichés thrown at you. Time and again, details stand out that bring a small grin to your face – and it’s a lot of fun to keep finding more of them.
What do you think? Have you already ventured into the Wonderlands? What were your favorite moments in the game? Tell us in the comments.
And of course, there are also plenty of allusions and gags with the weapons. A good example: The Pan of Unbeatable.
