Borderlands’ Art Style Is Still Papering Over The Cracks 16 Years Later

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For 16 years, the *Borderlands* series has become known for its unique style. While many games offer shooting and loot, *Borderlands* stands out by combining addictive item collecting with wild humor and a bright, distinctive look. *Borderlands 4* continues to deliver this special combination of features.

Okay, so *Borderlands 4* definitely feels like a *Borderlands* game, even though the menus aren’t as flashy and it’s toned down some of the craziness we saw in *Borderlands 3*. Honestly, the core gameplay – finding loot and shooting stuff – is better than ever. There’s still a ton of humor woven into the story, and the art style is still super unique and recognizable. But, and this is a big but, that art style is kind of masking some problems with the game right now, just like it did way back with the original *Borderlands* sixteen years ago.

A Brief History of Borderlands’ Distinct Art Style

When the original *Borderlands* was first shown in 2007, most people reacted positively. Players were excited by the game’s multiple characters and the promise of constantly finding new and random items, though some weren’t fans of the visual style.

You know, the very first *Borderlands* actually looked quite different than the games we know and love today! It didn’t have that signature comic book style right away. Originally, Gearbox was going for a more realistic look, trying to make everything feel really lifelike. But about a year before the game came out, people inside the company started to worry. They felt the environments were too brown and muddy, and it was starting to look a lot like *Fallout 3*, which was super popular at the time. They realized it needed something to really make it stand out!

I remember reading that *Borderlands* almost looked completely different! Apparently, they were 75% of the way through development when Gearbox decided to make a huge change to the art style. Thankfully, Brian Martel, one of the founders, secretly created a prototype showing off that now-famous line-drawn look. He showed it to the team, and everyone loved it! They quickly teamed up a comic book artist with the lead character designer and started rebuilding all the game’s visuals. It’s crazy to think how different things could have been!

According to reports, the original art director for *Borderlands* was so upset that her work was being removed from the game that she quit Gearbox and left the video game industry completely.

That incredibly risky, last-minute decision actually proved to be brilliant. The unique and colorful art style of *Borderlands* quickly became a key part of what made the game special, perfectly complementing its over-the-top humor and style. It’s also helped the game smooth over some of its imperfections when needed.

The *Borderlands* series hasn’t typically been known for cutting-edge graphics. While each game has looked as good as technology allowed at the time, it’s never been the most visually impressive title of its generation – and that’s been okay. *Borderlands*’ unique, stylized art style has allowed the games to prioritize fast-paced, exciting gameplay without needing to push the limits on realistic visuals.

Borderlands 4’s Art Style Is Doing Some Heavy Lifting Right Now

Borderlands 4 is currently experiencing significant technical problems, especially on PC. Many players are having to lower their graphics settings to achieve a playable framerate.

Luckily, the art style in *Borderlands 4* is masking some of the game’s visual shortcomings. While textures can sometimes appear blurry, clever shading helps the game look more polished by letting your brain fill in the details. The initial version of the game also has issues with objects appearing suddenly in the distance, but the bright colors and shading minimize how noticeable these problems are.

This isn’t a perfect situation, and hopefully future updates will improve the game’s performance. However, it highlights how effective the game’s art style is, and confirms that Gearbox made a good choice with its overall direction years ago.

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2025-09-19 16:04