Borderlands 4 Can Go Even Further With One of the Series' Best Easter Eggs

Borderlands 4 Can Go Even Further With One of the Series’ Best Easter Eggs

• Borderlands stands out in the looter-shooter and FPS genres with its distinct style and balance between humor and narrative stakes.
• The games are also known for their Easter eggs and references, including a parody of Batman called Rakkman, who has appeared in previous Borderlands titles.
• Borderlands 4 could feature more of Rakkman, possibly with an entire area based on Gotham City or a bandit-populated version of Arkham Asylum. Players could even be able to acquire a Rakkman-themed vehicle or complete quests centered around him.

Borderlands has a distinct identity and style among looter-shooters and the FPS genre overall. Gearbox Software’s frantic and zany series starring a cast of outlaw Vault Hunters, bandits running amok, and ludicrous amounts of weapons has never taken itself too seriously. Although it does have emotionally engaging moments and characters that aren’t all for laughs, Borderlands straddles the line between being straightforward and silly, and this often sets it apart from other games that lean more into one at the expense of the other. Striking a good balance of narrative stakes and goofy asides, the franchise has shown a fondness for both.

A bigger part of this charm is that Borderlands has a ton of Easter eggs and humorous hidden secrets scattered throughout its titles. Many poke lighthearted fun at other properties, providing fans with a fun and funny encounter or gag while they explore and blast their way through its world. One of these riffs on a hugely recognizable character from all across all media, DC’s Batman. Or, as Borderlands dubs its version, Rakkman. Rakkman has appeared on more than one occasion, and with the nature of the original’s popularity, BL4 is primed to have another and perhaps more elaborate Rakkman reference.

Gearbox has not officially announced or confirmed Borderlands 4, but it is heavily rumored to be in the works.

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Borderlands 4 Should Feature More of The Rakkman

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Borderlands’ Reference Rapsheet

Borderlands has always sprinkled in memes and a wide range of references to IPs and pop culture/celebrities. Usually these are short one-offs, some easily missable, some more niche or passing fads, as culture sometimes outpaces relevance. But as just a small sample of some of Borderlands’ previous parodies and notable shout-outs:

• Dark Souls
• Doom
• Lord of the Rings
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Magicians/Entertainers Penn and Teller (BL‘s version, Pain and Terror, with Penn providing his voice)
• One Punch Man
• Downton Abbey
• Minecraft
• Rick and Morty

Borderlands’ Rakkman

Batman’s popularity, though, has hardly ever waned, regardless of the quality of the current media the caped crusader appeared in at any given time. Borderlands began its rise around the same time that the Christopher Nolan films and Rocksteady’s Batman Arhkham games were releasing. These are both considered to be some of the best modern works featuring The Dark Knight, which likely made it an even easier choice for BL to satirize.

Rakkman showed up first in Borderlands 2 as a psycho enemy (found in The Rakk Cave) using similar Batman weaponry like smoke bombs and “rakkerangs.” Rakkman had the chance of rewarding players with several unique drops, like the legendary Night Flyer pistol, making him more worth their time to seek out. He appeared again in BL3 as a rare bounty side quest, making him into a reoccurring reference.

How Borderlands 4 Can Have Rakkman Return

Rakkman could show up again in Borderlands 4, and Gearbox can take his inclusion even further with a few possibilities. Perhaps with an entire area that is a recreation of a section of Gotham City. Or maybe more fittingly, in true warped fashion, a version of Arkham Asylum overrun and populated by a group of bandits a la the institution’s inmates. Another fun option would be for BL4 to let players acquire a Rakkman themed vehicle, a “Rakkmobile” or “Rakkcycle,” that could be an enhanced version of existing ones, with a few unique modifications and weapons.

If Gearbox were feeling particularly ambitious, it could even extend this out to a series of quests given by or centered around The Rakkman. Though it may also be wise to limit his presence to a couple of smaller encounters so as not to distract too much from the rest of the main plot and any other new jokes or memes that are likely to pop up. Still, there’s plenty of room for more Rakkman in Borderlands’ next entry, and seeing more of him would be a nice treat for fans.

Borderlands 3

Franchise Borderlands Platform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Switch, PS5, PS4, PC, Stadia, Xbox One Released 2019-09-13 Developer(s) Gearbox Software Publisher(s) 2K Games Genre(s) Action, RPG, First-Person Shooter Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op, Online Multiplayer Engine Unreal Engine 4 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language How Long To Beat 25 Hours Metascore 91 Platforms That Support Crossplay PC, PS4,PS5, Xbox One &Xbox Series X|S Split Screen Orientation Vertical or Horizontal Number of Players 1-4 PS Plus Availability N/A Local Co-Op Support 1-4 Players See at Amazon