Thrusting deep into the 4th DLC for Borderlands 3 named ‘Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck’, we are brought back to the familiar and much loved character that has been missing ever since Borderlands 2, as we only had Easter eggs in the main game to go by on what actually happened to him after Borderlands 2, in the form of audio logs found in the game.

We now dive deep into Krieg’s mental make-up so to speak, and finally see what makes this famous psycho a… actual psycho. With the help of Patricia Tannis, who gives you the ability to travel deep into Krieg’s mind with the help of, who would have guessed..science. To be considered to enter this DLC your character must be at or beyond the Main Story mission “Hostile Takeover” and be level 13 or above to start. As usual it can be played solo or with friends.

When you first arrive in Krieg’s mind, you are greeted with this sense of overwhelming craziness that only a Borderlands game can provide. Eventually you find the duality that shapes this complex character’s origin story, along with a reflection to the recent death of Maya in the main story of Borderlands 3 and how badly this impacted on Krieg. Don’t get me wrong, the story dives deep into what makes Krieg tick and what twisted worlds and things he has swirling in his mind, but the fact that the game does touch on sensitive issues such as mental health and loss of a loved one is to be considered.

As for fans of the Borderlands series this tone is a familiar one for players of the DLC “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep” and is a great juxtaposition for the mental pace of the game, in general.

Don’t get me wrong, this DLC has bucket loads of that fun and entertaining gameplay, alongwith the weird and wonderful humor, choc full of jokes and even more Easter eggs, such as a nice Spongebob Squarepants wink and nod. Also, diving deep into Krieg’s mind, you can see the internal struggle as sane and insane parts of him interact and it’s like witnessing two individual characters. It’s hard to choose which is my favourite out of the two, but they play well off each other, and who wouldn’t want twice as much Krieg.

It was a shame that Krieg was not a playable character though as he was in the Borderlands 2 DLC and such a fan favourite. It would have been nice to at least play him for a small part, disappointing but I’ll take what I can get. As per usual, the gameplay is spot on with its usual sort of flair on enemies. With them being familiar but with a nice spin on a few that only a psycho can come up with. With smooth as butter controls reminiscent of back in the main Borderlands game there were no complaints here.

Like with all Borderlands, the graphics and sounds are a treat and still their iconic self, but the animators must have gone into overdrive or taken some sort of substance, to come up with the crazy maps that you traverse this time round.

Weird and wacky environments litter the background and where you would expect to see mountains off in the distance instead sits a giant dancing Bandit Psycho or twisting and turning stairs and hallways that make no sense, almost acid trip-like. It’s a shame there are no driving parts to the DLC as that was a missed opportunity but vehicular slaughter was not overly missed.

To sum up, Borderlands 3 DLC ‘Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck’ is not some regular DLC with a few new locations and a normal adventure because if you are that easily pleased you will be happily mistaken. This DLC brings madness and weirdness to a whole new level when the bat shit crazy meter hits 11. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Borderlands series, let alone a DLC about Psycho Krieg.

Also, I felt I walked away from Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck with not just an enjoyable gaming experience but one of sadness, as this was a beautiful send off for the much loved character, Maya, and in some ways a send off for others, closing chapters. Ending with a heartfelt message was an emotional ending that hit me, a perfect conclusion and contrast to the series as a whole.

Written by: Simon Hayward