Of all the characters in the Borderlands universe, perhaps none is more recognizable and deserving of their own game than Tiny Tina. The 13-year old ballistics expert, voiced by Ashly Burch, quickly became a fan favorite after her debut in Borderlands 2. But how did a 13-year old lover of explosions even end up on Borderlands’ main world Pandora? And better still, why would someone so obsessed with revenge and blowing things to pieces be so interested in spinning up a world of her own within the fictional universe of Borderlands’ fictional D&D analog, Bunkers and Badasses?Well, to answer that question ahead of the launch of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, let’s dig into the weird, wacky, and wonderful origins of Tiny Tina herself, with some help from her creators.Spoilers for Borderlands 2 follow.Players first encountered Tiny Tina way back in 2012’s Borderlands 2, in the ‘A Train to Catch’ mission, and it’s a great introduction to Tiny Tina. We know a lot about her before we even meet her outright: giant mines litter the landscape around the area you’ll encounter her, and there’s no question at all that whoever’s in control of this section of land is someone with a deep, and borderline terrifying, obsession with explosives.The promise of a bloody, violent, and maybe even hilarious death is just a part of life on Pandora, and something that shapes its inhabitants. According to Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Lead Writer Sam Winkler, there’s a reason why an orphaned 13-year old has no troubles making it on Pandora: she’s exactly the kind of person who can survive, and thrive, on a planet filled with murderous Psychos and alien beasts, all under the eyes of a dictatorial megalomaniac whose corporate interests come before human interests. When it comes to Pandora’s inhabitants, Winkler said quote “The fact they’re alive, or didn’t become a bandit, means they did some REALLY messed up stuff to get there and to stay alive.”Among the “tea cups and bunnies and cupcakes,” Tiny Tina is also “deeply disturbed, capable of blowing bandits apart,” which is why this demure 13-year old is the scourge of the bandit hordes. The purpose of the side missions Tiny Tina initially sends you on in Borderlands 2 revolve around exacting revenge on a bandit named Flesh Stick. We don’t know much about Flesh Stick at the time, but that’s fine. All we need to know is he’s responsible for the death of Tiny Tina’s parents, and now Tiny Tina wants your help exacting her revenge. Explosively.Tina Tina Branches OutWhile Tiny Tina plays a major role in the story of Borderlands 2, helping you and the Crimson Raiders derail a Hyperion train known to be carrying a Vault key, as well as supporting roles in Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage and Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary as a member of the Raiders’ ‘B-Team. However, it’s the DLC Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep that further fleshes out her characterization. It’s also our first introduction to the game within a game, Pandora’s own table-top RPG Bunkers and Badasses, of which Tiny Tina plays the role of the “Bunker Master.” It’s ridiculous and a massive deviation from the main story of Borderlands, since all the action is technically being created on the fly by Tiny Tina and the rules governing Bunkers and Badasses. The DLC offered a fun take on the Borderlands formula, and the references to fantasy tropes, existing tabletop role-playing games, and the world of Pandora itself tie it all to the greater tale of the vault hunters, but as the game unfolds we see it’s not exactly the light-hearted romp around the world of high-fantasy we might originally have believed. In fact, the overall theme of Assault on Dragon Keep is Tina coming to terms with the death of Roland. Roland, the “Solider” class character from the original Borderlands, would go on to lead the Crimson Raiders, a militia of sorts originally made up of former members of the elite corporate military unit The Crimson Lance who were abandoned after the Atlas corporation left Pandora. Tiny Tina keeps a photo of Roland in her room, and Roland credits Tiny Tina with saving his life on more occasions than he can remember. It’s clear from these little drops of flavor Tina and Roland were very close, and Tina is unable to accept the death of Roland, who was killed during the events of Borderlands 2. Roland appears as an NPC many times within Tina’s B&B campaign, to the slight alarm and concern of the vault hunters playing along with her. Her insertion of Roland as a character in their campaign, and the scenarios and dialog she creates for him, are a clear indication of her refusal to accept his death. It’s her connection to Roland that ties her to the other characters in Borderlands and Borderlands 2, and her relationship with the Crimson Raiders continues all the way into Borderlands 3. The fact she continues to bring him into the Bunkers and Badasses game even when the other players protest shows just how deeply denial is ingrained within her. Coming to terms with this great loss, and her ultimate acceptance of Roland’s death, is the overall theme of what is otherwise a ridiculous adventure through a hybrid world of fantasy and deep-space frontier living.The Origins of Tiny TinaAs for the origins of Tiny Tina as a character, Winkler credits “the gremlin that lives inside” Ashly Burch for coloring much of the Tiny Tina character. It was actually her brother Anthony Burch who headed up writing for Borderlands 2, but a lot of the characterization and mannerisms of Tiny Tina comes straight from Ashly Burch when she’s in the recording booth.”She owns that character. It’s just astounding” Winkler said. “There’s something intrinsic within her that lets her just tap into this energy.” The vocal explosions, the little bits of flair, those aren’t necessarily on the script: those Tiny Tina-isms come from Ashly Burch.”[Ashly Burch] owns that character. It’s just astounding” Winkler said. “There’s something intrinsic within her that lets her just tap into this energy.”“Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands doesn’t follow the same themes as Assault on Dragon Keep, but there is more to the story than just Tina guiding a new group of B&B players through her Pandora-tinged campaign of carnage. Wonderlands takes place long before the events of Borderlands 3, so Tina is still just a kid, living in a violent world of murder and explosions. In other words, exactly where she’s supposed to be. But Winkler said she’s grown as a person, she’s grown as a Bunker Master compared to the Assault on Dragon Keep DLC, but ultimately “she’s still just 13.”As far as the timeline of the Borderlands franchise, you don’t need to have played Borderlands 3 to understand the motivations for Tiny Tina in the upcoming Wonderlands. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands takes shortly after the events of Borderlands 2, with a new cast of characters and a new story. All you really need to know is Tiny Tina, in spite of a pretty important role helping the Crimson Raiders and the Vault Hunters in Borderlands 2, is still just a kid. Sure, she’s a kid who loves murder and mayhem, but it’s nice murder and mayhem! The kind that plays out against those who really deserve a good murdering. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Official ScreensYet she still wants to get down with kid stuff, whether that’s painting missiles with adorable fluffy bunnies or playing a table-top RPG with friends. You don’t need to know the depths of Tiny Tina’s backstory to dive right in to Wonderlands, you just need to know the game within the game, much like Tina herself, is an amalgam of different experiences and references that coalesce into something everyone enjoys. So don’t worry if you haven’t played Borderlands 3, which did see a return from an older Tiny Tina. Instead, if you’re looking to dip back into the character’s backstory, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep has since been released as a standalone DLC and will get you primed with a big lesson on how Tiny likes to run her RPGs. But if you’ve never played, don’t worry, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is meant to work as a successor to that story, yes, but it will tell a brand new story featuring a new cast of characters going on a Tiny Tina-led fantasy adventure.Seth Macy is Executive Editor, IGN Commerce, and just wants to be your friend. You can find him hosting the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast.
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