Geek Review – Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck DLC

Following the excellent Bounty of Blood DLC for Borderlands 3, it once again falls to the folks over at Gearbox Software and 2K Games to live up to the bar set with the next DLC. While Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck definitely thought outside the box with its concept, the execution ultimately lives much more to be desired.

Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck is predictably all about Krieg, everyone’s favourite resident deranged basketcase over at the Crimson Raiders. Most of what we know about this particular Psycho is the inane catchphrases that he regularly spouts. While one would not expect Krieg to be a nuanced character with depth, the DLC certainly does its best to flesh him out.

Transporting players into the psychotic mind, the journey will be one to help us understand what is it that makes Krieg, well, Krieg. Not all Psychos, the series’ pseudo-mascot, are made equal, and Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck tries its best to help players understand the origins that made the titular character who he is.

The dark and predictable backstory, the way his skewed perspective colours the world of Borderlands 3, and even a return of a character long gone are all part of the package. Unfortunately, the premise holds more promise in concept. All the bits and pieces do not exactly make Kreig anymore relatable or even interesting.

What it does, however, is give the developers free rein to do whatever crazy thing they want. The myriad of strange and whacky situations you will find yourself in as part of Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck are quite enjoyable, at least for a while. 

The different environments that contain plenty of foes to decimate run the gamut. You can be in a fairytale-like area at one moment, and be in a fiery hellscape the next. There is no rhyme or reason to it, just the core tenet of explaining Krieg’s quirks. It is not all the time when you have to shoot down the Moon after all.

Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck particularly stands out for what amounts to its middle portion. Faced with a sentient and anthropomorphic train known as the Locomöbius, it is one wild ride of a boss fight. Essentially, this encounter turns the entire area into an arena, where the train can manifest out of nowhere and try to mow you down.

Heck, not even the level itself is safe. Locomöbius can blow right through the terrain, while likely accounted for by the developers, is still a mighty feat. The memorable battle against this charging foe culminates in a final showdown in its lair. That segment ranks amongst the top encounters of the entire Borderlands franchise, and that is saying something.

That unhinged creativity sadly goes missing when it comes to the different enemies that you will come up against. For a campaign that is only about three hours long, you will get tired of the same old psychos, loaderbots, and skags bothering your adventure. Even Kreig’s constant barrage of nonsensical ramblings will get tiresome at some point.

It applies for the surprisingly lame sidequests as well. The fetch quests are shallow at best, and disappoints when compared to the more fleshed out hijinks the series has shown it can deliver.
Outside of a few, precious moments of sustained entertainment, Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck pales in comparison to Borderlands 3’s last offering. While it is interesting to give more context into one of the less featured characters in Borderlands, there is not enough to truly hold your attention for long. It feels less like more great content to chew through, but more of a rehash of existing content that amounts to filler.

Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck is available on Steam for S$19.90.