After more than a decade, we are finally getting a new Avatar game, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, developed by Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment. This open-world action-adventure game aims to surpass the previous Avatar game and offers a vastly improved experience. Although the playtime was limited to just slightly over two hours, the game showed promise as a high-quality experience that aligns with the Avatar: The Way of Water film.
In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, you take on the role of a Na’vi who was kidnapped and raised as a child soldier by the Resources Development Administration (RDA). After waking up from emergency cryo sleep 15 years later, you find yourself in a time corresponding to the sequel film. Now free, you must reintegrate into Na’vi society, reconnect with your heritage and culture, and gain the trust of other Na’vi clans while dealing with the ongoing threat of the RDA. The game’s story is intentionally simplistic, with the focus placed on providing an immersive experience rather than a complex narrative.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora provides two modes for traversing the expansive open world of the game. Guided Mode simplifies navigation by offering a standard waypoint on the compass, directing players to quests and points of interest. In Exploration Mode, the game challenges players to rely on their Journal, quest descriptions, and hints they discover on their own to find their way through the vast and immersive world of Pandora. While Exploration Mode may present more difficulties, it enhances the sense of immersion in the game by encouraging players to explore and learn about the world without direct waypoints.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora prioritizes player immersion, allowing them to fully experience life as a Na’vi. A significant aspect of the game involves adapting to Na’vi customs, such as learning essential skills like weaving, resource gathering, and crafting various items like gear, food, and weapons. The gathering mechanics are well-executed, featuring unique movements for different types of plants and resources. This not only reinforces the feeling of being a Na’vi but also adds depth to the game by making exploration and resource collection engaging rather than merely a quest for collectibles. It encourages players to explore the diverse biomes and regions within the Western Frontier of Pandora.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora truly shines in its richly detailed and visually stunning game world. The developers have meticulously captured the essence of Pandora, much like the movies. Each location is distinct and brimming with incredible biodiversity, beautifully represented through vivid colors and intricate graphics. Exploring this wondrous world feels immersive and captivating, and it’s easy to become lost in the breathtaking landscapes. The game’s attention to detail in its environments is exceptional, making it a standout aspect of the gaming experience.
The addition of an ikran ally takes the gaming experience to a whole new level. Exploring Pandora from the air is a breathtaking and exhilarating experience. Whether soaring through the awe-inspiring floating Hallelujah Mountains or engaging in thrilling aerial combat against RDA gunships, the freedom of flight adds a distinct and immensely enjoyable dimension to the game. The ability to name and customize your ikran further enhances the immersion and personalization of the experience.
The combat in Frontiers of Pandora offers a unique and stealth-focused experience. As a Na’vi, you won’t have access to advanced weaponry or ammunition. Instead, you’ll need to scavenge RDA caches or craft your own arrows. This limitation encourages players to adopt a more strategic and stealthy approach to confrontations, as you won’t be able to take on heavily armed military bases head-on. Combat options include setting traps, utilizing your Na’vi strength to remove soldiers from their mech suits, and using arrows capable of taking down even helicrafts. Engaging in direct shootouts is discouraged, as it often leads to repeating the same encounter multiple times.
The majority of the fighting, as well as the game’s adaptation of Far Cry’s base-invading mechanic, takes place on RDA unobtanium refineries and other facilities that exploit the resources of Pandora. If playing as a revolutionary fighting a dictatorship in Far Cry 6 was not cathartic enough, the eco-terrorist simulator that is Avatar: How to Blow Up a Pipeline on the Pandoran Frontier provides the kind of catharsis that can only be matched by the sight of a space whale ripping a whaler’s arm off. Like Cameron’s movies, the game is not at all subtle about its environmentalist message. Still, it works because we have spent over a decade and two movies growing to care not only about the Na’vi, but the world of Pandora.
In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, the game leverages players’ emotional connection to the Na’vi and Pandora, offering them the opportunity to shift the balance of power and resist the colonizers. Players gather allies and work towards healing the planet, but they must also contend with other Na’vi tribes who either underestimate the RDA threat or prefer to avoid conflict, leading to seemingly inconsequential quests that players must persuade them to take more seriously. This approach aligns with the game’s narrative and the larger story of Pandora, making the player’s role even more critical in driving change on the frontier.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora may not revolutionize gaming or introduce groundbreaking mechanics, and it shares similarities with Ubisoft’s Far Cry series. However, it excels in delivering an immersive experience within the world of Pandora and the Na’vi, capitalizing on the allure and excitement of this rich and beloved universe. The game allows players to delve into the lore and immerse themselves in the captivating setting, providing a unique opportunity to relive the magic of Pandora. While the extent of overlap between the game and the movies remains uncertain, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a remarkable representation of what makes James Cameron’s world so captivating and exhilarating.
