Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora takes you on a wild journey across the amazing planet of Pandora. It shows all the good things about the Planet and the things that made the movie such a big deal. From the floating islands to the lush green forests the game bares it all. It presents the planet of Pandora in the form of a game that has as much impact as the movie. For the fans of the movie, the sheer setting of the game could be a treat. Taking control of a Na’vi and going all out to save your people is a dream come true for fans.
If you have played a Far Cry game then Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will seem oddly familiar. That’s because the game uses the tried and tested formula of Far Cry. The way it handles combat and the way it handles open-world activity is quite similar to the Far Cry series. Combat is predictable and does not offer much variety in terms of how you approach it.
Open-world activities quickly become stale which makes the main mission a central focus. Despite its hiccups, when the amazing world design is combined with the fantasy of being a Na’vi, it can present a good outcome. All this makes you wonder, Is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora worth it? Let’s find out.
Premise
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora takes place after the events of the first movie. You are part of a group of Na’vi children who were taken from their homeland and raised in captivity by humans. They are brought up like humans with science and stuff. Once these Na’vi come of age, things fall apart due to the events of the first movie. The Corporation becomes more aggressive and you escape out into the world of Pandora.
Even though you are Na’vi, you do not know much about their culture and stuff. You will learn about regions and subcultures through the eyes of your character. Before the start of the game, you will select the gender of your character and there are not many customization options. There are just a few faces but the game is mostly about the gear you get so customization is the main focus.
Characters and Tribes
Characters are simple story-wise, your character acts like a vassal for learning about the world. There is a charm to the story but a lot of it is just characters standing there and saying stuff. It will throw a lot of characters at you and you will forget about most of them but some of them will stick. The game aims for emotion but most of it doesn’t hit the spot aside from a few big moments.
It is good to see the new regions and learn about different Na’vi tribes. Each Na’vi tribe has its own distinct roles and characteristics. Going in and seeing a fun new addition to the lore is fun in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. You can tweak some things and the game will explain things in its own way. The significance of different Na’vi tribes and your character’s relation with one of the tribes is the meat of the story.
General Gameplay
What the game lacks in story makes up for it with gameplay. There are a lot of details, weird plants, little interactions, and the world will react to you. You have lots of stuff to hunt for. You will constantly stumble upon new things such as weird trees, waterfalls, and stuff like that.
Some of the biomes are full of strange plants, there are rivers and even the sky island from movies and all that. You will see lush jungles, forests made entirely out of weird plants, and stuff like that which makes it feel like the movie.
The way you transverse the world makes it feel like a Far Cry game that has the speed of Dying Light. It is not a parkour game by any means but you have the control to hop and jump giving you more flexibility. Bouncing off mushrooms, flinging off giant leaves, and catching vines in mid-air to hop to another location are all the options available for you.
All these options make it fluid to go around. When the Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora starts to feel lazy you get access to an air mount. Air mount can be limited due to the way the map is designed but there is still a surprising amount of freedom.
The Side Stuff
There is video game stuff thrown in the middle such as crafting, hunting, and looting. Most of the stuff, are the things that we have seen in other games. It is mostly about going there to do that and things like that. Despite all the familiar stuff, it still feels fresh because the equipment you get is quite different. The things to harvest are fruits and the things that you pull through mini-games. All of it feels new but becomes more repetitive with plenty of quests and side stuff. Side quests offer some interest due to the varied mini-stories that they offer.
One thing that you should keep in mind is that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has microtransactions even though it is a full-price game. It is not a live service game so, the store is kind of unexpected. The store has cosmetics stuff, trinkets, and stuff like that so there is no pay-to-win situation. Expansion has been planned, more stuff would be added to the store as well.
Combat
Combat is not bad but the actual encounters are not as good at least in my opinion or maybe my expectations are too high. The meat of the combat is the bow that has a different variety and ammo type. You are a big Na’vi and your arrows are big so, in a sense, you are throwing javelins at enemies. The impact of your big arrows can be felt thanks to the amazing impact feedback.
Battles are chaotic and not as engaging. Stealth is there but it is limited even though the game is filled with Far Cry like bases that are ready to be cleared with stealth. Most of the combat is about fighting and retreat. Just damage enemies and hide when enemies overwhelm you, then attack again once you get the chance in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
More tools open up as you progress. The skill tree can be upgraded which gives you benefits. The moment-to-moment gameplay is not as thrilling. Some people might find it way more fun than others. Combat is as fun as doing the rest of exploration and other open-world stuff.
Combat issues and repetition is not a complete holdback but it depends on your tolerance as well. Shooting arrows and hitting Heli or something feels good. It delivers that Avatar power fantasy. It nails the feeling that one should expect from an Avatar game whether you are a fan of the movie or not.
Verdict
Developers have done a great job when it comes to world details. Flaying, and jumping off, perfectly deliver that feeling of being Na’vi. Your likeness will also depend on your tolerance levels for flaws and how much you like the movies, my tolerance is shallow so there is that.
It works on the idea of being a big blue alien running around in a lush alien world. It has nailed the idea but too much reliance on the Far Cry formula can be a hindrance. If you can digest its Far Cryness and love the Avatar movies then you will have a good time.
There is an audience for it and developers have not screwed it for them. If you like the big moments of the movie then Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora delivers it. The music kicks in and the events that happen on the screen perfectly deliver that Avatar fantasy.
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