The open-world adventure genre has certainly seen an upsurge in content over the last couple of years, with Ubisoft being a key pillar, especially with the Far Cry series. Now, together with Massive Entertainment, the teams are taking aim at a whole new world with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Needless to say, we were intrigued, and thanks to an extended preview of some of the game’s middle section, there is more excitement about our transition into becoming a Na’vi and being a part of something larger than ourselves.
The first thing that catches the eye is the amazing environments of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, brought to life in vibrant colour and sound. This isn’t like anything we have seen before bar the movies, with both flora and fauna front and centre as attractive distractions. For spoiler reasons, we won’t dive into the narrative setup of the demo, but rather, we’ll focus on what we played around with.
For starters, this is a truly living, breathing world, full of wildlife that can be docile and aggressive, as well as plants that have an array of elemental properties. If you have enjoyed any of the Far Cry games, you already know, there will be plenty of collecting and crafting involved, and that is no exception even on this faraway planet.
As a Na’vi, you are blessed with greater agility and speed, able to climb and navigate the towering landscapes of this planet with relative ease, something that was distinctly clear about the experience that the developers wanted to highlight as we climbed gigantic trees and floating platforms as part of the preview. That, as well as the ability to soar through the skies after bonding with an Ikran, gives players control over some of the best parts from the films.
Considering that the Resources Development Administration (RDA) are central to the plot of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, conflict is never going to be too far away, and players will have access to a variety of weapons to deliver some payback. Conventional firearms are part of the fun, but so are several bows, a spear thrower, and even a staffsling for hurling bombs. It never gets old shooting a pesky human invader with an arrow from a distance.
Together with other gear items, these will all help to determine the power level of the player, making combat encounters and certain quests more manageable, especially as the RDA throws more powerful toys like mechs and explosive ordinance at you and your brethren.
Progression also rewards skill points that can be invested in five different skill trees, allowing your Na’vi to be unique from others, at least at the initial stages. Putting points in the Warrior tree obviously made our time fighting much smoother, and with other trees like Survivor, Hunter, Rider, and Maker to plan around, there will be much for players to think about in due time.
It all paints an exciting picture for fans of not just the Avatar movies, but also open-world action adventures, to look forward to, but Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora does have some issues it can potentially iron out before its 7 December release.
With the number of colours and lighting effects in play, it could sometimes be difficult to identify just where to head next to seek our targets or objectives. Even with the helpful Na’vi Senses ability, it will take some getting used to for players on Pandora to get the hang of things. Also, the world is huge, even in the small dose that we got, so travelling can be a hassle between areas. Sure, flying on the Ikran can speed things up and make for an exhilarating moment, but repeating it constantly dilutes the experience, and fast travel isn’t always viable either.
It remains to be seen just how well Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment are able to weave this tale together with the established gameplay formula that many would expect from such a journey; there can only be so much to surprise players when it comes to overthrowing a nefarious invader.
At the very least, the many clans that call this region home will be critical in immersing players into their role as a saviour, and that kind of power can be quite intoxicating. Here’s hoping it lasts throughout the entirety of the game.
Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.
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