Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Impression

Since the release of E.T. Atari was released in 1982. The best video games are not always the ones that feature movies, but the most popular ones do so because the players know the characters and the franchises. The gaming community was blessed in recent years with Marvel’s Spider-Man and the Arkham series. Mixed feelings were felt when Ubisoft announced they would be developing an Avatar video game. Others were unsure of what Ubisoft could deliver. After playing Avatar Frontiers of Pandora for many hours, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.

In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, you take on the role of a young Na’vi who has been taken by RDA to enroll in their Ambassador Program. After becoming accustomed to human life, you learn that not everything is as it appears. Later, you learn of the true intentions and escape. While defending yourself against the RDA, you are on a quest to learn more about your Na’vi culture. Frontiers of Pandora is set in the same time period as the films, but on a different planet. Avatar Frontiers of Pandora takes place in 2169, the year before Avatar The Way of Water. You will see references to characters and events from the main films as you progress through the story.

You will be impressed by the game’s visual appeal. You may have seen footage of Pandora in the Avatar films. It is a lush planet with large mountainous structures and unique wildlife. Ubisoft did a great job with their jungle/tropical settings in the Far Cry series and it appears that this experience has been translated to the new project. The game is faithful to the Avatar movies while still being unique. The characters and plants that you interact are well designed. This changes slightly when you come across random Na’vi on the map. The majority of Na’vi outside the hub areas have a similar character model. It’s not a big deal, but you will notice it during your gameplay.

You will feel the thrill of moving and exploring the environment as soon as you first get the chance to explore Pandora. Mirror’s Edge in the jungle is the best way to describe how it feels. You can use vines to swing, plants that launch you into the air and spores which increase your speed. You will also level up your movement skills as you discover and level new areas of the map. My only problem was that I got lost in the lush surroundings. The combat was a bit of a surprise, but I felt comfortable. Ubisoft has used the expertise they gained from Far Cry to implement it here. Both guns and arrows felt fantastic to use. When fighting robots and large animals, combat feels normal. But when fighting humans close up, things can become a bit more interesting. It is obvious that humans are much smaller than Na’vi. It was something I got used too quickly, so it didn’t ruin the experience.

The RDA controls a large portion of the map, and drains resources from the surrounding environment. Like in Far Cry or Ghost Recon, clearing outposts is one of the main goals outside of story missions. It is entertaining to watch an outpost, and plan your attack. Random RDA encounters ensure that things don’t stay quiet too long, and activities such as releasing wildlife from captivity are always different. The crafting system is another part of the game I haven’t given much attention to.

The harvesting and food-crafting system is a plus for survival game fans, but an irritation for others. The act of gathering items from the environment becomes a minigame. This mini-game could be compared with the lock-picking game in other games. The quality of resources will increase if you succeed. Quality can also be affected by the weather or region where you collect the item. Paying attention to your energy system can be a bit annoying. You will need to eat more as you engage in more combat or run. Many times I forgot this and my stamina and health slowly refilled.

Avatar Frontiers of Pandora is a great game. Many things in this game will be familiar to Ubisoft fans. Some may find this annoying, while others might consider it a positive aspect of the game. Ubisoft has done a good job of creating a game that is based on the movie while still adding something unique and new. Avatar Frontiers of Pandora is a game that shines because of its stunning graphics and movement. It was awesome to explore and discover new parts of the continent. When on a quest, it is easy to get distracted (in a positive way). I recommend this game to anyone who is a fan Ubisoft and Avatar games. I’m going to spend hours exploring and discovering the world.