Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is an action adventure game set in the cinematic Avatar universe. It was developed by Ubisoft and its Swedish subsidiary, Ubisoft Massive. They've closely cooperated with 20th Century Studios and James Cameron, series creator and the director of the movies.

Plot

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is set in the 22nd century, on the moon of Pandora, orbiting one of the gas giants in the Alpha Centauri system. Pandora, a richly vegetated globe inhabited by the sentient Na'vi, is currently a target of Earthly corporations eager to exploit its resources. The largest of these is RDA - Resources Development Administration.

We play as a Na'vi, kidnapped by the RDA in their childhood and trained to serve them. They wake up fifteen years later and break free, but their people do not welcome them again with open arms. Our protagonist must thus regain the trust of various clans, restore their connection with Pandora and their ancestral heritage, then face the invaders.

Mechanics

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a first-person game (FPP). It is set in a vast open world in form of the Western Frontier of a previously unexplored Pandoran continent. While exploring it we must complete story quests and can devote time to side quests and optional activities. The world includes the vibrant jungle of Kinglor Forest, vast plains and the mysterious Clouded Forest. These areas are thrown out of natural balance by the presence of RDA facilities, which extract Pandoran resources.

The Western Frontier can be traversed on foot, made easier by our character's extreme strength and agility, which shows in how far they can jump. Mounts are much more comfortable though; we must first tame them and then establish tsaheylu, a lifelong physical bond. On land we can move mounted on the horselike pa'li, but there's an even faster way around Pandora - by mounting an ikran we can take off into the air and soar through the skies. When mounted, the camera shifts to a third-person view (TPP).

Pandora is far from an idyllic place, mainly due to hostile humans. Combat is very common and it's up to us how we'll dispatch them. We can be stealthy and use traditional Na'vi weapons, such as bows, javelins and traps, or attack them from up-front wielding destructive firearms like shotguns and assault rifles. Combat, in which we face both humans and their mighty machines (including helicopters and mechs) takes place on land and in the air.

As we progress through the game, we develop our character and acquire more powerful equipment. The game also features crafting, used to modify and upgrade our weapons.

Game modes

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora supports singleplayer and online co-op for two people. Co-op only becomes available after completing a few main story quests.

Technical aspects

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora features high-quality visuals. The game runs on the Snowdrop Engine and makes excellent use of its capabilities. The densely overgrown areas, richly designed and animated characters and creatures inhabiting Pandora are all very impressive.

Last updated on 30 October 2023