HomeFeaturesAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora could be a stunning first person adventure, I just don’t trust it yetI’m blue
I’m blue
Image credit:Ubisoft
Image credit:Ubisoft
I may not have seen Avatar or its sequel, but I like to think that means I’m numb to any preconceptions or bias. I am a man who understands only that there are lanky Smurfs who live in a world you’d get if you mashed Halo and Viva Piñata together. So, having seen roughly 30 minutes ofAvatar: Frontiers Of Pandora, I can give you the unfettered lowdown of a person who’s analysed it with a cold, hard stare. In brief, the game looks rather lovely! If… too lovely. I worry there’s a big catch somewhere and I can’t put my finger on it.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Official World Premiere Trailer | Ubisoft ForwardWatch on YouTube
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Official World Premiere Trailer | Ubisoft Forward
The scope of the game seems particularly enormous. You’ve got various colonies, the ability to tame and ride animals, a big bird companion who opens up an explorable world above the skies, aerial combat, crafting, cooking, two-playerco-op, the list goes on. Not that the devs aren’t capable of building a game of this scope, it just seems particularly ambitious and we’re not given any sort of deep dive into how any of these bits spin individually or mesh together. Instead, we get a convenient glimpse and a quick shuffle onto the next thing.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Official Game Overview Trailer | Ubisoft ForwardWatch on YouTube
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Official Game Overview Trailer | Ubisoft Forward
As for combat, the devs say you’re a “child of two worlds”, which I’ve translated as “got an AK and a bow, innit” on my phone. If you use human weaponry like assault rifles, they’re powerful but loud. So, if you’re after more of a stealthy approach, it’s best to use bows and arrows and the like. We saw both in action as our resident blue protag rattled some shots into mechs and RDA members, with some slides and hops in there to give encounters a little extra sauce.
One thing I’m totally confident in is how gorgeous the game’s forests and sky rocks are. Cor, fields glisten in green and there’s a rich colour to the fruit that dangles off vines, with all these believable communities nestled in the recesses or outskirts of the jungle. If the world truly is as delightful as the trailers, then that’s quite the feat.
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to glean much more info out of the presentation for you, but I’m unsure whether there was much to draw from in the first place. Either Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora is going to be an open world stunner, or it’s conveniently keeping us in the dark. I’m leaning towards the latter right now, but I really do hope I’m wrong.
