I’ve performed about six hours of Ubisoft’s new Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora and my huge takeaway is that Avatar sickos will love this sport, Far Cry Primal followers will get a kick out of Ubisoft returning to this system, and everybody else, effectively… uh…dang, the sport certain is fairly, huh?
First introduced in 2017, Ubisoft Large’s open-world Avatar sport has felt oddly hidden away by the writer forward of its December 7 launch on PS5, Xbox Sequence X/S, and PC (the place I’m taking part in). It is a sport based mostly on among the hottest movies in historical past and but, we’ve not seen a lot of it. Is that as a result of it’s an entire trainwreck? Or a horrible, ugly mess? Effectively, after just a few hours with the sport, I feel the true purpose Ubisoft hasn’t been displaying off Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as a lot as you may need anticipated is that in the event that they did, it will have given away the truth that this actually is simply Far Cry with blue cat individuals.
Pre-order Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora: Amazon | Finest Purchase | GameStop
I’ll admit, I’m being a bit reductive in calling this newest open-world Avatar sport “simply Far Cry.” However after about six hours of taking part in by way of the primary quests and early aspect adventures, I can’t assist however shake the sensation that I’ve performed this earlier than. I spent a big chunk of my time creeping round forests with a bow, sneakily clearing out enemy bases, gathering supplies to craft upgrades, and preventing again in opposition to a strong drive alongside a ragtag group of rebels.
Sure, all of this options blue cat aliens and bizarre house vegetation, certain, however learn that final sentence once more. Should you’ve performed fashionable Far Cry video games, that every one in all probability sounds very related.
In Avatar’s protection, it’s not merely a Far Cry palette swap. One huge distinction is you play as a big Na’vi alien, aka the aforementioned big blue cat individuals. You have been captured by the RDA as a child, instructed your clan had left you behind, after which the evil corp tried to brainwash you and some different younger Na’vi into good little troopers. This plan fails, as a consequence of occasions that occur within the first movie, and you’re put to sleep for 15 years in a cryo mattress, solely to get up through the occasions of the second movie. The evil people are again and able to take Pandora by drive. Fortunately, you’re a particular “good at every part” Na’vi and will help your individuals (and the few good people) combat again to avoid wasting the planet.
In my time with the sport thus far, taking part in as a Na’vi is definitely one of the best a part of the sport. You’re huge. You are feeling huge, towering over people and having to crouch to enter their areas. However you aren’t a slow-moving tank. As a Na’vi, you possibly can leap throughout bushes and rocks with ease, mantling up partitions in seconds. Hopping throughout the gorgeous forest world of Pandora as a giant ol’ Na’vi and touchdown subsequent to some tiny RDA troopers by no means bought outdated. Neither did taking them out with big arrows.
I additionally actually benefit from the beautiful and detailed jungles of Pandora. Exploring this alien world is a visible deal with, with vegetation that react to you and all kinds of strange colours and glowing ins and outs dangling about. It’s fantastic stuff. I simply want there was extra right here past the spectacular visuals.
I do know prior to now we’ve got complained about Ubisoft video games feeling too overstuffed with aspect content material and collectibles, and I don’t need that. However in my six hours or so with the sport, the world of Pandora feels empty. It’s very fairly, with its unique bushes and alien creatures, however there’s not a lot to do or work together with on this digital Pandora. Generally I bumped into some RDA forces searching aliens, however that was about it, and it made the place really feel so lifeless and chilly regardless of all of the noises round me telling me in any other case.
Likewise, the narrative—which is haphazardly dumped on the participant with little context because the builders seemingly assume you’ve seen the films and keep in mind what occurred—feels empty and hasn’t grabbed me but.
The truth that the RDA are dangerous and doing horrible issues and I ought to be upset about that appears to be the one motivating issue, which is odd as within the first quarter-hour of the sport’s prolonged intro my sister was killed by them in chilly blood. However that occasion doesn’t appear to issue into something previous the intro and a one-off point out in a while.
I’m hoping that as I preserve taking part in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a bigger narrative with stakes will begin to type, however for now, the primary purpose I’m nonetheless taking part in is as a result of I like hopping round Pandora as a giant cat alien man with a big bow and machine gun. For now, that’s sufficient, however in 20 hours will I nonetheless really feel the identical method? I’m undecided.
Pre-order Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora: Amazon | Finest Purchase | GameStop
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