In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, we just want to wander around (our opinion)

I always thought that the two films Avatar were bad video games, in the sense that they do not allow you to be an actor within the universe of James Cameron. By simply remaining a spectator, we only scratch the surface of the potential of all that it can offer. Which means, in turn, that the world of Pandora is naturally designed for video games. A paradox when we know that we had to wait for Ubisoft, always there to ride on successes, to sign a deal with Fox to see the birth of an ambitious adaptation of the Avatar blockbusters.

And again: the aptly named Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was released on December 7, 2023 without really making any noise, as if Ubisoft didn’t really believe in it. The French firm should perhaps be reminded that James Cameron’s feature films have grossed more than $5 billion at the global box office. Released in 2009, the first Avatar is still today the biggest success of all time. Of course, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will not become the biggest video game success of all time. But it deserves attention for a simple argument: the soothing walks within Pandora.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is visually stunning

Ubisoft did not entrust the hot potato to just anyone. Massive Entertainment was responsible for developing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. This studio has proven that it knows how to do it with The Division and especially, The Division 2. He especially displayed his technical know-how with his Snowdrop graphics engine. Mobilized for the adaptation, he works real wonders in honoring Pandora. Because if we can doubt the design of the Na’vi (long blue stems which love to sing their love for nature and make love with their braid), it is difficult not to remain speechless in front of their habitat. Pandora has a breathtaking visual richness, which takes on its full meaning in a video game with careful graphics.

We feel that Massive Entertainment first wanted to offer a beautiful setting to Avatar fans. The success is total: his vision of Pandora is generous, captivating and on par with the work of James Cameron. We want to venture there for the simple pleasure of the eyes, delighting in atypical, colorful, surprising fauna and flora. Nothing feels more like Pandora than the Pandora of the developers, who have rolled up their sleeves to ensure palpable immersion. Diving right into the heart of environments filled with fluorescent vegetation is worth all the 3D glasses in the world. It’s lush, lively, almost exhausting with detail. Every centimeter of the screen attracts the eye, whether to admire particles that we imagine are toxic or to contemplate a strange alien plant. Everything refers to the notion of ecstasy, an ecstasy which provokes enthusiasm.

This is all the more true since Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is not satisfied with a fixed plastic beauty. Everything is in motion in the game, with striking climatic effects that make the slightest leaf move. Although I don’t like films, I must admit that Massive Entertainment’s proposal makes you want to explore and that the immersive arguments are difficult to contest (the sound effects are the icing on the cake…). This is good, because when you really have to play, reality ends up catching up with the dream.

Behind the journey, a game with insipid mechanics

When we saw the first gameplay images ofAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora, many of us have imagined a copy of Far Cry disguised in blue. If there are many features in common with one of Ubisoft’s strong sagas (the open world, the possibility of playing cooperatively, linear progression, etc.), Massive Entertainment’s title manages to distinguish itself sufficiently to not to have a taste of repetition in the mouth. The artistic direction must help, but there is also the fact that we play a Na’vi. The gameplay is much more vertical, due to physical capabilities different from those of humans. It is exhilarating to twirl between the trees or to fly on the back of Ikran, a kind of dragon which provides a real feeling of freedom in the skies. The “I play a Na’vi” aspect works very well, with a focus on the habits and customs of the people.

Nevertheless, despite good sensations in navigation and fidelity to the lore, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora struggles to convince on its overall proposal. Supposed to make the connection between Avatar And Avatar: The Way of Water, it is not based on a very striking story. The narrative mechanisms, simple pretexts for rallying tribes around a common cause (repelling the invaders), are meager. No encounter stands out. No moment is epic enough for us to come away with the impression of having participated in a grandiose epic. As if Massive Entertainment had focused too much on form to the detriment of a solid substance. We sometimes take pleasure in liberating Pandora, with the twist of generic objectives (destroy the GDR installations) which clean up the surroundings. But even this ecological motivation struggles to take hold over time.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora also faces real problems on the action part. Enemies compensate for their failing intelligence with painful aggression. When you face several robots at the same time, the fights become real hell: you get shot and the vulnerability of a Na’vi doesn’t always help you get through it. Added to this are humans who are difficult to distinguish due to their small size (visual richness hinders readability). The trick would then be to opt for infiltration, but we don’t really have the tools to rely 100% on this approach and the way in which the levels are built is not always suitable.

In short, we quickly hate taking up arms in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, knowing that the progression system is opaque. It is as much linked to skill points that we gain who-knows-how as it is to the equipment worn. This allows developers to spread out a whole bunch of optional mechanics, such as crafting, cooking, hunting or even gathering to help us gain power. This transforms the experience into a huge catch-all that ticks the boxes of a boat formula. The exoticism of Pandora allows you to swallow the pill, but you are never very far from indigestion when you would just like to take a leisurely stroll.

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