Exploring the Vastness of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - Ubisoft's Breakthrough in Open World Design

Article Key Points

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora offers a unique open-world experience with a focus on exploration and environmental design.

Players can replenish their stamina and gain beneficial effects by consuming food in the game's Health and Energy System.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora boasts an exhilarating and fast-paced combat experience, although it primarily focuses on exploration rather than frequent combat situations.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is set in the untapped Western Frontier of Pandora and takes place before the events of Avatar: The Way of Water. Players assume the role of a Na'vi who was kidnapped as a child by the RDA and trained as a soldier before being placed in stasis. Upon waking up fifteen years later, players embark on a unique journey that unites the Frontier clans in a standalone story against the RDA.

During our recent experience with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, we had the opportunity to play the game for approximately 2.5 hours. In this time, we completed four main missions, participated in a few sidequests, and thoroughly explored the vast lands. One aspect that immediately stood out was the game's emphasis on exploration, which extended to both combat and map design. Unlike typical open-world games from Ubisoft, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora offers a fresh take on gameplay and world-building.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora introduces a Health and Energy System. Health represents the player's well-being, while Energy reflects their stamina and can be replenished by consuming food. Consuming cooked food also bestows certain beneficial effects to players.

At first glance of the Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora map, it appears as bustling as any Ubisoft game. Extending the map to its maximum extent revealed its vast size, being approximately twice the size of the playable section we were given (which we were unable to fully explore during our gameplay session). Uncharted areas were obscured by clouds, while marked regions indicated resource-rich locations. Wider regions were labeled with names, denoting features such as swamps, and notable areas like the Home Tree stood out prominently. Certain areas, like the Ikran Rookery, were only designated once we reached them for a quest, indicating that the map evolves as the game progresses.

The major distinction that sets apart most Ubisoft open-world games is how the map is populated. Instead of using icons to mark the locations of RDA base areas, they are seamlessly integrated into the background of the map, giving them a more natural appearance. Unlike in Far Cry, there are no collectibles such as relics or lost letters to be found in the game. While there are fast travel points, like the Na'vi camps, the map does not suffer from the excessive amount of icons that can overwhelm players in typical Ubisoft games. In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, players have the choice to play in either a guided mode, where waypoints can be used to navigate quests, or in a mode where they must rely solely on contextual clues. These clues, like "a giant stone monolith covered in purple flowers," help players narrow down their destinations.

The exploration in the game is truly captivating, and the environment design of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is undeniably impressive. While navigating through the forests, we encountered both helpful and harmful plant life. There were explosive green plants, electrifying plants, plants that obstructed our path until we solved a puzzle, plants that boosted our speed, plants that launched us into the air, plants that provided climbing points, and much more. And this was just a small glimpse of what Avatar has to offer. Our favorite recurring plant was a group of shriveling plants that emitted a satisfying and whimsical "ploop" sound as we ran through them. It didn't serve any other purpose, but it never failed to bring amusement.

In addition to ground exploration, traversing the tree limbs and treetops was incredibly enjoyable. These areas were filled with plants that enhanced our speed, allowing us to zip, dive, dash, and jump from one point to another, reminiscent of a thrilling parkour run in Assassin's Creed. While the latter emphasizes stealth, freedom, and coordination, this experience focused on speed, harmony with nature, and the agile nature of the Na'vi. The overall result is a meticulously crafted environmental design that showcases Massive's attention to detail, offers a unique approach to exploration within an Ubisoft open-world game, and truly embodies the essence of Avatar. However, there were moments where we had to endure lengthy treks with sprinting across the ground floor as our sole option, suggesting room for improvement.

The dense design of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's map and exploration focus presents a drawback. There are instances where the marker does not accurately indicate the location we need to be, leading to imprecise waypoints and the need to search the area. Coupled with long treks, this can be frustrating for players. However, the benefit of this attention to detail is a rich and expansive map that offers numerous exploration opportunities.

To address the issue of long treks, Massive has introduced the Ikran flight. This allows for quicker travel between destinations once unlocked. However, it may feel like a late addition for some players, as it becomes available only after a few hours into the game. Nevertheless, the experience of flying on an Ikran, leaping off a towering mountain, and mounting the creature at the last moment is thrilling and enjoyable. This feature does not eliminate the "long trek" element of exploration entirely, but it significantly reduces the time spent traveling. Additionally, players have the option to name their Ikran, with the chosen name being mentioned in dialogue by the player character. We couldn't resist naming our Ikran "Floof," adding a touch of humor to the game.

Clans of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Story-wise, we embarked on four main missions to assist the Aranahe clan of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora in resolving their conflict with the Klingor, building a bond with our Ikran, taking out Sky People's aerial machines, and launching an attack on one of their strongholds. Scaling the Ikran Rookery was a true test of the game's environmental design, featuring a circular chasm where we traversed by climbing, running, and engaging with the surrounding flora. Along the way, we encountered a delightful bouncing puzzle and made daring leaps from one location to another. This seemingly straightforward task brought out the best of vertical gameplay design.

Clans of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

The assault on the base provided an exhilarating experience, surpassing the quality of numerous outposts encountered in previous Far Cry games. In order to successfully conquer and dismantle the base, a series of tasks awaited completion. Unlike the straightforward procedure of obliterating a propaganda billboard and eliminating enemy soldiers in Far Cry 6 outposts, we had to fulfill approximately three distinct objectives prior to advancing and commandeering the base's control center. Although it is unclear if all outposts operate under the same protocol, it would not be logical unless they were all designed as oil rigs. Furthermore, an alternative approach involving stealth was available for capturing the bases; however, our attempts were short-lived as a chaotic skirmish erupted, forcing us to engage in a full-blown battle for survival.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Combat Screenshots

The combat in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a thrilling and fast-paced experience, often punctuated with moments of humor. Our arsenal consisted of various weapons including a Heavy Bow equipped with standard and explosive arrows, a longbow with different types of arrows, an RDA assault rifle (with two types of ammunition, the second being effective against armored enemies), and a throwing stick that allowed us to hurl explosives and objects causing status effects. We found the heavier weaponry particularly useful when facing larger mechs, while opting for simpler ammo to dispatch individual soldiers. Although these soldiers were relatively easy to eliminate, they possessed considerable firepower. During a brief encounter, one soldier managed to launch a rocket at us before we could aim our arrow, resulting in a spectacular explosion as the rocket closed in on us.

Avatar Skill Trees

At the same time, detonating the arrows on the mech caused them to burst with explosive force, occasionally triggering a chaotic frenzy where the soldier inside would unleash their hysterical screams. Skillfully aligning kill zones, evasively maneuvering past adversaries, and strategically utilizing our surroundings engendered a sense of intense rivalry between combat and exploration.

However, it also had a significant drawback - a lack of general combat encounters. Out of the four main missions we completed, the only time we engaged in combat was when we assaulted the base. While exploring Pandora, we could hunt a few creatures using a bow, similar to how hunting is handled in Assassin's Creed 3. After looting the animal, the main character would pay tribute and offer thanks. However, we only encountered a very small and brief combat encounter while exploring the world, resulting in a lot of downtime and not fully showcasing the game's combat potential. It's possible that the full game may differ, but these missions and areas focused more on exploration rather than combat.

Every game has its advantages and disadvantages, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is no different. However, our brief experience with the game reveals a promising title with clear objectives, solid designs, and a defined direction. The game's strengths and weaknesses will vary from person to person, but it is undoubtedly a game that breaks the mold for Ubisoft.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is scheduled to launch on December 7 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Our website had the opportunity to experience a remote preview of the game.

Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, created by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, is an expansive open-world game located in James Cameron's well-known Avatar universe. This thrilling title will showcase the captivating Western Frontier region of Pandora.

Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

Release Date: December 7, 2023

Developer(s): Massive Entertainment

Publisher(s): Ubisoft

Genre(s): Action-Adventure

Editor's P/S

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora represents a significant departure from Ubisoft's traditional open-world formula, with a strong emphasis on exploration and a more streamlined approach to questing and map design. The game's Health and Energy System adds an additional layer of strategy to gameplay, as players must carefully manage their resources to survive and thrive in the hostile environment of Pandora.

The world of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is truly breathtaking, with vast and varied landscapes that beg to be explored. The game's dynamic clans and intricate skill trees offer plenty of opportunities for character customization and progression, ensuring that players will have a deep and engaging experience. Overall, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is shaping up to be a standout title in Ubisoft's open-world portfolio, and I can't wait to see more of what it has to offer when it releases later this year.