It’s been three years since players last had the chance to head to Pandora and experience James Cameron’s Avatar creation in video game form. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was a game I enjoyed at the time, despite some of its shortcomings and what’s now widely seen as an “Ubisoft open world” style.
Despite the word that the 2023 game did not perform as well as expected and the fact that Ubisoft could be in a real mess at the moment, the DLC Avatar: From the Ashes seems to improve and streamline the base game in almost every way. While it’s still not a perfect experience, much of the story, missions, characters, and gameplay feel like it’s taken a big 9-foot step forward.
If you enjoyed the first game or if you’re even vaguely interested in the third Avatar film, this will likely be an enjoyable time on your PC or console. I just wish it were a standalone title, as I think it would be great for more people to experience outside of the base title.
Returning to Pandora
This add-on content brings you back into the fold of the Na’vi, this time playing as a previous side character, So’Lek. Following the events of the base game, So’Lek is thrust into a new reality where the Sky People (humans) have stuck around and even partnered with a dangerous faction of the Na’vi. I haven’t seen the third movie in the series, but it’s clear that the darker, more intense personalities and beliefs are creating a Pandora we haven’t seen before. Avatar: From the Ashes wastes far less time getting going and in doing so, does a much better job making the player care about what’s happening to their world.
I may not have a very deep connection to the franchise, but I truly wanted to uncover what the Sky People and Ash (the dark tribe I mentioned) were up to. Spoiler: they’re up to no good! It’s also refreshing that the game doesn’t take dozens of hours to complete. I got through the DLC in about 17 hours, unlocking and uncovering what’s likely about 70 percent of the map and collectibles. This works for me nowadays. I just don’t have the time to sit and play a single campaign for 50+ hours anymore, and honestly, I want to play as many games as I can without locking myself into one place.
I also want to echo what I said in my review of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora: this game is beautiful! Colours pop and environments react to your every move. To me, there is no doubt that Pandora has always been a beautiful place to witness. This is clear once again in this DLC. It doesn’t appear all that different three years later, but that’s ok because the Frostbite engine looks and runs incredibly well here.
Avatar: From the Ashes Gives Us a Whole New Perspective
To my surprise and delight, Avatar: From the Ashes is a third-person experience. In recent years this has been my preferred way of playing action or RPG titles. Whether it’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, Control, or the fact that I waited to play Resident Evil 8 until I could play it in this perspective, I just enjoy this approach more now than I ever have. For those that don’t know, the base game was played entirely in first-person. That story follows a younger Na’vi that is just beginning their journey so in some ways it made sense to embody this creature.
Playing the game in third-person does change things somewhat, but most of the differences or improvements come from Massive Entertainment’s approach to streamlining mechanics and the UI. The core gameplay hasn’t changed much with So’Lek taking down bases, gathering evidence about what’s happening in the Kinglor Forest, defending areas, gathering resources, and other open-world tropes. But that’s not a bad thing, as Frontiers of Pandora may be one of the better large Ubisoft titles of late.
What worked in the base game still works here. But the developers heard some of the criticisms and made crafting and menu navigation much easier and faster. This might seem like a small change, but it really keeps the game’s flow moving and lets the player focus on what’s fun and thrilling. That, at least for me, comes in the form of flying with your Ikran. This used to be where the game swooped out to third-person, but now it’s far more seamless and feels just as great as it did a few years ago. Dipping and diving, attacking enemy ships, and hopping off the Ikran to dismantle human crafts is just a ton of fun, and I was glad it still worked and felt great!
A plus for PlayStation 5 players is the Dual Sense controller. The devs have really utilized how you interact with Pandora, your weapons, and just simple things like walking and running around. The rumble intensifies and lessens at the perfect time as plants and creatures react to So’Lek, while weapons and traversal feel more visceral in the controller’s triggers and bumper buttons.
Verdict
Avatar: From the Ashes still gets bogged down by some “classic” open-world tropes, but this time, most of it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
The game remains beautiful in both its graphics and sound design, backed by solid voice acting and a far better mission and story structure. Put all that into a third-person perspective, and you have a game that is well worth your time.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
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Author: 360 Technology Group
