The way that James Cameron’s Avatar took over the cinematic world and its ripples cannot be overstated. This now-Disney property didn’t become the monument it is today immediately after its release night. It took time and a lot of word of mouth to become the juggernaut movie of 2009. The thing is, the ripple effects of Avatar‘s release were felt for even longer, with 3D TVs becoming a fad, 3D movies coming and going, and a brief push for 3D video games, like Arkham Asylum on the PS3.
The ripple effects are still felt in several industries into which Avatar was injected. Disney World’s adding Pandora- The World of Avatar to Animal Kingdom in 2017 set the new standard for theme park immersion. Regardless of its long-projected sequels never came about until last year with Avatar: The Way of Water, what the property did for movies was redefine what was possible with CGI. Its newest release, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora by Ubisoft, is a prime example of how it should shape Ubisoft moving forward. Specifically, Ubisoft should implement the core mechanics that they’re well known for and build around a well-established and beloved IP people want to explore.
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So far, Avatar as a property is the connecting factor. The core pieces of Avatar mentioned so far drove innovation, forcing the competition and even internal ideas to change to continue chasing that want that the fans discovered upon their release. What about the video game side? We’ve got a handful of releases with middling reviews. Frontiers of Pandora feels different than the rest like it’s the one game to really strike that gold in its video game ventures. Here’s why.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was hard to get into at first. It isn’t until several hours into the game, when you meet native Na’vi outside of the human resistance fighters, that your character dives into Pandora, and the game becomes addicting. The game’s biggest draw, though, is how your character really starts to connect with the Na’vi afterward, like through its talent tree that enhances your survivability on Pandora. Or gaining new abilities for exploration to navigate its lush forests; those same goals you’ve done that felt like standard Ubisoft open-world goals start to feel really unique and refreshing. Even the similar mechanics that feel outlandish or wacky in similar Ubisoft series, like Far Cry or even older Assassin’s Creed, are much more fun here, like flying around an environment or tagging and clearing out an encampment of enemies. Everything carries those same core mechanics of a tentpole Ubisoft title, but it rarely feels rehashed.
Frontiers of Pandora makes repetitive tasks we’ve done for years in Ubisoft games feel unique because it dives head-first into James Cameron’s universe. Playing as a Na’vi makes the gameplay feel very different while doing similar actions, specifically because of its immersion into Pandora and the narrative built around it. The narrative works quickly and effectively to connect you to Pandora in ways the movie failed to do.
Taking over a base is a powerful moment because of the Na’vi beliefs of nature. You are cleansing an area of a militaristic pollution facility, all used to build the human war efforts. When that is put to a stop and nature takes over again, it’s a beautiful moment. One that you feel like you’ve had a hand in correcting. Then there’s Exploration, which is way more fun thanks to playing as a Na’vi and learning their heritage. Initially, I stumbled because I played my character like I would in a Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed game. It wasn’t until I learned techniques that Na’vi used over time to navigate the forests that this world truly opened up and became its own playground.
After a deep dive into the game, it has repeatedly grabbed my attention well past the point when I left other Ubisoft open worlds. And that comes from the simple fact that this game struck the same magic and wonder Avatar did in 2009, but this time, it lets us, as the players, explore the world through the eyes of someone familiar yet new to everything. It’s that same spark that Pandora- The World of Avatar ignites every time you walk over the bridge and start to hear the new otherworldly sounds, see the plants native to Pandora, and then hop on a banshee in the Flight of Passage ride. It’s not the most thrilling ride nor the most immersive area at Disney World, but the shock and exploration of something not of this world adds to the wonder and the want to return.
With the movies, the perceived limits of CGI disappeared. With theme parks, even greater theming was introduced, and with it, more detailed pre-shows or 4-D elements were added to let the riders feel even more immersed in what they would experience. Instead of a rider being a visitor looking from the outside on the properties of the park’s different areas, they are now actively involved in what’s happening.
Video games as a medium are already leagues ahead of movies and theme parks. Gaming has the power to immerse the player into worlds they’ve never dreamed about. So… why shouldn’t that same innovation be used at Ubisoft, one of the best publishers of immersive open-world content? Specifically, they should abandon Far Cry as a franchise with 14 releases that, at this point, feel stale. Instead, they should create more immersive open-world games based on well-known IPs. Just imagine an open-world immersive game where you can explore a different period of Westeros. Or one about a cartoony adventure game themed after another Disney property, Rescue Rangers.
If Ubisoft wants to create a sequel to Frontiers of Pandora with a different clan or part of Pandora, that’d be great. But the best way to move forward is to create a tentpole series with this genie out of the bottle that uses other properties that fans want to explore as the base materials and build it off of what they do best. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora shows that familiar mechanics, like taking over bases in the name of the freedom fighters, using nature to your advantage, hunting, and so much more, can feel new with not only the right coat of paint but also surrounding them with the uniqueness that cannot really be found on an Earth grounded in reality. Use that framework and build something around it that fans want to experience first-hand, Ubisoft!
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.
