Once December comes, we all dream of spending our dream vacation abroad to cap off a busy year. Now Ubisoft is taking that desire to the extreme, inviting players more than four light-years from Earth Avatar: The Frontiers of Pandora. The result: a stay we had been waiting for for a long time, but in an environment that we discovered was less welcoming than we expected.
Welcome to Pandora, the distant alien moon created by American director James Cameron for the world of cinemasymbol picturein 2009. But in this journey, the Ubisoft studio gives us almost complete freedom to explore its lush and green lands as we wish to control the Na’vi (or Na’vi, it’s your choice), these goodies are well-known bluish humanoid creatures.
But this time the roles were reversed. If James Cameron’s films are about humans seeking to fit in with the inhabitants of Pandora, the game features a Na’vi character kidnapped by Earthlings who want to teach him according to their customs and customs.
Once their freedom is regained, the player-controlled Na’vi will have to re-establish their own culture and fight the RDA, a terrestrial organization that has taken ease on the planet Pandora to the detriment of their nature.
Image courtesy of Ubisoft
Confused missions
This all sounds, in theory, very simple. But in practice, it’s a completely different story. Since the quests presented to the player are often chaotic and confusing, their instructions are worded in a way that is incomprehensible to beginners.
Hacking and destroying the drilling rig’s cooling device? Find the Air Echo Tower? Okay…but where? And how? You have to be deliberate – and often patient – to find the mechanisms and processes to use, Avatar: The Frontiers of Pandora Providing very little advice to the player in the quest.
And this is without mentioning the combat mechanics that are not very instinctive and the archaic weapons at our disposal, two elements that make confrontations difficult and even uninteresting at times. We also have unnecessarily complex tasks such as collecting fruit or resources, forcing the player to find different manual maneuvers to collect various trinkets in the wilderness. A good idea on paper, but it quickly becomes boring and overloads even the most trivial tasks.
Beautiful
Fortunately, all of this takes place in gorgeous, always bright environments. Because even if we often lose our bearings Avatar: The Frontiers of Pandorawe never cease to be amazed by the landscapes, both day and night, recreated in frankly impressive detail.
Our stay at Pandora was perhaps not the most harmonious. But it remains unforgettable.
Avatar: The Frontiers of Pandora ★★★☆☆
Available on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC
