"Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora" deserves a second chance

Somehow, “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” managed to fly largely under the radar as one of the prettiest games of this console generation. “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” was supposed to be as mainstream as the films that broke record after record. And yet, the open-world game released in 2023 remained unplayed and unloved by many. This is a shame for several reasons. Now that Avatar is returning to cinemas and, precisely with “Ash and Fire,” the third and presumably final DLC for “Frontiers of Pandora” is being released, it's the perfect time to give this underestimated game another chance.

The greatest strength of “Frontiers of Pandora” is obvious. But it would be wrong to reduce the enjoyment of the game to superficial technical voyeurism. In any case, it's not just the crisp graphics that make the Avatar game so beautiful. The visual design of the game world, the various plants, tree stumps, stones, roots, and grasses that adorn the virtual Pandora, thus bringing a truly unique setting to life, contribute just as much. There is great craftsmanship in every centimeter here.

Formula Deviations

Of course, no one should be blinded here: the characters in “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” are bland, the story not particularly gripping, the shooter gameplay a bit sluggish. But Ubisoft has tried to deviate from its formula, at least a little. “Frontiers of Pandora” is less combat-heavy than “Far Cry” or “Assassin's Creed.” Instead of constant fighting, there are at least occasional meditative game mechanics such as dexterity-requiring plant gathering, climbing sections, and exploration missions.

Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt

Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.

YouTube-Video immer laden YouTube-Video jetzt laden

Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.

A special highlight is an early mission where you get your flying animal, the Ikran: it is completely free of stealth and shooting. Instead, you climb floating islands in a wonderful sequence of small climbing puzzles while enjoying the view. Swinging into the air for the first time with the Ikran is a great reward. Such sections make “Frontiers of Pandora” playable despite the undeniable weaknesses.

Recommendations for Enjoyment

Sometimes, unfortunately, “Frontiers of Pandora” gets in its own way by hiding its strengths behind uninspired Ubisoft game design. To get the most out of this game, you need the right approach and some discipline. A few well-intentioned tips to get the most out of “Frontiers of Pandora”:

• Turn off the crosshair and compass! If you want to enjoy the game world of “Frontiers of Pandora” properly, the HUD overlays are just distracting. With a little practice, you can aim quite well without the crosshair, and you don't need the rest. The deactivated HUD forces you to engage attentively with your surroundings. You can find these options in the User Interface settings. To turn off the crosshair, simply set the opacity to 0.
• Activate Exploration Mode for the same reasons. The game mode deactivates the waypoints that lead to the next objective and encourage blind adherence. Instead, in exploration mode, you have to engage with the world, listen carefully to the directions, and open the map more often. It must be said, however, that many quests are not really solvable without the markers – Ubisoft has simply failed to include enough clues for exploration players in some missions. In such cases, you can briefly deactivate the mode in the options to proceed. This is annoying, but overall the exploration mode improves the gaming experience.
• Take your time. “Frontiers of Pandora” is most enjoyable when you stroll mindfully through the Kinglor Forest and soak up the atmosphere. The fast travel function robs the game of its greatest strengths, so avoid it as much as possible. In general, it's not a good idea to rush through one mission after another as quickly as possible. In “Frontiers of Pandora,” the journey is the destination.
• You will probably not play “Frontiers of Pandora” to the end. The game is long; the story doesn't hold up until the end. That's okay! Concentrate on what you enjoy and ignore annoying collection and busywork tasks. Nobody forces you to do everything.
• For PC players: “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” has a hidden maximum graphics setting that you can activate manually. With the launch command “ unlockmaxsettings,” you can try out the new “Unobtanium” level in the game options. It's even more beautiful, but also much more performance-hungry. Therefore, the Unobtanium settings are only practical with a very powerful graphics card.
• Buy on sale. “Frontiers of Pandora” was recently reduced to a standard price of 30 euros, a very fair price for a large and elaborate video game. However, it is available even cheaper quite regularly during discount promotions. The lowest price on Steam so far was 17.50 euros.
• Wait with the DLC purchase: The three large DLC packages are extensive and continue the main story of the game. This means: they are only truly playable after you have finished the main game. There is no reason to buy the DLCs beforehand.

With the right expectations, “Frontiers of Pandora” offers a charming gaming experience that truly deserves a second chance. The game cannot be unreservedly recommended. However, those who embrace it can look forward to many enjoyable hours of video game tourism.

(dahe)