Summary
2023 has already been one of, if not the greatest year in video game history, and with gigantic AAA titles dropping every few weeks, it’s only natural that a few games are destined to slip through the cracks. Unfortunately,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoracould end up being one of these games. Originally announced back in 2021,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoragained immediate attention for not only its beloved license, but also its promise to be a fully-fledged AAA open-world game, and there was no better studio to take the helm than Ubisoft.
But it’s been a few years since that initial reveal, and quite a bit has changed since then. With Ubisoft going radio silent for a few years, the hype surroundingAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorahad died down significantly, and when the first gameplay reveal finally did drop, it came much too late, coming right at the end of an incredibly busySummer Game Fest seasonfilled with plenty of other exciting announcements. It also didn’t help thatAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s gameplay reveal proved to be a tad controversial, with its obvious similarities to theFar Cryfranchise causing a divide in the gaming community, and both sides have fair arguments.
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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s Far Cry Formula Could Be a Double-Edged Sword
WhenAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorafirst revealed gameplay back in June, many fans were excited, and some were left disappointed, but the one consensus that all fans could agree on was that it looked a lot likeFar Cry. From infiltrating bases with bows and arrows, to gunning down hordes of human enemies with shotguns and assault rifles, to harvesting fruit and flowers to upgrade weapons,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoraundeniably shares a lot of similarities with theFar Cryseries, and that has both its advantages and disadvantages.
On one hand,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorasharing a similar gameplay formula toFar Crycould end up being a very good thing. Over the last decade or so, Ubisoft has perfectedtheFar Crygameplay formula, making every outpost infiltration, every race, and every escort mission feel engaging and exciting. Using this tried and tested formula as a base forAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorais a great place to start, and it gives the developers plenty of room to adapt the formula toAvatar’s unique universe.
TheFar Cryformula is also heavily based around exploring one massive open-world setting, filled with tons of intriguing side missions and activities. This could translate perfectly totheAvataruniverse, with Pandora being an integral part of the series. IfAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoradoes end up following closely inFar Cry’s footsteps, then fans can probably expect to see plenty of varied and impressive environments, a plethora of unique side activities, and some thrilling traversal mechanics.
But, on the other hand, theFar Cryformula might not be the best option forAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorato base itself on right now. TheFar Cryfranchise may not be quite as abundant asannual releases likeCall of Duty, but it has put out a game fairly consistently for over a decade, and in that time, the general gameplay formula has remained largely the same. Though the setting changes, everyFar CrysinceFar Cry 3has felt extremely similar to play, and franchise fatigue has well and truly set in. So, ifAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoradoes end up feeling like aFar Crygame with a new blue skin, then fans could end up losing interest pretty quickly. It’s vital thatAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorahas its own set of unique mechanics and features, as relying too heavily on theFar Cryformula could easily end up looking lazy on Ubisoft’s part.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorareleases December 7 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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