Summary
Both James CameronAvatarmovies have some extremely memorable moments, but the first movie’s Ikran/Banshee flying sequence is by far one of the series' most iconic. The moment that Jake Sully becomes a fully-fledged Na’vi warrior, this sequence manages to perfectly capture the intensity of the moment and the feeling of immense relief and freedom that Sully feels soon following it. From then on, flight becomes a staple oftheAvatarfranchise, appearing throughout the second movie as well, and nowAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoratakes the torch.
Plastered all over the game’s pre-release marketing and even its front cover,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s flyingplays a pivotal role in the title’s general gameplay loop. And while flight is often something that isn’t unlocked until much later on in an average open-world game,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoragives it to players just a few hours in, and it’s definitely one of the game’s smartest decisions.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s Flight Is a Big Highlight
Flight Being an Early Unlock in Avatar Is a Great Boon
As mentioned up top, it’s usually the case withbig open-world gamesthat flight is reserved for the latter parts of the game. Most open-world titles want players to explore the environment fully first, either on foot or by using a different type of vehicle, encouraging players to take in more of the map’s details from ground-level, as once the player gets access to flight, they’ll inevitably just end up zooming above it all without a second thought.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoradoesn’t follow the status quo when it comes to its own flight, and it’s all the better for it. Players first gain access to flight around three hours intoAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s story, and maybe even earlier if they’re mainlining the main quests in an attempt to get there as fast as possible. The mission to unlock flight inFrontiers of Pandorais easily one of the game’s best and most atmospheric, as players climb an Ikran Rookery in a sequence very reminiscent of Jake Sully’s own first flight.
After bonding with their Ikran, players have unlimited access to the mount and can call it at any time. This newfound level of freedom opens upAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s mapgreatly, essentially allowing players to access every inch of the environment they’ve unlocked so far, all within just a few seconds of traversal time.Avatar’s map is big, and the vast majority of it is foliage. While there’s always a resource to gather or animal to hunt,Frontiers of Pandora’s titular world is beautiful, but a tad sparse in certain areas, and traveling through it all on foot can get a little tedious, even despite the game’s fun parkour system.
With an Ikran in possession from early doors,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoraall but eliminates that need to travel everywhere on foot, and encourages players to engage with all the open-world’s side activities at their own pace. With a flying mount in tow,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s map also adds a whole new layer of verticality that wasn’t there before, adding a plethora of floating mountains, similar toZelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s map. It doesn’t hurt thatAvatar’s Ikran controls are also intuitive and satisfying, allowing the player to pull off some impressive stunts that can actually make a significant difference in the heat of battle.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
WHERE TO PLAY
Protect Pandora. Become Na’Vi. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora™ is a first-person, action-adventure game set in the open world of the never-before-seen Western Frontier of Pandora. Abducted by the human militaristic corporation known as the RDA, you, a Na’vi, were trained and molded to serve their purpose. Fifteen years later, you are free, but find yourself a stranger in your birthplace. Reconnect with your lost heritage, discover what it truly means to be Na’vi, and join other clans to protect Pandora from the RDA.
