Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Hands-on Preview – A New Frontier for Ubisoft Open World Design

At the same time, using the explosive arrows on the mech saw them explode, and sometimes the mech would go berserk and the soldier on the inside would be screaming hysterically. Lining up kill lanes, kiting enemies, and using the environment to our advantage made it feel like the combat is in close competition with the explorat

However, it too had a noticeable drawback, and that was a lack of general combat encounters. Across those four main missions we completed, assaulting that base was the only time we ever really drew a bow or a gun for combat purposes. We could hunt a few creatures while exploring Pandora, but that was using a bow to get good shots similar to how Assassin’s Creed 3 handles hunting . Even looting the animal leads to the main character saying a few words in commemoration and thanks. Yet, we only encountered one very small and short combat encounter when exploring the world, leading to it feeling like there’s a lot of downtime and not allowing the combat to live up to its sheer potential. It could be the full game is different, but this sequence of missions and areas did lean more heavily into exploration than its com

Weapons are quite varied as well. Thanks to her unique background, the protagonist can handle different types of firearms, or she can go for a quieter approach with a bow and arrow, or combine them with explosive arrows. A big part of the appeal of Far Cry is the variety of weapons and ways to accomplish tasks. It looks like Frontiers of Pandora is going to deli

On the opposite end of Pandora, far from its lush natural environments, humans have begun to expand their presence on the planet at an alarming rate. The first film sets up the many interests humans have in the planet and its resources, and The Way of Water explains that, because of their technological advancements and funding from the RDA organization, they’ve been able to essentially build a full city on Pandora in a matter of mon

Just like in both films, the main antagonist in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will be the human-led Resources Development Administration, or the RDA . Having traveled to Pandora decades before the events of the game, the RDA has the goal of exploiting the natural resources of Pandora. Naturally, the many Na’vi clans have banded together to protect their h

So far, fans have been exposed to the jungle-dwelling Omatikaya clan and the ocean-dwelling Metkayina clan in the two films. But Frontiers of Pandora will introduce fans to three new clans. First, players will meet the Aranahe clan, who live around the floating islands of the Rookery. Then there’s the nomadic Zeswa clan who roam the Upper Plains with their horse-like Zakru, or Direhorses. Finally, there is the mysterious Kame’tire clan who, for unknown reasons, hides away from the rest of Pandora. As players traverse Pandora, they will be sure to get to know each of the new clans very w

When first looking at the map of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora , it clearly looks as busy as any Ubisoft game . Expanding the map all the way out also showed us how big the area was, at least twice the size of the playable section we were given (which we could not explore all of during our time with the game), and everywhere the save file hadn’t been before us was covered in clouds. There are color-marked areas, marked for resource gathering; names across wider regions, indicating things like swamps; and a few select stand out areas marked like the Home Tree. Some areas like the Ikran Rookery weren’t specifically marked until we made it to them for the quest, so it’s clearly a map that develops over t

This absolutely drives exploration in the game, and the environment design of Avatar Frontiers of Pandora tips: Frontiers of Pandora is clearly top-notch. While running around the forests, we encountered beneficial and detrimental flora. There were green plants that would explode if we got too close, plants that would shock us, plants that would block our path until we completed a puzzle, plants that gave us a speed boost, plants that launched us into the air, plants that would drop climbing points for us, and much, much more. And again, this was in a very small taste of what Avatar has to offer. Our favorite plant proved to be just about everywhere, and it was always a collection of plants that would shrink as we ran through and make a satisfying, whimsy “ploop” sound. It didn’t do anything else, but it was enough to get a laugh plenty of ti

There’s these sublime differences but also subtle differences, and you just dive into their world, especially in the side quest and the side dialogue. I am super impressed with what the writing team and all of the art team and everyone that crafted that. It feels like when you go on a trip yourself to a different country and you just get a little glimpse of the culture, and it’s very relatable because we’re human when you take a trip. But it’s also so interestingly different and I think that comes across between the clans. I think the team did a fantastic job th