"Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora" is a visual spectacle

With "Avatar", James Cameron created a new gigantic science fiction universe in 2009. Fans had to wait 13 years for the movie sequel. Now the video game adaptation wants to push the boundaries of the world of Pandora, but lacks pioneering spirit in many respects.

The expectations for "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora" are bombastically high. After all, the video game conversion from Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft has to do justice to one of the biggest science fiction franchises and be able to keep up with the most successful films of all time. The beautiful moon of Pandora, with its jungle-like density of life, is to be created in an open world, with a gripping story and fast-paced action to keep gamers entertained. The developers have taken on this immense challenge - and mastered at least one aspect with flying colors. ntv.de tested the game on the Playstation 5.

"Frontiers of Pandora" tells its own new story, but is officially part of the Avatar universe and takes place roughly before the second film. The humans from the Resources Development Administration (RDA) once again appear as villains and want to plunder valuable resources on Pandora - naturally, they have no regard for the complex ecosystem and its inhabitants. The player takes on the role of an indigenous Na'vi who was abducted by the RDA as a child and trained as a soldier. As a result, you can also handle human weapons and speak their language. Through an alliance of humans and Na'vi, he regains his freedom, joins the resistance and tries to rediscover his lost identity. In the course of the story, you also learn to fly on Ikrans in typical Na'vi fashion, to ride fright horses or to use a bow to knock planes out of the sky.

The story is a good framework, but similar to the black and white thinking of the films, it is not the driving force of the game. It is also noticeable that the crucial cutscenes are better animated than random conversations. Unique Na'vi animations often contrast with stiff walks.

Pure Avatar atmosphere

The big highlight is Pandora itself, a visually overwhelming force. The sensational open world is bursting with life. Plants shrink when touched, poison their unsuspecting explorers or fire seeds like projectiles - almost everything in this wild environment reacts consistently to the player's movements.

Light shows in the forests of Pandora - always an eye-catcher.

The multitude of biomes and the famous floating islands provide an impressive setting that invites you to explore. Those familiar with the films will notice that although it is not yet one-to-one CGI cinema quality, they will still be amazed at the level of detail with which the planet's flora and fauna have been captured and the play of colors that Pandora is capable of. Ubisoft has also produced an excellent synchronization in both German and English. The whole thing is only topped by the soundtrack and the sound effects - pure Avatar atmosphere.

The best way to explore Pandora is on an Ikran. The flying creature can be summoned in almost all areas and makes it possible to cover large distances without having to resort to the fast travel system. And the distances between individual waypoints can - as we know from open-world games of this size - get out of hand.

With bow and arrow against a combat robot

The packaging of "Frontiers of Pandora" really shines, and the story is also solid. But what about the gameplay content? Here the developers - unfortunately, it has to be said - make use of mechanics that players know only too well from Ubisoft's "Far Cry" series. The military missions feel familiar and focus on infiltrating bases to kill soldiers, take out walking robots and sabotage the RDA facilities. There are two ways to accomplish these tasks: through stealth and ambush or sheer firepower. But no matter how you go about it, they hardly vary from the basic formula. Unfortunately, a certain monotony sets in after just a few hours.

Collecting like in a frenzy

The combat sequences with the RDA, on the other hand, always feel quite crisp, thanks to the Na'vi arsenal of weapons. The human assault rifle feels like it has the same hit feedback as in "Far Cry", the bow and the bomb thrower can be modified and are much more fun. Even the big mechs can be put out of action in close combat with the right tools. The AI of the opponents is often not really challenging, as there are often far too many fuel tanks or similar in combat areas, with which you can quickly blow up your opponents.

Those who are not active as soldiers hunt and collect resources on Pandora. Every animal can be utilized, every plant yields something that can then be used to improve items or change their appearance. This can be exhausting, but is unfortunately a must. It is the only way to improve equipment and complete certain quests. However, since everything can be utilized, there is no need to sell useless junk items as in "Far Cry".

If you gain more experience as the story progresses, you get new skills, as is usual in this genre. In addition to the normal skill trees, you can network with giant flowers at certain locations - this is how you make contact with Eywa, the Na'vi deity. Considering that this is supposed to be such a weighty spherical connection, the game progress is rather sobering. Increased damage or lower costs for fast travel are not exactly the coolest features.

So nothing new or unusual in terms of gameplay. Coupled with an audiovisually stunning experience for the senses, this is certainly enough to keep many players hooked on the main campaign for around 25 hours. For hardcore fans of the universe, "Frontiers of Pandora" offers a deep insight into the Na'vi culture, flora and fauna of Pandora - something the films were unable to do despite their excessive length. Overall, more could have been done with a title of this size.