After years of waiting, fans were finally given their first look atAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoragameplay during the recent Ubisoft Forward showcase, and generally speaking, it seems as though it’s been worth the wait. ThoughAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoramight look a little too similar toFar Cryin terms of its general gameplay loop, the ability to take to the skies on the back of a Banshee and zip past floating mountains is more than enough to convince fans of the franchise it’s worth the price of admission.
But that’s far from the only thingAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorahas going for itself. On top of an expansive RPG skill tree, upgradable weapons and outfits, and a rich story that hearkens back tothe very firstAvatarmovie,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorafeatures an absolutely stunning open-world, a strength shared with one of PlayStation’s biggest and best exclusives.
RELATED:Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Could be the Final Nail in the Coffin for the Sands of Time Remake
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Shares a Big Strength with Horizon: Forbidden West
It may have taken several years of complete radio silence, but Ubisoft has rewarded fans' patience with an extended 6-minute look atAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s gameplay, and there’s a lot to unpack. The first big reveal is thatAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s storywill revolve around a Na’vi that was captured by the RDA at a young age, and forced to fight alongside them before eventually being abandoned and left to fend for themselves in the wilds of Pandora’s Western Frontier. From there, players will need to unite the various Na’vi clans of Pandora, and lead the fight against the RDA, using a variety of both human and Na’vi weapons to destroy facilities and restore peace to the planet.
But whileAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s first gameplay trailerhad several impressive moments, ranging from aerial acrobatics on a Banshee to riding a Direhorse across Pandora’s plains to taking down an RDA gunship with just a bow and arrow, the biggest overall standout of the trailer was the general look of the game and its vibrant setting. One of the most memorable aspects of James Cameron’s originalAvatarmovie was the astoundingly unique look of Pandora. Floating cliffs, bioluminescent plants, neon-speckled creatures, and a ton of greenery dominated much ofAvatar’s screen-time, and this look has since become one of theAvatarfranchise’s defining features.
From what fans have seen so far,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoraseems to be capturing that unique look perfectly. ThroughoutAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s first gameplay trailer, fans are bombarded with iconic, authenticAvatarimagery, with a big focus on the world’s foliage, from gigantic trees that connect to floating cliffs to flowers that collapse when touched to an array of multicolored vines stretching across a forest floor. In many ways,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorashares this strength withHorizon: Forbidden West, another game that prided itself on vibrant yet realistic environments, sweeping vistas, gorgeous lighting, and a variety of unique and noteworthy plants and trees.
Much likeHorizon: Forbidden West,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s foliage also has a practical use in gameplay as well. InAvatar, players will be able to pick fruit and harvest trees and wildlife, which seemingly gives them crafting materials that can then be used to make new weapons and upgrade existing ones. It seems likely thatAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoramight also feature a weapon and cosmetic dying system as well, justlikeHorizon: Forbidden West, allowing players to change the appearance of their weapons and outfits by harvesting specific plants.Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoraalso integrates its foliage into the game’s traversal systems, with the trailer showing the player-character bouncing off mushrooms and climbing retracting vines. With theAvatarfranchise revolving around a core theme of nature, it’s great to seeAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoraincorporating this into the actual gameplay as well.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorais set to release June 17, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
