This is a very special edition of Demo Days. My mind is still completely blown that I got this opportunity. Before I even get into things, I want to say a massive thank you to Ubisoft for this incredible opportunity. My heart is so full of gratitude for you guys, and your continued support of GamEir.
Friends, I got to demo Avatar Frontiers of Pandora. I had the honour of taking part in a 2.5 hour demo session that covered 4 main quests from the upcoming open world adventure. There were side quests available, but by now you all know I’m a tad on the slow side, so I didn’t get to those. I did, however, experience a couple of random encounters. But enough of the ramble, let’s do this properly! Very minor spoiler warning for the 4 main quests alone.
What is Avatar Frontiers of Pandora?
Just in case you’ve missed this, let’s start with a quick rundown of what Avatar Frontiers of Pandora is. Avatar Frontiers of Pandora is a first-person open world action adventure. The game is based on the Avatar film series, and is being developed by Massive Entertainment, with Ubisoft publishing. You will play as a Na’vi orphan, raised and trained by the RDA. However, after training, Na’vi was placed in suspended animation. They will awake 15 years later, in an abandoned facility.
You’ll get to explore Pandora, learn about your character’s Na’vi heritage from the native tribes, and take the fight back to the RDA. Just to name a few things. The story also partially links in to the movies. As well as this, Avatar is set to support 2-player co-op multiplayer.
Demoing Avatar Frontiers of Pandora
Like I said at the start, the playable content available in the Avatar Frontiers of Pandora demo covered 4 main quests. These quests were:
- The Eye of Eywa
- Take Flight
- Those Who Guide Us
- Pushing Back
In The Eye of Eywa, you are tasked with finding mangrove hive nectar. This is to be used for the Kinglor in ritual. This beautifully introduced the world, and some of the incredible landscape within.
In Take Flight, you get to ascend the Ikran Rookery. Here, you will befriend your very own Ikran, and learn how to fly. Friends, do not do what I did here. It is not a good idea to walk behind the Ikran. They will lash out and knock you. Potentially over the cliff, at least in my experience.
In Those Who Guide Us you get to really put your flying skills to the test. This quest takes you to a Floating Mountain, and to Storyteller’s Stone, where you will learn more about Na’vi friend Nefika, and her story.
In Pushing Back we get to take the fight to the RDA (for the first time, anyways). This is a mix of combat and stealth. You’ll begin with hacking and destroying some RDA aerial devices, and then move on to an RDA outpost. This is where the stealth comes in, but if like me stealth is not your forte, there are places to hide while moving through the outpost.
Will Avatar Frontiers of Pandora be worth the wait?
By now, everyone probably knows me more for talking about horror and dinosaurs. Avatar Frontiers of Pandora is very much out of my normal wheelhouse. Before playing the demo, I was already interested in this game. I love strong, story driven experiences, and the world looked stunning in all trailers and promotional material. Everyone also knows I’m pretty critical of demos and how much/little they show.
I am so truly happy to say that Avatar Frontiers of Pandora is genuinely shaping up to be fantastic. The demo was super well done. Included quests nicely showcased the different gameplay aspects and the world its set in. Although I definitely need more flying practice. Though this was much easier as the demo was played with controller. I feel on release, controller will be the best way to play the game.
The gameplay itself is very smooth, in some ways reminiscent of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, but more updated. I also don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautifully designed world to date. The audio design is very well done, perfectly adding to the real feel of the world. Without a doubt, it felt like taking steps on another planet.
I loved the demo for Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, and I cannot wait for the full release in December. Although I personally will be playing on Xbox Series X. This is definitely going to be something special.
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