Highlights
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora shares a lot of similarities with the Far Cry franchise, which could be a good thing since Ubisoft has perfected the gameplay formula over the years.
- The Far Cry formula's emphasis on open-world exploration and varied side activities could work well in the Avatar universe, with the vast and intriguing world of Pandora.
- However, relying too heavily on the Far Cry formula may lead to franchise fatigue and make Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora feel like a reskinned Far Cry game, so it's important for the game to have its own unique mechanics and features.
2023 has already been one of, if not the greatest year in video game history, and with gigantic AAA titles dropping every few weeks, it's only natural that a few games are destined to slip through the cracks. Unfortunately, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora could end up being one of these games. Originally announced back in 2021, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora gained immediate attention for not only its beloved license, but also its promise to be a fully-fledged AAA open-world game, and there was no better studio to take the helm than Ubisoft.
But it's been a few years since that initial reveal, and quite a bit has changed since then. With Ubisoft going radio silent for a few years, the hype surrounding Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora had died down significantly, and when the first gameplay reveal finally did drop, it came much too late, coming right at the end of an incredibly busy Summer Game Fest season filled with plenty of other exciting announcements. It also didn't help that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's gameplay reveal proved to be a tad controversial, with its obvious similarities to the Far Cry franchise causing a divide in the gaming community, and both sides have fair arguments.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's Far Cry Formula Could Be a Double-Edged Sword
When Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora first revealed gameplay back in June, many fans were excited, and some were left disappointed, but the one consensus that all fans could agree on was that it looked a lot like Far Cry. From infiltrating bases with bows and arrows, to gunning down hordes of human enemies with shotguns and assault rifles, to harvesting fruit and flowers to upgrade weapons, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora undeniably shares a lot of similarities with the Far Cry series, and that has both its advantages and disadvantages.
On one hand, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora sharing a similar gameplay formula to Far Cry could end up being a very good thing. Over the last decade or so, Ubisoft has perfected the Far Cry gameplay formula, making every outpost infiltration, every race, and every escort mission feel engaging and exciting. Using this tried and tested formula as a base for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a great place to start, and it gives the developers plenty of room to adapt the formula to Avatar's unique universe.
The Far Cry formula is also heavily based around exploring one massive open-world setting, filled with tons of intriguing side missions and activities. This could translate perfectly to the Avatar universe, with Pandora being an integral part of the series. If Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora does end up following closely in Far Cry's footsteps, then fans can probably expect to see plenty of varied and impressive environments, a plethora of unique side activities, and some thrilling traversal mechanics.
But, on the other hand, the Far Cry formula might not be the best option for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to base itself on right now. The Far Cry franchise may not be quite as abundant as annual releases like Call of Duty, but it has put out a game fairly consistently for over a decade, and in that time, the general gameplay formula has remained largely the same. Though the setting changes, every Far Cry since Far Cry 3 has felt extremely similar to play, and franchise fatigue has well and truly set in. So, if Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora does end up feeling like a Far Cry game with a new blue skin, then fans could end up losing interest pretty quickly. It's vital that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has its own set of unique mechanics and features, as relying too heavily on the Far Cry formula could easily end up looking lazy on Ubisoft's part.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora releases December 7 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
