Shaun M Jooste 
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Review PS5 | Exciting Gameplay!
Welcome to our full Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review for the PS5! We share our view on the story, gameplay, visuals, sounds, and much more!
Operating System: PlayStation 5
Application Category: Game
4.6
Welcome to our Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review for the PS5! Primarily developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, the open-world exploration action-adventure game launched on 7 December 2023. You play as a Na’vi character called the Sarentu, leading a rebellion against RDA soldiers trying to take over the planet’s resources.
In my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review of the PS5 version, I’ll take a look at various aspects of the action-adventure game, such as the story, gameplay, and audio-visual elements. There’s so much to cover that I’ll only focus on the core elements. I did my best not to spoil too much of the main plot.
Disclaimer: I received Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as the winner of a Ubisoft Instagram competition. The review is based on my personal experience of the game and is not impacted by the award.
Also, thank you to Takealot and Seagate for the Firecuda 530 1TB Heatsink SSD M.2 2280 storage expansion for my PS5 so that I could safely install this game without having to remove others!
Exploring the Wonders of Pandora | Story Review
The first part of my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review concerns the story elements and anything related to the lore or exploration. It’s one of the few games where I actually have plenty to cover without giving away too many main plot details.
Before Jake Sully in The Avatar
The first thing I wanted to know when I started playing the game for my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review is when this story takes place in connection with the movies. The story before the story happens in 2146, which is eight years before Jake Sully lands on Pandora in the first movie. Dr. Alma Cortez and RDA Director John Mercer have started The Ambassador Program (TAP), where they begin to train five Na’vi children to one day become ambassadors for humans. Basically, they were kidnapped by Mercer.
After Jake defeats the RDA at the end of the first movie, the RDA evacuates with Mercer ordering the execution of the five Na’vi ambassador children. Dr. Alma helps them escape and preserves them in life-suspension chambers for their protection.
The Aftermath: 16 years later
The main plot of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora takes place 16 years after these events, with no real connection to the second movie, The Way of Water. Na’vi resistance fighters and Dr. Alma awaken the now adolescents as Mercer returns to kill them. This is where your journey begins with almost no knowledge of what awaits you in Pandora. It’s a genius way to get you to learn the world with your Na’vi Sarentu that’s a breath of fresh air from the usual amnesia tactics.
Exploring Pandora
From here, the world is your oyster. While there are plenty of quests and things to do, I spent a lot of my time exploring for my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review. Whether it was for tracking animals, opening the map fog, acquiring resources, or just scanning new fauna and flora, this singular exploration experience is what I love about the game the most.
Completing Quests
Once you reach the first Resistance HQ base, you’ll meet the resistance humans and Na’vi teams. While your initial quests will stem from here, you’ll find more clans with other missions and side quests for you to complete. Even if you only focus on the main storyline to completion, you can always come back at a later stage for that 100% goal.
Fighting Back
Speaking of which, playing the open-world fantasy game for my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review led me to discover that the main overall objective is taking the region back from the RDA. They are mining for unobtainium again, and the massive facilities are causing pollution and killing the land of Eywa. Sometimes, it feels like a sidequest, but clearing the land and finally facing Mercer is your ultimate goal.
Uniting the Clans
Another aspect I enjoyed and that I really want to mention in my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review is that you’ll also spend time uniting the clans against this common foe. They don’t really see you as one of them at the start, but as you complete missions for each clan, they begin to accept you as one of them. You’ll need this towards the endgame battle.
How Long to Play Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora?
So, there are two timelines for how long it will take you to play Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. If you’re just rushing to play the main story, it can take you up to 23 to 24 hours of gameplay. It also depends on how quickly you complete quests. For those of you aiming for 100% completion, you’re easily looking at 62 to 68 hours.
Final Thoughts on the Story Elements
For my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review, I found the story elements of the fantasy game completely enjoyable. The plot plays out slowly, and you’ll probably spend more time scavenging and taking out RDA facilities, but discovering the fauna and flora and the Pandorian lore is fascinating. While you’ll probably finish most quests just to complete the game rather than any emotional attachment to them, you still end up wanting to see them through.
Taking Action against the RDA | Gameplay Review
Next up for my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review is the gameplay section, where I discuss the main mechanics, such as combat, movement, skills, and more. Here is where you’ll see what it’s like to play the action-adventure game.
Learning How to Play Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Fortunately, Massive Entertainment was generous enough to teach you how to play as part of the unfolding game. As you come across a new ability or movement needed to proceed, you’ll learn what to do from the Na’vi or resistance humans. Screen prompts will also appear to tell you which buttons do what, which is a blessing in the beginning. From there, you’ll need to master the controls going forward.
Opening the Map
Another fun part of playing the game for my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review was opening the map, or Fog of War as they call it. As you explore, the map reveals regions you’ve explored, but there’s more to it than that. The wealth of information is what I loved. There are small dots with colours that indicate the status of discovery, as I call it. For example, a blue dot means you have yet to complete something there, while green means you’ve done all that’s needed. You can also place icons for resources or specific animals you find in different areas.
Unlocking Basic and Ancient Skills
What’s an action role-playing game with some levels and unlockable skills? While I won’t cover all of them in my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review, my main point is that you have two primary types of skills: Basic and Ancient. Luckily, you don’t have to divide your skill points between them. There are different ways to increase both separately, and I’ll leave that for you to discover. My recommendation is to read each type of skill so you can plan what you want to unlock next.
Scanning the Landscape
If you take anything away from this Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review, then let it be this: scanning is your way of life on this planet. Think of it like Assassin’s Creed’s eagle vision without the eagle. You can see through objects and detect fauna, flora, RDA machines, and basically any other significant lifeforms. I found myself relying on this ability way too much throughout the game, especially when destroying RDA mining facilities. I don’t know if it’s just me, but there’s just too much reliance on it, and you might as well live in that view during combat. It is incredibly helpful, though.
Scavenging for Resources for Cooking and Crafting
I love scavenging. I might have mentioned this element a few times in my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review already. If you think you can do away with snatching some resources in the fields while you run through them, think again. Using your scanning ability, you’ll want to find as many items as possible while on your way to a mission. You’ll need them for crafting new equipment, and weapons, or even cooking at one of the local camps. Some of these items are also needed for sidequests for clan favour.
One added element they added to scavenging is how well you obtain certain items. When you scan a plant or fruit, it will tell you under which conditions the items thrive. For instance, pulling a fruit from a tree might be preferred when it’s raining. Also, there’s a small mechanic for removing the fruit the right way. Doing it wrong means you won’t have pristine food, but that’s ok. It’s not the end of the world.
You’ll also hunt some of the wildlife from time to time, especially when viperwolves suddenly attack you. How you kill them will also determine the quality of meat and other resources. Usually, using a bow is a sign of mercy, but you’ll also need a clean kill. Using an RDA rifle is a big no-no in the eyes of Eywa.
Using Your Electronic Scan-Tool
Welcome to your SID tool. During some parts of the game, you need a different type of scanner for hacking electronic devices. While I didn’t find myself using this tool as much as my abilities, it was still necessary to progress in some quests. Basically, it’s like a small puzzle where you scan an item, move the power along lines from one point to another, and then move to the next section. Fans of hidden-object games will be familiar with this mechanic.
Fighting the RDA and Other Foes
If you’re looking for any negative comments from my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review, you’ve come to the right place. One of the more frustrating parts of the game is fighting against the RDA, especially in their mining facilities or bases. You hardly have any armour on you, and you mostly want to use stealth and your bows. Coming at them head-on is usually suicidal, as they just bombard you with so many bullets you don’t have time to heal.
As you progress in the game, you can upgrade your weapons and armour. Still, wiping out entire RDA bases on your own is a chore, but it’s the only way to clear pollution in the area and continue with the story. It’s the only grinding aspect of the game I didn’t really enjoy, especially when clearing facilities meant trial and error as I died a few times before working out the best approach. Fortunately, you do unlock better ancient skills and basic abilities later that make this task easier.
Detective Avatar: Investigating Clues
Now let’s move back to the happy parts of my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review. One of the more interesting features that I wish there were more of is the investigating missions. You’re Sherlock Na’vi, scanning and checking small areas for clues as to what happened or where someone is. You need to link the correct clues if you want to succeed, which isn’t too challenging. If we get a sequel to this game, I would like to see more of this.
Flying and Riding Around Pandora
If you came to my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review to find out if you get to fly and ride creatures, the answer is a resounding yes. The best part is that you actually don’t need to wait too long compared to playing the entire game. You’ll start with your Ikran first, which you need to bond with first before you can fly it. Then, you can jump off a floating island and summon it at will. Later, you unlock the ability to ride a Direhorse through the fields. You’ll need to feed and dress them in armour as you proceed to keep their energies up and protect them.
Connecting with Eywa
One final gameplay element I want to cover in my review of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is connecting with Eywa. That tail of yours with the small strands will come in handy with some missions. Also, you’ll need to connect with some trees to increase your stats, specifically your health. My favourite part was when I tuned into a Klingor and got to fly as one in its memories to discover what was causing it so much alarm.
Final Thoughts on the Gameplay Elements
Let’s round up the gameplay section of my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review. All in all, it’s a fun and exhilarating experience, especially the exploration and flying. I’m not a major fan of the RDA facility base grinds, but I do love watching the plants come back to life once the pollution is gone. There’s also a sense of becoming more powerful with upgraded skills when this becomes slightly easier. Still, I could have happily played this game without the RDA bases.
Beauty in Sight and Sound | Audio-Visual Review
The third part of my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review concerns what you see and hear while playing the open-world exploration game. Most of this part is regarding different aspects of the visuals. So let’s head right in.
The Wonders of Pandora
The screenshots I’ve used in this review don’t do Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora any justice. It’s out and out one of the best graphical games I’ve seen in a long time. There’s no doubt that the game designers put a lot of work into making it a masterpiece, and sometimes, I just want to stare into the vistas and enjoy the scenery.
Fauna and Flora Galore
Another aspect of the visuals I loved was discovering and looking at the fauna and flora. I’ve mentioned in my Diablo IV review that I love Bestiaries. Well, the game has a knowledge section where you can read through all the plants and animals you discovered with your scanner. Even this part of the game is visually pleasing, with absolute beauty on display.
Getting Lost in the Beauty
You will get absolutely lost in the beauty, but now I’m referring to literally becoming lost. When you kill small creatures, you may have to scan to see where their bodies are lying. There was also once when my character somehow got stuck in a floating island tree’s roots while moving between areas. When I say in, I mean I kind of somehow phased into the roots as a glitch. Luckily, my character popped out a moment later when I crouched. Still, none of this takes away from the beauty of the visuals.
Voice Acting, Sound, and Music
The music and sound is just as stunning as the visuals. Music changes based on the quest or circumstances. You have your general soundtrack when simply exploring, while it becomes more upbeat during battles. The voice acting is truly incredible and makes you feel like you’re in one of the movies. Learning the sounds of various creatures will also alert you to when you may be in trouble if you don’t act quickly. The whole world is alive with the sounds around you.
Final Thoughts on the Audio-Visual Elements
If this game was only about exploration alone, this part of my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review would still give the game high marks. In my opinion, I would happily play it just by travelling from one area to the next without any quests, thanks to the visuals and sounds. They truly did a fantastic job in this area of the fantasy game.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Review | Final Verdict
As you can tell from my lengthy Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review, I love this game. There’s very little I don’t like about it, and sometimes I turn it on just to walk around the fields and explore. It’s a gorgeous game that would still have been fun without the RDA bases. They need to make an MMO of Avatar, much like Elder Scrolls Online. There’s definitely an opportunity here for a greater fanbase and more to explore.
Is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora worth buying?
Yes, a thousand times, yes. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is absolutely worth buying. If you can’t afford it now, wait until discounts appear or it’s available in the PlayStation Deluxe store, if you have a membership. Fantasy RPG action-adventure game lovers will want to get their hands on this amazing title.
What other games is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora similar to?
The one game that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is the most similar to is Hogwarts Legacy, which I have yet to finish reviewing. You also have resource gathering, flying, riding, crafting, side and main quests, and plenty more. Even the scanning ability is available with the Revelio spell. A few other names I can throw around are The Witcher 3, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and Horizon Forbidden West.
What I liked and didn’t like about Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Here’s a quick rundown of the positives and negatives from my Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review:
Pros:
- Extremely gorgeous visuals
- Fantastic voice acting and music
- Peaceful game to enjoy when there’s no combat
- Flying an Ikran!
- Plenty of main and sidequests
- Enjoyable skills and abilities
- It’s fun to open the map
- Knowledge base of every discovered item
Cons:
- Not a fan of the RDA base battles
- Overreliance on scanning ability at times
Enjoy Our Fantasy Novels!
Now that you’re done reading my exhaustive Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review, please support us and our writers by checking our our online bookshop. If you love fantasy, you’ll want to read the Celenic Earth Chronicles by me (Shaun M Jooste), The Legend of the Oracle Runes by Debbie Stansfield, and The Ice Queen by Elena van Peborgh. If you simply want to enjoy the lyrical beauty of words, try Reveries and Refrains by Russell Fourie-Kidson, which is inspired by the music of Ben Howard.
