Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Game Rant

Adrian Morales

In the face of an IP filled with rich themes with something important to say, Frontiers of Pandora ignores the point entirely and goes on to have a gameplay loop where players spend most of their time killing otherwise docile animals to make arbitrary numbers go up so they can be as immortal as possible within the confines of the game. This would be business as usual for any other open-world gameplay loop, but it's embarrassingly ironic and tone-deaf for an Avatar game. Sure, anti-pollution sentiments are there because it's impossible to make an Avatar spin-off without them, but they're there superficially and treated as a checkbox for players to complete - ultimately ringing hollow. A betrayal of Cameron’s themes with the Avatar IP, seemingly stapled together as an attempt to get a slice of the highest-grossing film of all time’s pie, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora isn’t just generic; it is downright cynical.

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PC Gamer

Noah Smith

50 / 100

Frontiers of Pandora's stunning presentation and fantastic world design are failed by atrocious technical issues.

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IGN

Tristan Ogilvie

7 / 10.0

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora features a stunning alien world to explore, but doesn’t contain as many genuine surprises as other modern open-worlds.

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GamesRadar+

Leon Hurley

A decent, if unspectacular take, on an alien Far Cry that uses its source material well to create an engaging world to explore.

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Game Informer

Matt Miller

7.8 / 10.0

Even so, I found a lot to love in Frontiers of Pandora, including the welcome addition of two-player online cooperative play, which lets players enjoy the game with a friend. With time, the many interlocking features started to make sense, and I pushed past any frustrations to find a remarkably large and rewarding game. Enter Pandora’s vast wilderness with patience and a willingness for a measured march to understanding, and I suspect you’ll uncover what I did – a flawed but still praiseworthy addition to this growing science fiction universe.

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GameSpot

Phil Hornshaw

8 / 10

Though it includes a lot of familiar open-world elements, a minimalistic user interface, fun movement mechanics, and a gorgeous setting make it a blast to explore Pandora.

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VG247

Fran J. Ruiz

Like it or not, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora feels like the perfect companion piece to James Cameron’s movies: it’s big but often intimate. Savage but calm. Familiar but charming. Even without playing a single minute of it, you should know whether it’s something you want to play. If you decide to make the jump, I suggest letting go of cheap analogies and using Na’vi instincts first and gamer brain second.

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Hardcore Gamer

Kevin Dunsmore

3 / 5.0

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a beautiful game to look at that occasionally delivers moments of excellence, but it lacks the depth underneath to deliver a mesmerizing and unforgettable experience worthy of its technological prowess.

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