In many ways, it feels like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora came and went in the blink of an eye — partially because of an unfortunate December release date that oftentimes buries games. And that’s genuinely a shame, because Frontiers of Pandora is one of the best Ubisoft games of the last decade: a surprisingly engrossing open world game that hones in on exploration, and deftly explores the Avatar universe’s themes of colonialism and persecution. But Frontiers of Pandora is on the cusp of an evolution, a second chance at the spotlight, headlined by an incredibly strong setup for an expansion that directly ties into the new film. From the Ashes puts So’lek, Frontier of Pandora’s best character, at the forefront of a much angrier, more violent experience — but one that seems to refine a lot of elements that make the original game great. After nearly four hours of hands-on time and insight from the developers, From the Ashes feels like it gets what makes a good film tie-in game, and could be just what Frontiers of Pandora needs.
From the Ashes takes place roughly half a year after the Secrets of the Spires DLC. But perhaps more importantly, it ties directly into Fire and Ash, taking place just a few short weeks later — as the RDA (Resources Development Administration) allies with the deadly new Mangwkan Clan. This new coalition invades the Kinglor Forest and scatters the Aranahe Clan, causing So’lek to awaken to a warzone where his resistance skills are truly put to the test.
From everything we’ve seen of Fire and Ash, the third film looks far more emotionally harrowing than the first — embracing the anger of fire, and the grief of the aftermath. That’s something James Cameron even describes in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying, “If you think of fire as hatred, anger, violence, that sort of thing, and ash is the aftermath. So what's the aftermath? Grief, loss, right? And then what does that cause in the future? More violence, more anger, more hatred. It's a vicious cycle. So that's the thinking."
As a direct tie-in to the movie, From the Ashes doesn’t just want to emulate the story and setting, but the core themes and very feeling of the movie. To that end, this expansion is, intentionally, much more focused on action and combat — and accordingly makes some pretty massive improvements to fit that. But perhaps what’s most fascinating is how that angrier tone is represented in the sheer design of the world itself.
Frontiers of Pandora presented one of the most gorgeous open-world settings I’ve ever seen, a remarkable recreation of the wildlife-filled forests of the Avatar films. And in a lot of ways, Ubisoft Massive really nailed the tone of a living, breathing world — focusing on emergent exploration and side questing. But in From the Ashes, that world has been stripped bare, as massive wildfires cut down the verdant forest and animals flee the forces of the RDA.
Ubisoft Massive says that the visual and mechanical state of the forest will change across the expansion, as the flames spread alongside the RDA’s invasion. It’s not only devastating to see the forest in this state, but the flames themselves can damage you or create dangerous crosswinds that make you find new routes while flying your Ikran.
While there are still exploration elements to From the Ashes, including enemy bases to take down, the few hours I played were largely focused on main story missions and combat. Again, this expansion is very strongly focused on more direct combat, and So’lek has a variety of enhancements to help with that. He can equip three different types of bows and a variety of human weapons, alongside having a wicked-looking crescent knife that lets him do devastating melee attacks and executions. But even more interesting is that this knife can take on electric charges, both shocking enemies and opening up an array of puzzle-solving options, like using the charge to open a grate into an enemy base. So’lek also has a completely different more streamlined skill tree, and a kind of battle shout ability that charges up and allows you to enter a sort of rage mode, drastically increasing your damage for a short duration.
While a lot of the changes are subtle, it becomes apparent pretty quickly how much better combat feels here. If the base game of Frontiers of Pandora played like Far Cry, From the Ashes pushes it a little more in line with something like Battlefield. The other major change is that, for the first time, you’re fighting other Na’vi, and the lithe and agile Mangkwan feel drastically different than the human soldiers. These warriors are tremendously challenging to fight, forcing you to duck and weave in and out of cover — instead of just blasting away.
But even more interesting, to me, is the mission design of From the Ashes — which takes a black box approach. The main mission I played had me sneaking through an RDA camp and into a massive mining facility, before fighting a humongous creature at the bottom. This is where you can see the Far Cry inspiration really shine through, with a half-dozen ways of progressing through the camp (either stealth or guns blazing), before getting to the facility and, again, having a handful of ways to progress. You could distract enemies and sneak in through the front, or solve a little puzzle to turn off a water spout, electrify your knife, and use it to open a ventilation grate. This kind of black box design feels remarkably reminiscent of Ubisoft classics, even Splinter Cell in some ways, and opens up a wealth of variation — even if you’re arriving at the same goal.
But it’s important to note that From the Ashes comes alongside a big update to the base game, adding in New Game Plus and a brand-new third-person mode. In fact, From the Ashes is specifically designed to reinforce that third-person mode, letting you switch between first and third-person with a single click of a thumb stick. While I still personally prefer to play a game like this in first-person, it’s remarkable how well the new mode works — not just some tacked-on feature, but fully integrated for the entire experience. Combat, exploration, and puzzle solving are all slightly tweaked to accommodate the new viewpoint.
While the larger emphasis on action may not be everyone’s cup of tea, From the Ashes fits remarkably well thematically with the direction of the Avatar series — and still feels like it's building on the themes of revenge and community from the base game, just in a different way. But I’m equally excited to see a game do the ambitious movie tie-in again, fitting into the film like a puzzle piece. The idea of going to see Fire and Ash in theaters, then coming home and downloading From the Ashes to continue that adventure, is genuinely exciting to me. Movie tie-in games feel like they’ve become something of a lost art over the last decade.
There’s a thoughtfulness to From the Ashes that’s undeniable, mechanically, thematically, and contextually. And if this expansion can deliver on expanding the game and the film simultaneously, it could be something special.
