Mangkwan vs. Sarentu
Before we dive into this new adventure, the expansion From among the ashes has the good idea of reminding us of the previous events recounted in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora via a long cutscene. Then, just after starting with So’Lek’s past, you will be directly propelled more than a year after the end ofAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
After defeating Mercer and all the other DLC antagonists, a new threat looms on the horizon. The Na’vi and So’Lek, which you will play as, will have to face the GDR of Bukowski and its new ally which is none other than the clan of ashes, the Mangkwan. You will have to take revenge on the latter who ravaged the Klingor forest and decimated the members of your clan.
In short, we cannot really say that the title still shines because of its narration. The story certainly allows us to introduce the clan of ashes but it remains very vague. Even if we appreciate the differences of point of view between certain members of the clan and So’Lek (the latter using human technology, which is heresy for Nor for example), we must admit that the ending is extremely predictable. Some protagonists are even a little behind, including Teylan. However, there are some moments rich in emotion and twists and turns that break the heart.
In addition, it is relatively interesting to see the dark side of the Na’vi via the Mangkwan, with their limitless hatred and cruelty. Let’s face it, the story of this standalone is slightly better than what was offered Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora two years ago, just like its other DLCs. That said, there remains confusing writing with too many characters.
At least, we can be a little satisfied with this extension for the fact that it quickly introduces, at the end, the famous Colonel Miles Quaritch via a radio transmission with Bukowski, just to make a nice extension with the third film, which takes place in parallel. In addition, the staging sometimes even manages to have flashes of genius in the cutscenes as well as in a handful of boss fights with pleasant sequences. But in short, we will still persist and sign on the quality of the narration, disappointing and showing that the room for maneuver of the studio based in Malmö is unfortunately limited by Disney and Lightstorm Entertainment (James Cameron’s studio), in the development of a more interesting plot.
We will therefore reassure ourselves as best we can with its artistic direction, darker and surprising in a good way. Indeed, the colorful and peaceful forest of Pandora is transformed into a real grayish and ash inferno by the passage of the Mangwan and the RDA. The contrast between the base game and this expansion is generally refreshing. Red is also very present in the colors of the decorations, certainly wanting to show the omnipresent Mangkwan threat. Concretely, if the playing field is relatively uninspired because it roughly reproduces the large open map of the original game, the change in graphic atmosphere gives a slight breath of fresh air, and we take it with pleasure.
Small changes in gameplay, without revolutionizing
Among the new features offered by the extension From among the Ashes of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorawe will first of all note the addition of the third person. Already present in the base game via a free update, this view has all the more its place here, since this standalone was entirely designed around it. Moreover, we still wonder why the Massive Entertainment studio did not immediately release an FPS and TPS view to give the player the choice two years ago. But in short, it must be admitted that the third-person view remains pleasant, and seemingly makes the gunfights much more readable than with the FPS view.
If there is obviously an awkward rigidity still present in the handling and even the animations, we appreciate the gesture of having designed an adventure especially for the third person, although it is always possible via a simple option in the menus, to switch to the FPS view. This time playing So’Lek, who in our opinion remains the most interesting protagonist of the original game, you can imagine that minor changes are on the gameplay side. First of all, know that our hero will have the sense of a warrior. Once the gauge is full, So’Lek enters a rage mode, and does a lot more damage for a short time. This game mechanic is rather welcome, although very generic and not very inventive.
What’s more, infiltration is significantly simplified. This time, our protagonist will be able to get behind an enemy and perform a finishing move, as a silent elimination. Infiltration is now better carried out and encouraged as much as possible to clean the areas, and going there in nag mode is much more permissive. Massive Entertainment therefore understood that it was necessary to simplify things in terms of gameplay, even if the shooting sensations are unfortunately identical to the base game, the same goes for melee, which is still not very engaging. You will have understood, the efforts are there but so are the faults of the base game, to our great regret. On the other hand, the action orientation of this extension is appreciable, allowing a more sustained pace.
The software also introduces a little more aerial combat on the back of Ikran, but also some fights against the Mangkwan. For the first, it ultimately remains in the vein of the original game, with a few small improvements via the finishing move that we can do, and that will be all. Nothing too fun in short, and even the boss fights (some of them try to be original despite everything), more numerous than in the base game, ultimately offer little renewal in the gameplay. The same goes for the Mangkwan, where you just have to shoot them until they are no longer thirsty and lower their life gauge before dealing them a final blow. You will have understood, it is not revolutionary at all, and the few Mangkwan that we come across almost act as collectibles, in order to win plaques for So’Lek allowing him to unlock new skills.
Simplified and more enjoyable in progression, with the old demons of the original game
Speaking of simplification, progression also pays the price. Forget the base game’s power level, because the developer is completely done with that system, along with crafting. The interface is now more simplistic, digestible, and you can improve your equipment directly on the character’s menu, and via resources found on your path, or in crates in the RDA. You will then have just the level of rarity which will increase the statistics of your arsenal going from noble to Sublime for example. Everything is simpler, less complicated, and the whole thing tends towards Light RPG unlike the original game. Massive Entertainment should have understood that it was necessary to do this from the start, which could have attracted players at the time of the game’s release.
The fact remains that unfortunately the title suffers from the same defects as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. The secondary quests containing the destruction of GDR bases are omnipresent (a little more varied in the approach but it’s not always that), and the main missions are unfortunately still boring and repetitive. However, not everything is to be thrown away because some are nice, but they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. But for the rest, you will often go on quests based on infiltration, overly simple investigations, destruction, but also boring narrative moments which do not add value to the main story. The same pitfalls are still present, showing that Massive Entertainment has not racked its brains too much.
So’Lek will also have access to his own camp. Nothing transcendent here, insofar as you can change the day/night cycle if necessary, meditate to recover health, or even prepare dishes which will grant you temporary bonuses or health. It is also possible to travel quickly to this camp or to others, with relatively little interaction and the same elements as in our Hero’s camp. Everything is very generic and not very interesting, just like our protagonist’s skill tree. This one, very basic, replaces skill points with plates to be harvested or gleaned by completing quests, in order to unlock new skills for infiltration or So’Lek’s warrior sense. All this is not inventive, just like its open world, less organic and alive than the base game. Concessions have been made a little too extreme on this aspect, and hunting can ultimately be easily put aside. Too bad, this mechanic was better highlighted in the base game.
Graphics and soundtrack, still great but riddled with bugs
Graphically, even two years later, the Snowdrop Engine still works wonders on this expansion. The panoramas of Pandora are still strikingly beautiful, and the overall production, right down to the animations and textures, has not aged a bit. There are certainly a few elements that are slightly dated, but the whole thing is still very beautiful to look at. However, and we’re still going to complain about this, the bugs are omnipresent with a lot of display delays and even clipping. All this shows once again that productions made in Ubisoft are always complicated in terms of optimization and stability.
On the other hand, we can finally logically salute the soundtrack, always in the same tone as the film franchise. The music goes very well with each moment, and even the French dubbing is once again of very good quality. Everything is well calibrated in short, like the sound effects, which are relatively honest.
What to remember from the extension From among the Ashes of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora ? Let’s say that this standalone raises the level slightly by simplifying gameplay elements, while improving or adding certain game mechanics. The introduction of Mangkwan will please fans wanting to see or having already seen the third film, and the title brings a little extra touch with the third-person view, correcting some problems with the FPS view. The efforts are made by the studio, which should have taken this path from the original game. Moreover, everything is obviously not perfect because the software plunges back into its failings with an anecdotal narration, very uneven main missions, and repetitive additional content with situations that are too similar. Here we have an extension blowing hot and cold, showing that Massive Entertainment is tied hand and foot when it comes to taking liberties in this universe which is nevertheless very rich. That said, the lifespan is still colossal for a not-so-expensive extension, even if obviously the base is too cautious to love it with all our hearts.