The Flying Banshees From Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Could Be Its Best Feature
At Ubisoft's E3 Forward event, the first glimpse of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was shown. The game will draw from James Cameron's critically acclaimed Avatar film and is confirmed to be a first-person action-adventure game. In it, the player will step into the shoes of a Na'vi and explore the Western side of the planet, which has never been seen before. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is exclusively a next-gen title, and it looks like Ubisoft intends to take full advantage of that.
All that's been revealed about the story so far is that the Na'vi are engaged in a war against humans, who intend on colonizing and industrializing the planet. That's basically the same conflict in the film, but the journey the player takes to stop them is a standalone story. The Avatar game was announced in 2017 but this is the first glimpse fans have seen of the game. There's a lot to unpack from the trailer and lots of exciting possibilities for both story and gameplay, but the most exciting thing showcased in the trailer is the confirmation of flying Banshees.
In the Avatar film, the Mountain Banshees mark a significant rite of passage that is essential for all members of the Na'vi. The creatures look somewhat like dragons and serve as mounts and companions for their warriors. For Jake Sully, obtaining a Banshee of his own is one of the most important story beats because it means he has been fully accepted into the tribe as a warrior, to the point of being allowed to take a wife. It's essentially a coming-of-age ceremony that every Na'vi must complete.
The Na'vi form intimate connections with much of the wildlife, but the relationships between warriors and their Banshees, also known as Ikran in the Na'vi language, is the most special. Banshees only select one rider and to prove their worth, the Na'vi must best the creature in battle and claim it. Once that initial bond is formed, it is unbreakable. It looks like the game will offer an opportunity to choose an Ikran, but as of now, it's unclear if the player will be able to deepen that relationship during the story.
In Ubisoft's Frontiers of Pandora, it's important that the Banshee rite of passage is included as a story element. Climbing the mountain to claim a Banshee is one of the most important moments in a Na'vi tribe member's life, and it would be a huge missed opportunity to not allow players to claim their own Banshee and become an official member. It's a rite of passage for both the character and for the player.
Because the Banshee is such a special and unique connection for the tribe member, it would make sense for every player to be able to have their own, unique Banshee; limiting the options here would be a mistake. The game could use the Banshee connection the same way Red Dead Redemption 2 used Arthur's connection with his horse. By riding and caring for it, Arthur and the horse bonded. A lot of Red Dead Redemption 2 players used the same horse for their own playthrough and felt an immense sense of attachment to it.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has the opportunity to help the player create a similarly meaningful connection with the Banshees. They're cool to ride and what's been shown of the combat already looks incredible, but there's also a deep connection there that's valuable to the character and should be valuable to the player.
Players got a small sneak peek of what combat might look like in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora during the release trailer, where a Na'vi drops onto a Banshee and begins fighting modern enemy aircrafts. Aerial combat should be primarily ranged and archery was showcased, but the options expand from there. Some combat was shown in the trailer, but none of it was in first-person so it's not clear yet what the gameplay will look like.
There are all kinds of arrows and bombs that could be implemented into enemy encounters, and the opportunity to hijack drones, planes, or helicopters would add an extra layer. No extended gameplay footage was shown in the trailer Ubisoft revealed at E3, but aerial combat riding on the back of a Banshee can't possibly be limited to cutscenes.
Aside from combat itself, there's a lot that could be done with the flying mechanics. Anyone who has experienced the Flight of Passage ride in Walt Disney World knows just how exhilarating it is to spiral through Pandora and experience the many different landscapes. It's fast and sometimes scary, but most of all it's absolutely stunning. Frontiers of Pandora is confirmed to be a first-person experience as well, which will make the experience even more immersive. With the right sound system, it could feel like having a ride from Disney World right in the living room.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is exclusively next-gen, so players should expect to see the game take full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X's hardware. Ubisoft has the opportunity to push next-gen visuals and gameplay with its Avatar title, and making Banshee riding an unforgettable experience is the perfect way to start.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is confirmed to be an open-world game and Pandora begs to be explored, so exploration is likely to be a huge part of gameplay. Exploring the world of Pandora from the back of a Banshee would be amazing, and might end up being the best part of the entire game. With a Banshee, the world becomes a whole lot bigger and would allow players to reach places that would be otherwise unreachable.
The prime example is the Hallelujah Mountains, featured in the Avatar film. The Hallelujah Mountains are essentially just floating mountains, but that's oversimplifying it. The mountains are suspended by a powerful magnetic current and slowly rotate, occasionally crashing into each other and creating large deposits of Unobtanium. The mountains are sometimes shrouded in mist because of the abundant waterfalls cascading off of the cliffs.
Just in this one location, there are a ton of exploration opportunities. The placement and landscape of the Hallelujah Mountains are constantly changing, and because Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora promises to show players entirely new areas of the planet, there's no telling how much more there is to see. Without Banshees, locations like the Hallelujah Mountains would be impossible to reach, but with them a wealth of new opportunities should become available. Players will want to explore every inch of the beautiful game world, and Banshees are the perfect otherworldly steed to travel with.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will release in 2022 for PC, PS5, Stadia, and Xbox Series X.
Post a Comment