Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review round-up

How’s the new Avatar game faring with critics?

By Ben Huxley

Published: Wednesday, 06 December 2023 at 17:32 PM

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is just one day away, but critics are already releasing their thoughts and scores.

Taking place in the beautiful Pandora, players take control of a Na’vi as they explore new regions of the planet, join with other tribes, and fight against the evil RDA. We’ve been excited about it since the trailer first dropped, but is it worth the high price tag?

If you’re thinking of purchasing Frontiers of Pandora – on console or PC – but you want to get a sense of what others think first, then read on. We’ll share snippets and scores from across the internet.

At the time of writing, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has a 74 score on Metacritic, which isn’t bad going at all. However, while most of the reviews are fairly positive there are a few stinkers.

Let’s start with a good one. Steven Mills at Destructoid gave it a brilliant score of 90, and had the following to say: “Massive Entertainment has created a truly immersive and polished Pandora, that quite frankly far exceeded my expectations. Massive managed to create the same feeling of awe that I experienced when the Avatar movie was released almost 14 years ago.”

Ravi Sinha at Gamingbolt also liked the game, despite going in with skepticism, saying: “Massive’s attention and love to the material and how they portray it, from details in the world to the characters and story, gives the game its charm” – awarding the game 8 out of 10.

Antony Terence at Videogamer also gave Frontiers of Pandora 8 out of 10, saying: “Look past Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s dull story and you’ll find spectacle and freedom lurking in its Na’vi customs and breathtaking ecosystems.”

IGN’s Tristan Ogilvie also thought the story didn’t break new ground, saying in his review that “its overall story arc doesn’t stray too far from the established series formula”. However, it was a good review overall (giving it a not-too-shabby score of 70), and he said: “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora features a stunning alien world to explore with a refreshingly uncluttered approach to navigation, countless enemy bases to destroy and Na’vi clan sidequests to complete, and no shortage of exotic flora and fauna to harvest and hunt.

Adrian Morales at Game Rant had a very low opinion of not just the story, but the morality of killing innocent animals in the gameplay, summing it up with the following: “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.”

However, Eric Switzer at The Gamer said: “It’s a world I’m excited to continue exploring and learning about, and overall it has deepened my love for Avatar,” and gave it four stars.

Is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora worth playing?

So, judging by the round up above, is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora worth not only your time, but the price tag of £69.99? Well, it’s far from a resounding “yes” but the reviews are mostly positive.

While it might not be completely faithful to the themes and morals in the films, and the story isn’t to everyone’s taste, the consensus seems to be that Pandora is a joy to explore due to it’s beautiful environment.

If you’re a big fan of the franchise, we reckon Frontiers of Pandora might be your game of the year. If not, maybe wait for the price to go down a bit.