Review: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From The Ashes (PS5) – Streamlined But Still Fantastic Sci-Fi Fun

by

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes is a surprisingly great offering of DLC.

This is a separate story set after the main game’s events. It focuses on So’Lek, a character you may remember from the campaign, as he battles the evil Ash Clan.

The Kinglor Forest, previously a lush area in the base game, has been devastated. Either the Ash or the Mangkwan raiders have burned away all its color, leaving it in ruins. This change effectively tells a story, though we found ourselves missing the forest’s original beauty and vibrancy as we explored the new, smoky landscape.

The story could explore a much more intense and challenging path for So’Lek, forcing him to question how much he’s willing to compromise his Na’Vi traditions to protect his adopted home. It also introduces the first truly villainous Na’Vi character in the series.

Honestly, I think the story in the ‘From the Ashes’ expansion is even better than the main game’s campaign! It’s a bit more concise – I finished it in about 15-20 hours – and introduces some really cool villains. I especially loved the tension between the RDA and the Mangkwan Na’vi working together. But the best part? The protagonist, So’Lek, is just so much more interesting and engaging than the character in the original game.

The story is packed with engaging moments that draw you into the game’s rich history, whether you’re following the main quest or exploring optional side content.

One of the best things about this downloadable content is how well it fits into the larger Avatar universe, particularly the recent movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash. It’s not directly based on the film, but it enhances and works alongside James Cameron’s latest sci-fi adventure.

The film successfully builds on the established world by including familiar characters, the Wind Traders, and the Ash people. We especially enjoyed discovering all the subtle references and details woven throughout the story, which made the world feel richer and more connected.

For players already familiar with the Frontiers, how does ‘From the Ashes’ offer a fresh experience?

Compared to the original, From the Ashes is a simpler and more focused game, and we believe that’s a good thing. It doesn’t require as much scavenging, uses a straightforward skill-based progression instead of complex gear scores, and offers a limited selection of weapons and armor that you unlock as you play.

While the ‘From the Ashes’ expansion does reduce some of the role-playing elements we enjoyed in the original game, it’s best seen as a smaller, self-contained experience. Think of it as a taste of Pandora, rather than the complete adventure – allowing you to simply unwind and appreciate the visuals and action.

So, there’s this new zone called The Ravines, but honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. You can’t fly your Ikran in there because it’s all rocky and tight. That means a lot of on-foot exploration, which sounds good, but the level design feels really cramped and linear. It’s just not as fun to move around in compared to the wide-open spaces of Kinglor Forest, and feels more like a task than an adventure.

Even with any issues, the game is still enjoyable to explore, especially with the new third-person perspective, which is now available in both the main game and the downloadable content. We found it makes the world feel much more realistic and helps you appreciate how large and detailed it is.

The game has a few minor problems, such as occasionally switching to a first-person view during underwater sequences or when interacting with animals – hints that the game was originally designed around a first-person perspective. However, Massive Entertainment has integrated these elements well, and it doesn’t feel forced, particularly with the addition of new third-person cutscenes.

If you prefer playing from a first-person perspective, you absolutely can – you can change viewpoints whenever you like. However, doing so means you’ll miss out on the significantly enhanced combat system. While the original game’s combat was okay, it feels much more responsive and fluid when played in third-person.

I’m really enjoying the new Warrior mode! It’s awesome being able to just power through enemies once you charge up the gauge. And the new finishing moves look great, though they do start to feel a little samey after a while.

We were most disappointed by how the new Na’Vi enemies, the Ash, were used. We’d hoped they would be integrated into regular combat, adding more variety to fights. However, they mostly appear as challenging, but durable, bosses.

The major, planned boss battles are really enjoyable, especially the aerial fight with your Ikran. However, many of the standard Ash enemies are frustratingly tough, and it often feels like you’re just shooting endlessly at them while they wander around before they finally go down.

Fighting the RDA mechs is still really enjoyable, and the new mech-dog enemies add to the fun. By the end of the downloadable content, you become so powerful that it’s incredibly satisfying to easily defeat the smaller enemies.

The game remains a stunning visual experience on the PS5, offering beautiful landscapes. It provides a range of graphical settings on both PS5 and PS5 Pro, letting you prioritize either smoother gameplay or sharper visuals. We only encountered a few minor visual imperfections during our testing.

The DualSense controller’s vibrations are incredibly well-done, feeling as good as those built directly into the PlayStation itself.

Read More

2026-01-05 21:37