When you first settle for that invitation to the Coronary heart of the Plains in The Sky Breaker, the primary paid DLC for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, it’s like a scene out of a traditional animated Disney movie. Driving a Direhorse via the plains, following the march of the elephantine Zakru, chatting with passersby, the excitement surrounding the return of the Nice Video games – it’s an infectious environment, and the beautiful visuals assist promote it. There’s virtually this magic and anticipation within the air.
Upon arriving on the camp and convening with outdated buddies, from Nesim and Nefika to Teylan and So’lek, one of many excessive factors of the bottom recreation swims over you. The immersion into the tradition, listening to random conversations and enthusiasm over the video games, and interacting with the Zakru (even when a sequence includes transferring one for the sake of recovering…cheese). It’s all as endearing as ever and makes you admire the sheer dedication to capturing the tradition. Positive, Mokasa the traitor is again due to loneliness or one thing, however you then get to the Nice Video games.
“I’m torn on the general route of the plot as a result of this successfully takes place after the bottom recreation’s occasions. But it feels just like the writing is reusing plot factors, like violence in opposition to the Zakru and basic mistrust among the many people.”
Or slightly, recreation. After that, it’s off to analyze an deserted facility to be taught that the RDA is conserving tabs on you doubtlessly planning one thing in opposition to them. It instantly results in an assault on the campsite, leading to tragedy and an obnoxious title drop to remind you that you just’re enjoying The Sky Breaker. After just a few days, the protagonist awakens and is on the transfer, once more within the acquainted cycle of battling RDA mechs, clearing out their camps, and discovering the occasional ability level and wind flute to tune. That preliminary opening virtually seems like a distant reminiscence; the Nice Video games a meaningless distraction.
I’m torn on the general route of the plot as a result of this successfully takes place after the bottom recreation’s occasions. But it feels just like the writing is reusing plot factors, like violence in opposition to the Zakru and basic mistrust among the many people. And whereas the entire “One way or the other the RDA returned” is from the films, it feels much more underwhelming right here.
How handy that instantly after studying that the RDA are as much as no good, they need to instantly launch an assault as quickly as you come back. Much more handy is that it knocks you out of fee for just a few days, offering ample alternatives to arrange new camps to filter. There’s a high quality line between coincidence and contrived, and The Sky Breaker dances backwards and forwards on it.
Whereas the bottom recreation leaned on a number of well-worn open-world tropes, its narrative no less than supplied some genuinely fascinating ethical conflicts. The kidnapping of the Sarentu and their sudden launch into the wilderness of Pandora, doing their greatest to make sense of every part. Their reconnection with the tradition of their clan and lots of others.
“I couldn’t inform you something fascinating concerning the “new” RDA lieutenants, apart from having extra well being. Sadly, Large couldn’t even ship a singular ultimate boss to cap the story.”
These are all just about absent right here, and the protagonist is little greater than John (or Jane) – exploring the world and laying waste to the RDA, whose resistance ranges from laughable to unbalanced, relying on how a lot therapeutic you will have out there. Even Mokasa’s eventual redemption feels under-cooked. The funniest a part of all that is that after dealing a lot injury to the RDA within the base recreation, you’re not even certainly one of their prime targets right here.
I did admire not having to liberate some enemy camps earlier than assailing a core base, and the latter supplied extra of a stealth expertise, which was additionally high quality. Sadly, the common camp liberation expertise stays comparatively unchanged from the bottom recreation, save for maybe extra mechs.
It wouldn’t be that boring in the event that they no less than added some extra fascinating new enemies. There’s a newish mech with a protect and a gatling gun, the latter offering a large weak spot to shoot. I couldn’t inform you something fascinating concerning the “new” RDA lieutenants, apart from having extra well being. Sadly, Large couldn’t even ship a singular ultimate boss to cap the story.
Whereas the gunplay stays responsive, particularly as you run round deleting human enemies, it’s usually higher to run to a guarded location and pelt the mechs with Heavy Bow photographs till they keel over. It’s particularly preferable in opposition to sure sorts you’re meant to flank and goal weak factors on their again.
“Exterior the comparatively brief fundamental quest, there are non-obligatory facet quests and challenges to finish, the latter consisting of issues like looking wildlife with a shotgun or depositing Wonderful high quality supplies into the clan basket.”
Enemy AI can also be simply as iffy as the bottom recreation at launch. You can blow up helicopters and human enemies proceed patrolling, making the common grunts in Metallic Gear Stable look intimidating within the course of. One mech opted to leap down and attempt to flank, giving me a high-ground benefit on a silver platter versus, I don’t know, taking pictures me. One other one, mid-fight, seemingly goes again to go looking mode earlier than they’re premature demise.
There are events the place the RDA might be threats, particularly while you’re underneath hearth from two flamethrower mechs whereas different models pelt you from afar and there’s no cowl. It typically felt like a Energy distinction, although, particularly with how successfully they shredded my well being in comparison with different locations.
The hacking does really feel prefer it has extra alternative to shine when puzzle-solving, and issues are barely blended up when it’s unavailable (key emphasis on “barely”). The RDA Balloons are additionally just a little totally different, now requiring you to stay shut and combat off airborne foes slightly than touchdown and hacking them. Silver linings and all that.
Exterior the comparatively brief fundamental quest, there are non-obligatory facet quests and challenges to finish, the latter consisting of issues like looking wildlife with a shotgun or depositing Wonderful high quality supplies into the clan basket. The previous can also be pretty simple as you paint roaming Zakru, carry again some distraught ones and filter different RDA camps.
“The soundtrack can also be fairly good, and the voice actors are all on level, delivering sturdy performances. It’s simply that you would be able to solely care concerning the presentation a lot when every part else feels underwhelming or missing.”
You can too craft new armor and weapons, however for a DLC that touts the Nice Video games, I needed brisker actions (using round on Direhorse-back and taking pictures targets remains to be a pleasant distraction, although). It might have been good to have some new talents – in the event you’ve maxed out every part, then Talent Factors solely increment your well being, injury and power. I’m not anticipating a Paragon Board that may flip round in a number of methods, however that is merely unexciting.
As down as I’m on a lot of the story route and content material of The Sky Breaker, the presentation remains to be wonderful. The feel work and foliage, the clouds and skyboxes, the lighting and shadows – even the draw distance and animation work are merely beautiful. The climate results are additionally noteworthy, and even when they don’t shake up the gameplay, no less than they have an effect on visibility to a level. The soundtrack can also be fairly good, and the voice actors are all on level, delivering sturdy performances. It’s simply that you would be able to solely care concerning the presentation a lot when every part else feels underwhelming or missing.
Nevertheless, don’t get me mistaken – in the event you loved Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and needed extra content material, this will likely fulfill you. Perhaps you want watching that Energy degree go up whereas incomes barely higher loot, whose uninteresting stats nonetheless annoy me. It might simply be the comfortable filler you want till, effectively, the subsequent paid DLC.
Contemplating that is the follow-up to the primary recreation when it comes to story, I anticipated extra from The Sky Breaker. Nearly every part concerning the content material screams “acceptable however uninspired” – a serviceable however in the end bland expertise. This doesn’t make it outright horrible or mediocre, but it surely’s not price going out of your method to expertise.
This recreation was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
