 Review By: Andrew Joy |
Developer: | THQ Australia |
| Publisher: | THQ | |
| Genre: | Action | |
| ESRB: | Everyone 10+ | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Nunchuk | |
| Buy Now: |   |
For anime fans the world over, Avatar: The Last Airbender is something of a cultural melting pot. As fans of the show likely know, it is written in America, features Japanese anime-inspired art, is drawn in Korea and has cultural influences – from the ways of life to fighting styles – from all over the world. When it comes to the game, having often-Japanese hardware running software from, in this case, an Australian developer means that you get a lot of that same diversity (albeit in a smaller sampling)...though, unfortunately, with none of the same charm. This isn’t to say that Avatar is a bad game, but – on the Nintendo Wii, at least – it is very clearly the first step on what appears to be a long road for future titles getting an unqualified recommendation.
For those of you who don’t know, the world of Avatar is one split into four main nations peopled with Benders, humans who have the ability to control one of the elements: Water, Fire, Earth or Air. The titular Avatar himself, a being who comes along once in a lifetime, can master all four and bring balance to the world. However, as the show’s intro so succinctly puts it, just when Aang, the newest Avatar, was needed most, he disappeared. I won’t go into all the nuances of that, just know that when he returns a hundred years later, the imperialistic Fire Nation is well on their way to conquering the world and are now determined to put an end to the Avatar. In this game, Aang and his friends set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of gifted young Benders from other nations. There are few twists along the way, though the giant war machines that appear to be a Fire Nation plot are eventually revealed as the creation of a misguided inventor desperate to put an end to the war. It is a simple story, but it is also very nuanced; whether the younger players will do so or not, it is very easy to empathize with the game’s ultimate enemy and the encounter gives us a chance to see Aang grow, realizing his responsibility as the Avatar. Unfortunately, that can also be a problem.
Unfortunately, that can also be a problem. Featuring its own, original story, Avatar plays host to a number of new enemies, allies and, of course, plot points, which suffer from the unique disadvantage of being non-canonical. This means, for all the familiar elements from the show, there are still many that are unique to this game and may present difficulty in getting attached to, since the things that happen likely won’t have any impact on the series and the new people you encounter probably won’t ever be seen again. Even though that can be a big hang-up for some people – and one we don’t usually have to worry about, as licensed game tend to be directly adapted from the TV show (Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, etc.) or movie (Harry Potter, The Spiderwick Chronicles, etc.) or feature events that were alluded to and don’t directly involve main characters (Lord of the Rings, The Godfather, etc.) – if you are able to get past it, you shouldn’t have much trouble enjoying this game just as much as the show, thanks in part to the spectacular writing, which perfectly captures the angst and humor.
While the writing is undoubtedly essential in appealing to the show’s older audience, for the youngsters, the game need only be recognizable. The audio visual aspect of Avatar is where they’ll likely get that recognition...or, at least they would if it weren’t such a mixed bag. Take the sound, for example, which actually graces us with some pretty decent music that has an unfortunate tendency to loop and with a small, albeit noticeable gap in between. The voices seemed pretty spot-on and with such excellent delivery that you might think you were watching the show...but that illusion is quickly ruined by the poorly animated cutscenes, which seem to lack any sort of roundness (making half the characters appear as if they’re extras for an upcoming TRON movie). Despite being cel-shaded, the rest of the game is not without its niggles (for example, the foliage looks great, but clashes with the flat backgrounds), but the characters look less awkward, thanks in part to the game’s mix of mostly overhead and three-quarters view.
Normally, a camera angle like that would seem a little awkward, but it doesn’t get to be much of a problem in Avatar since the gameplay is so simple. No matter what nation you are in, you are typically doing the same thing: running through a series of narrow paths, destroying cluster after cluster of enemies (which tend to respawn, sometimes while you are still there) until you reach the boss. As you work your way through the game, your characters will level up their attacks, making some of the generic combat easier, and you’ll also occasionally get a temporary addition to the team who will often prove necessary to the game’s progress in some way. (There are also a few stealth missions, but they are nothing to write home about.) While older players will almost certainly bemoan the lack of variety, this does make it easy for the kids, though some of the multiple phase bosses may still try their patience.
Beyond just plowing through the story (and the side quests you’ll come across along the way), there are also a few mini-games scattered about in Avatar. They aren’t much – usually just variations of existing games (like, say, dominoes, but with elements) – but they are still fun little diversions. If nothing else, they could have added quite a bit more to the game’s longevity and replay if they had been available as a multiplayer option. Unfortunately, Avatar doesn’t offer any sort of multiplayer at all, which I have trouble calling anything but a missed opportunity, especially since the story centers on three characters throughout almost the entire game. That disappoint grows ever larger, however, when you realize that the time that could have been spent adding that multiplayer doesn’t seem to have been used for polishing up the single-player fare either.
For the most part, the controls in Avatar are pretty straightforward and, more or less, what you’ve come to expect from a Wii game: the A button attacks, the Nunchuk’s analog stick controls player movement, etc. However, being a launch title, this game was released at a time when developers still felt compelled to at least try and utilize every and all of the controller’s little capabilities, no matter how shoe-horned it may feel...and so it is here. Avatar uses both the motion sensors and IR pointer, the latter of which is actually pretty solid (like the more traditional control aspects) and is used mostly to bend the elements (to find hidden treasure or unblock a path) by copying calligraphy symbols on the screen as best you can. The motion sensing, on the other hand, is used more in combat and has you waving the controller either left, right up or down to unleash a special move when you have enough Chi built up. Sadly, it rarely ever works as intended, making Avatar’s experimentation a bit of an uneven experience, something that echoes the product as a whole.
Bottom Line:
With source material of Avatar’s quality, I would have thought it really hard to screw up even a licensed game. However, THQ found a way. While the story and writing are decent, very reminiscent of the show and all that, the game manages to tear away any illusion that you’re “playing the cartoon” with uneven graphics and a bevy of new, soon-to-be-forgotten characters that are key to the story. The gameplay has its moments of fun (such as the mini-games scattered about), but the repetitive nature of the main game and lack of multiplayer really keep the experience from realizing its full potential. As part of the first wave of Nintendo Wii titles the game tried a few interesting things at launch – such as the motion controls – but never with any real proficiency. In the end, much like the Avatar himself, this game is a Jack of All Trades, but master of none. Hopefully the developers of future games in this series prove as willing to learn from mistakes as young Aang is.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 5.5 |
Posted: 2008-05-14 15:52:35 PST