Much just like the earlier DLC launch for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – The Sky Breaker – Secrets and techniques of the Spires as soon as extra takes us to a brand-new location. This time round, nevertheless, the brand new zone feels prefer it was particularly designed to utilize the sport’s flying mechanics. Contemplating the identify of the brand new DLC, it ought to come as no shock that huge spires and flying are going to be a key characteristic right here. Sadly, nevertheless, Secrets and techniques of the Spires doesn’t actually do a lot to alleviate the core problems with the sport which were current since its unique launch.
The DLC kicks issues off on a fairly mellow be aware. Anufi desires to reunite the clans and sends you off into a comparatively unexplored space of Pandora, which may solely be accessed by way of flight. On attending to the brand new zone, you as soon as once more get to expertise the great thing about moon, however from a special approach; nearly all the pieces within the new zone is downright beautiful, with wide-open canyons and towering mountains that had been undoubtedly designed with the concept of gamers flying by way of at excessive speeds.
Except for flight being the important thing mechanic for the DLC, there sadly isn’t actually a lot new right here. Certain, mounted fight will get an enormous focus, and also you even have entry to new talents that make flying round an absolute pleasure, however you’re nonetheless finally going to spend most of your time combating both native wildlife for his or her crafting supplies, or RDA troopers for the sake of the story. Very like the areas from the bottom sport, the brand new DLC zone finally ends up feeling extra prefer it was designed to be a sandbox than with any actual design intent apart from “flying is cool”.
“Visually the brand new zone launched in Secrets and techniques of the Spires is simply as beautiful as the bottom sport and Sky Breaker.”
This additionally turns into fairly apparent when you make content material with the native tribe of the brand new zone, earn their belief, get some new flying talents, and kick off the story in earnest. Finally, it at all times simply appears to fall again to combating off RDA forces. On the brilliant aspect, whereas the story itself is kind of simply an excuse to get you to do issues, the gameplay itself could be a whole lot of enjoyable.
To name flying the core mechanic of Secrets and techniques of the Spires isn’t actually an exaggeration. The DLC introduces model new mechanics that allow you to pull off spectacular stunts like flinging your self to grapple off some vines below Pandora’s many floating islands, for instance. Nonetheless, the participant is predicted to be fairly conversant in the sport’s core mechanics and doesn’t actually maintain your hand outdoors of the primary couple of minutes whilst you discover the brand new tribe.
In reality, the DLC absolutely expects you to come back right here after you’ve wrapped a lot of the core sport up, since there’s a gear requirement of stage 20, and retaining with Ubisoft sport traditions, you’re even given a narrative skip in case you need to keep away from grinding and get to the enjoyable components. Whereas this does deliver up extra curious factors, like why even have ranges of grinding that may be made superfluous on the press of a button to start with, however that has been a core design subject with Ubisoft’s video games for fairly a couple of years now.
“To name flying the core mechanic of Secrets and techniques of the Spires isn’t actually an exaggeration.”
Visually the brand new zone launched in Secrets and techniques of the Spires is simply as beautiful as the bottom sport and Sky Breaker. The world from James Cameron’s film collection has as soon as once more been delivered to life in a convincing method, and relying in your system’s {hardware}, the sport even will get extremely near wanting simply pretty much as good, and for those who get the suitable angles, typically even higher than the flicks.
Whereas the DLC doesn’t deliver something new to the desk other than an expanded set of strikes for flying, what it does find yourself doing fairly nicely is bringing in additional of the extremely immersive world that we praised the core sport for. The story itself tends to largely keep out of your manner when you’ve began unlocking your new talents, and a whole lot of the identical gameplay loop is current right here, tasking you with upgrading your gear, and even buff-providing meals by letting you lose in a superbly rendered new zone.
After having spent a while away from Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, returning to it solely with the discharge of its newest DLC, it’s price noting that some points of the core gameplay have began feeling a bit clunky. That is very true for the brand new DLC zone, which depends much more on verticality, and brings with it an entire host of latest methods to journey round together with bouncing crops. The presence of those new options makes the final motion of the sport really feel unnecessarily heavy, and leaping particularly feels fairly off when in comparison with even a few of Ubisoft’s different shooters.
“Finally, it at all times simply appears to fall again to combating off RDA forces.”
Fight, then again, stays largely unchanged, other than a few of your new flight-based talents. The core gunplay remains to be strong, and whereas it isn’t going to provide the similar stage of gory leisure as one thing like Doom, it’s pretty competent, and mowing down RDA troops nonetheless has its charms. There’s additionally one thing particular about with the ability to dive bomb into a gaggle of enemies and shortly taking them out along with your arsenal, which now additionally features a crossbow designed to be specifically used whereas flying. Sadly, this alone doesn’t actually do a lot to shake up the gameplay.
Finally, Secrets and techniques of the Spires doesn’t actually do a lot too revitalize Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and except you appreciated the bottom sport a lot that you simply simply need any excuse to spend extra time with the title, the DLC is unlikely to supply a lot in the way in which of latest engaging options to deliver you again. Certain, a few of the new flying talents could be enjoyable, however they have an inclination to cease feeling novel comparatively shortly, and for the reason that DLC’s important story is kind of simply an excuse to have you ever combating towards RDA but once more, there simply doesn’t really feel like there’s sufficient new right here when it comes to core gameplay to be price returning to.
However, followers of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will undoubtedly love the truth that there’s a completely new zone to discover, in addition to a couple of new talents that make flying round a extra energetic endeavour than simply holding ahead in your analogue stick. Secrets and techniques of the Spires sadly seems like one thing of a whimper to finish the principle sport’s collection of DLCs fairly than a bang, with its new options feeling simply novel sufficient to possibly hold a participant entertained for an hour or two however finally feeling anemic sufficient to entice most to only transfer on to different releases.
This sport was reviewed on PC.
