Summary
The Ubisoft open-world formula has had a pretty rocky history. Making its big first debut withFar Cry 3, Ubisoft’s then-refined open-world formula broke new ground for the genre. An intuitive yet highly addicting loop,Far Cry 3had players take down enemy camps to unlock new parts of the map, complete side activities to receive resources, and craft new gear using newly unlocked materials. Almost universally praised at the time,Far Cry 3’s formulahas since been run into the ground repeatedly by Ubisoft, with it being used for many open-world games under its banner, including the recently releasedAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
From the moment gameplay was first shown forAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora, many were quick to point out the similarities between it andFar Cry, with the player-character seemingly taking down enemy camps, gathering resources, and crafting new gear.Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorais now officially out, and fans pretty much hit the nail on the head. But while Ubisoft’s open-world formula actually works surprisingly well for anAvatargame, it does set the perfect blueprint thatStar Wars Outlawsshould desperately avoid.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
WHERE TO PLAY
Protect Pandora. Become Na’Vi. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora™ is a first-person, action-adventure game set in the open world of the never-before-seen Western Frontier of Pandora. Abducted by the human militaristic corporation known as the RDA, you, a Na’vi, were trained and molded to serve their purpose. Fifteen years later, you are free, but find yourself a stranger in your birthplace. Reconnect with your lost heritage, discover what it truly means to be Na’vi, and join other clans to protect Pandora from the RDA.
Star Wars Outlaws Can’t Follow in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s Footsteps
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Suits the Ubisoft Open-World Formula
While it’s definitely wearing thin on the vast majority of players, the Ubisoft open-world formula isn’t all bad, and it actually suitsAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoraquite well. Though it might seem lazy to make a lot of the game about taking down enemy camps, that’s a pretty big staple oftheAvataruniverse, and the concept of reducing the planet’s pollution and restoring Pandora to life by doing so is more than logical enough to justify the mechanic’s inclusion.
It also makes complete sense for hunting, gathering, and crafting mechanics to be in the game. Much ofJames Cameron’s firstAvatarmoviesees Jake Sully learn to hunt as a Na’vi, and crafting appears to be a core trait of the Omatikaya clan, and likely the rest of the Na’vi species. So, it only makes sense that, as a Na’vi relearning the ways of their people, players are tasked with hunting down some wildlife and crafting some gear from their materials.
Star Wars Outlaws Can’t Be The Same Again
But while the world ofAvatarfits the Ubisoft open-world formula, arguably even more so than some previous Ubisoft titles, the same thing can’t be said forStar Wars Outlaws. The general premise ofStar Wars Outlawssees players take control ofsmuggler Kay Vessas she tries to find her fortune in a galaxy wrought with conflict. Much like many other pieces ofStar Warsmedia, this premise evokes notions of a grand space-faring, planet-hopping adventure, and that doesn’t really fit the usual Ubisoft open-world formula unless its scale is increased massively.
Star Wars Outlawsshould try its very best to avoid the usualUbisoft open-world formulawhere it can and be something wholly unique. While it’s more than okay to use elements like Imperial bases that Vess needs to infiltrate and clear out, the whole game shouldn’t revolve around that, or hunting, or crafting. And while it makes sense that a smuggler would deliver shipments across the galaxy, it shouldn’t just be part of some side fetch quest that’s just one of a hundred like it.
