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You know that feeling when you start doing something with a conviction that it won’t end well? As I installed and booted up From the Ashes, the latest DLC for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, I had exactly that feeling; I was certain that disappointment was waiting for me just around the corner.
However, to my surprise, the more I played, the more I realised this could actually be a good thing. After a little over eight hours (roughly the time it took me to finish the campaign with a few side quests and some light exploration), I reached a clear conclusion: From the Ashes is everything the base game should have been, a game with a focused story, fun gameplay, and top-tier entertainment from start to finish.
Story
The protagonist of this DLC, to my utmost surprise, isn't our Sarentu hero we've created at the beginning of the base game but a more traditional and ultra bad-ass Na'vi, Dog-Tag Warrior So'lek. Yes, this character was introduced to us earlier, but choosing him to be the main character was probably the best choice from the developers.
The story takes place a year after the events of the main game, with the surviving members of the Sarentu tribe finally enjoying their hard-won freedom. That peace doesn’t last long, however, as their sacred tree is suddenly attacked without warning by the aggressive Mangkwan Na’vi warrior tribe. Working in collaboration with the RDA, the Mangkwan capture and imprison every remaining member of the Sarentu tribe.
The only one who somehow avoided being captured is badly wounded So'lek, who sets out on a mission to find every missing Sarentu tribe member and find out the real truth behind the kidnappings and newly unfolded situation.
These events set the stage for a story that may not seem particularly special at first, but as the game progresses and the mystery slowly unfolds, it becomes more and more gripping, so much so that you begin to feel as if you’ve stepped directly into James Cameron’s Avatar, thanks to the atmosphere that pulls you in hard and doesn’t let go until you see the credits.
This is exactly the kind of detail a game like this has desperately needed. For years, Ubisoft has been giving us stories with characters full of stiff, almost porcelain-like facial expressions, but the level of cinematic quality in From the Ashes is really jaw-dropping and precisely what a game inspired by such a visually and emotionally rich cinematic masterpiece deserves.
Every character is handled with care here, and that can be spotted right from the start. From So’lek and the rest of the Sarentu to their human allies and even the formidable Mangkwan warriors and other antagonists. The writing gives weight to every interaction, and when inevitable losses occur, as they do in any well-written story, they will hit you like a truck.
Then come the inevitable twists and turns, betrayals, disappointments, and all the emotional ups and downs you’d expect from a truly strong story. The story in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes is so well written that it not only surpasses the main game’s storyline but also arguably stands above every story Ubisoft has delivered since, perhaps, Assassin’s Creed: Origins.
Gameplay
We all know how much Ubisoft loves their open worlds and how rarely they stray from that formula in their game design. That’s why you’d probably be surprised to hear that From the Ashes doesn’t really feel like an open-world game at all. Of course, the game is built in an open-world structure, but in such a clever way that the map will probably be the most useless tool in the entire game.
In From the Ashes, the experience is tightly focused on quests, with every element of the game created to serve the story. Unlike the base game, here the story takes the wheel, while activities like collectibles and exploration are there just to fill up the space.
All weapons and the most important upgrade materials are given as the main story rewards, which tells you where Ubisoft wants your focus. Also, the quests are designed in a way that once you finish one, the next one that follows is usually close by, so you won't need to fast travel or get sidetracked while looking to continue the story.
Of course, if you want to explore, you can do it whenever you want, but don't expect to find anything spectacular while exploring the world. For example, side quests are the usual Ubisoft clear out the oputpost/base chore while the collectables are limited to health upgrades and some items to fill up the collections, and that's pretty much it.
The enemies are tougher with improved AI. Every encounter can be solved in two ways: either through stealth, which underwent massive improvement, or, if the stealth fails, gunblazing is always the best backup plan.
You can now sneak up on enemies and kill them with your knife from behind. Of course, I'm talking about the AMP Suite enemies; the regular humans are no match for a huge Na'vi.
Regarding weapons, the arsenal is pretty much the same as in the base game. You have two human guns: an assault rifle and a shotgun, three types of bows, and one spear thrower. All weapons are upgradeable and have different iterations that can be unlocked, you guess, as the main quest rewards.
So'lek is known as Dog Tag Warrior, and his skills are tied to collecting dog tags. The principle is the same; only the name is different. In essence, you'll receive dog tags (skill points) by accumulating XP and as rewards for completing quests. Dog tags unlock special skills that will improve So'lek's abilities (nothing really groundbreaking).
One segment that is improved hugely in comparison to the base game is boss fights. In From the Ashes, boss fights are spectacular. You'll fight several main bosses (each one is a cinematic spectacle) and mini bosses (Mangkwan Clan members).
Seriously, each boss is designed so well, especially the final boss, which is a special sort of spectacle, that I say here and now: playing this DLC is worth it just to experience those couple of fights, even if you exclude everything else from the game.
Graphics, Sounds, and Performance
Avatar was one of the most beautiful films ever, with landscapes that left everyone in awe. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2023) wasn’t far behind in graphical quality, so you might assume this DLC has even pushed everything to a whole new level. The answer, however, is a bit of both, yes and no; and here’s why.
Regarding character models, facial and all other animations, From the Ashes nailed it and is perhaps one of the most realistic games ever made by Ubisoft, no exaggeration. While I was playing the game, my daughter asked me if I was watching the new Avatar movie, and that's everything you need to know about the visual realism of this DLC.
However, it's all nice when you're indoors and your focus is on characters; the environments, especially the outdoor ones, tell a completely different story. Since the entire setting in this DLC is darker and full of fire and ashes, you won't have the feeling you're inside an Avatar game for the most part.
Don't get me wrong, the environments are still stunning, but it seems the developers intentionally used some graphical effects, like overused fog effects, for example, to create a more realistic atmosphere, which sadly resulted in a much less attractive game than the base game, which came out two years ago, actually was.
Once you enter the areas affected by the fire, though, the effects of fire and ashes are so realistic, you won't believe your eyes. Everything is grey and full of smoke, while the colour palette drastically changes and the objects become different to the point where you cannot recognise what is what. A really stunning feat, I must admit.
Regarding performance, those notable frame drops from the base game are a thing of the past, but still, in some demanding areas, FPS can significantly drop. I played the PS5 version (not PS5 Pro) in performance mode, and apart from the performance mode, you can play in quality mode as well with better resolution with a 30 FPS locked frame rate.
I really enjoyed the sound design, particularly the soundtrack. The music during combat and boss encounters is especially intense, elevating the entire experience. On top of that, the excellent voice acting adds a cinematic quality that makes the game even more immersive.
Conclusion
I think one sentence could sum up everything I said in this review so far: If Ubisoft had dared to go for such a concept two years ago when they released Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, we could have had a game capable of dethroning even the great Far Cry as the best shooter made by Ubisoft.
From the Ashes is the expansion that puts the story (which is one of the best made by Ubisoft) behind the wheel and everything else that defined Ubisoft games for so many years in the back seat. As a result, we've got a DLC which surpassed the base game in quality by miles and maybe even set some new standards for Ubisoft's future games.
The Good
Intense and fitting soundtrack- Immersive atmosphere
- Engaging and well-written story
- Memorable characters
- High cinematic quality with excellent voice acting
- Tight story-focused gameplay...
The Bad
...that sacrifices meaningful side quests- No new weapons
