Avatar: The Last Airbender
| Developer: THQ | Publisher: THQ |
| Release Date: October 10, 2006 | Also On: None |
Avatar: The Last Airbender is relatively new for a Nickelodeon show, but it must be doing fairly well if it has reached the point where THQ has seen fit to release a set of games based on it. And surprisingly, despite having the same story as the GBA version, the DS version is radically different in terms of gameplay. And yet, as in many cases, different doesn’t mean bad, and indeed, the DS version of Avatar is a pretty good game.
Graphically, Avatar is like most THQ games in that the graphics are pretty good but are not awe-inspiring. Compared to what few episodes of the show I have seen, however, the graphics are appropriate to the license that the game is based on. Everything is bright and cheery, much like the show. Overall, this is a typical THQ game graphically, but there is nothing wrong with that.
In terms of the sound, the music is very oriental sounding, which is fairly appropriate to the environments in the game. Sometimes the music sounds more like ambient noise, which can be annoying after a while, but overall, the music isn’t that bad. The sound effects are par for the course, with nothing overly ambitious to be found, but what is there is pretty good. In terms of voice acting, most of the cutscenes in the middle of the chapters and the incidental conversations are accomplished by text boxes, but the major cutscenes at the end of chapters usually have voice acting, and the voices sound very close to the actual voices of the characters from the show. This relative abundance of voice acting is a commendable trait in this game and drastically improves the overall quality of the sound.
So far as gameplay is concerned, the DS version of Avatar, despite following the exact same story as the GBA version, is radically different in its execution. Where the GBA version is based more on puzzle solving than combat, the DS version is more focused on combat. It actually falls somewhere in the middle between an RPG and an action title, having elements of each.
Borrowed from the RPG genre is the concept of an over-world with semi-random battles. I say semi-random because we’re not talking about battles happening randomly, but rather a system closer to that of Super Mario RPG and its sequels where you can see the enemies and try to avoid them. However, the enemies can sometimes be hard to avoid. Also borrowed from the RPG genre is a level-up system to increase energy and battle capabilities, and the level-ups are fairly common, so you’ll never have to spend a lot of time increasing your levels, although, particularly at the beginning, you may need to spend some.
The battles themselves, however, operate in real time, which is where this game borrows from an action genre. When you collide with an enemy, you will be shown an environment with your group of people and the group of opponents you will be facing. Unlike the GBA version, where the characters you aren’t using will just follow you and do nothing, your allies will be controlled by artificial intelligence and will actually engage the enemies. However, the artificial intelligence of your allies isn’t going to win many battles for you, leaving you in a position where you’ll still have to do a lot of the work yourself.
In terms of the battle system, each of the four buttons on the DS has a function, two for defense and two for offense. For offense, you have a basic attack and a bending attack button, and you have the same two options for defense. If you have usable items on the bottom screen, you can use them in the midst of battle, although most of the time it’s a good idea to pause the game first, and you can use items while the game is paused, which is nice. The main problem is trying to keep tabs on the energy levels of your allies, as you will often be responsible for keeping their health up.
Overall, the game is primarily exploration and battling, with some exceptions. There’s quite a few minigames that can be played in various areas that give a hint of variety, but these don’t really occur that often, and most of them aren’t overly exciting, but at least they provide a change of pace. There really won’t be any reason to replay this game after you beat it either, but it is reasonably lengthy, so that isn’t a significant problem either.
What then is my recommendation? The DS version of Avatar is a very good action/RPG hybrid, and I would recommend it to all Avatar fans if it weren’t for the fact that the GBA version is just as good of a puzzle-based title. Therefore, if you are a fan of Avatar, you owe it to yourself to try at least one of the two, but which one should be determined by which type of game you like better, as they both are roughly even in quality for their respective genres.
| Graphics: | 7 |
| Sound: | 8 |
| Gameplay: | 7 |
| Creativity: | 6 |
| Replay Value/Game Length: | 7 |
| Final: | 7.1 |
| Written by Martin | Review Guide |
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