Avatar: The Final Airbender must be a chief lower of gaming beef. Parts-based martial arts, a large open world with loads of established lore, a beautiful artwork fashion, and sufficient nostalgia to construct a franchise on.
But regardless of being such a stable piece of children’ T.V it transcends its demographic, being an excellent look ahead to all ages, Avatar’s by no means actually had an ideal recreation hooked up to it. Positive, there’ve been licensed makes an attempt, however they’re often middling at greatest. There’s by no means been an Avatar recreation with endurance equal to its roots.
Whether or not that’ll change with a aggressive preventing recreation remains to be to be seen, however we positive are getting one. As noticed by Gematsu, Most Leisure’s latest showcase revealed the undertaking on the tail-end of its roadmap.
“We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve got entered right into a partnership with Paramount Client Merchandise to develop a aggressive multiplayer preventing recreation set within the Avatar: The Final Airbender universe.” Particulars aside from which can be scant, past a promised early entry interval someday in 2025.
I am a contact conflicted by the information. Avatar: The Final Airbender is not precisely a narrative about preventing folks—if something, it is a story about how violence cannot clear up every part. Dunking on somebody together with your sick airbending abilities to climb MMR ranks is not precisely on-brand. One doesn’t obtain interior peace by spamming ‘ez’—okay, possibly Avatar Kyoshi would, however she’s constructed totally different.
Then again, you may’t deny that Avatar has at all times had sick battle scenes. The core conceit of bending simply begs for use to kick butt in fascinating and inventive methods. That is one thing some studios have tried to capitalise on—like with Rumble, a VR preventing recreation primarily based round earthbending.
Most Leisure is not precisely identified for this type of stuff, both—although it is extra probably it will be publishing reasonably than growing the undertaking.
As for the shape it will take, I’ve not obtained the foggiest clue. The cynic in me needs to say it will be one other platform fighter within the vein of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, although I am secretly hoping for one thing slightly extra inventive. A few years again, YouTuber FUNKe put forth the concept of a movement-based first particular person enviornment shooter primarily based on Korra’s “professional bending” scenes, and I’ve not been in a position to get it out of my mind. However that may be stretching the definition of “preventing recreation” skinny.
Like most Avatar followers, I will be crossing my fingers and whispering ‘please please please do not suck’ prefer it’s a prayer. We have been ravenous for some genuinely good gaming from the franchise for years—although I am not holding my breath. Each try to date to interrupt the collection’ adaptation allergic reactions hasn’t gone nice, however there’s at all times hope.