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Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is another win for Avatar fans this year. Alongside a second season of the live-action Netflix adaptation and a Last Airbender sequel movie, a fighting game is the cherry on top. This is what fans have wanted to see since Avatar: The Last Airbender first premiered.
Avatar Legends is a 1v1 fighting game that takes characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra and puts them against each other. It’s a tricky aspect for a fighting game to achieve long-term success. While gamers might be interested at first, the risk of players falling off is a strong possibility. Thankfully, Avatar Legends shouldn't have to worry, judging from the review build.
Avatar Legends Honors the Character’s Fighting Style
The most impressive aspect of Avatar Legends is how it translates the fighting style to the game as the sequences play out like the show's best duals. This isn’t a pure button masher, as each combo is carefully thought out. Each character feels distinct from each other as each style is unique even if they’re the same bender.
The strategies for each character are clear. Earth-benders dominate the ground and can block anti-air attacks. Fire-benders are more aggressive with their technique. Water-benders are graceful and can get very dangerous fast. Even non-benders, like Sokka, fit within this fighting game. Fans might have issues regarding the power scaling of some characters, but in the context of this game it works well. Even if some attacks should cancel out others, there’s a lot of leeway to give players a fair chance in a 1v1 setting.
If Avatar fans are scared off by it being a fighting game, the breakdown mode is there to help. It’s a genius addition that’ll break down a combo by going step by step in slow motion. At that speed, it’s easier to learn and understand each movement enough to feel comfortable during an actual match. The only big issue with training is the glitches that come with it. Even when players do it correctly, it’ll be shown as incorrect instead.
The Story Mode for Avatar Legends is Short and Sweet
What should give fans a lot of confidence is that the story was penned by series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Tim Hedrick. If anyone is expecting a grand epic story, then they’re going to be disappointed. The story mode takes around 5 hours to complete, but that short time is a lot of fun.
It could have been easy to recreate the best moments from the Avatar universe, but the original story is creative. The story is a great excuse to let these characters, who span eons, interact with each other. Without going into spoilers, some of these characters aren’t exactly how they were in the shows and comics.
The Hand-Drawn Animation is Perfectly Lifted From the Shows
It could have been easier to adapt a more cel-shaded look for Avatar Legends. Invincible VS did that, and while it doesn’t look 100% exactly like either the comics or the show, it still looks good. That’s why it’s so impressive that Avatar Legends adapted the hand-drawn animation directly from the shows.
Every frame is hand-drawn, and screenshots don't do it justice at all. It shows that the developer, Gameplay Group International, took great care and respected both shows.
It’s not just the look, but the feel of the show. Take when Sokka runs away from his opponent. The way he does it by running at full speed while having a panicked look on his face is pure Sokka energy. Little moments like that are scattered throughout Avatar Legends.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game Is Exactly What Fans Want
While Avatar Legends will attract a smaller audience, they’ll be ecstatic about this incredible fighting game. It harnesses a key component from both shows that translates extraordinarily well into the fighting scene. The aspect of how these characters move, not just in their combos, but in the animation, shows the great respect these creators have.
Every element is crafted with love here, as this is a passion project made for the fans. Even if they’re not fighting game fans, there’s a lot of enjoyment here. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is a strong addition to the fighting game community that deserves a massive audience.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game will launch on July 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
This review was written with a PlayStation 5 code of Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game provided by Paramount Games.
