Avatar Legends The Fighting Game Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, & PC)

It’s been over 20 years since Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered on Nickelodeon. Pretty much one of my favorite cartoon shows of all time. I still remember the iconic moments in the series. The ridiculous steam-rolling past the cabbage stands. The heartbreaking moment when Sokka’s lover gives her life up to become the moon. Toph inventing metal-bending has to be a top three. And my absolute favorite, the final battle showdown between Aang and the Fire Lord. The payoff is one of the biggest in media when Aang takes away the Fire Lord’s fire-bending. It’s a storyline so good that I wouldn’t mind if a video game adaptation borrowed the dialogue and scenes word-for-word. Yet, even that seems too much to ask for when all these years, I haven’t seen any adaptation worth playing, at least not until Avatar Legends.

I’d have preferred an action-adventure game, but Gameplay Group International chose the fighting game genre instead. In some ways, it works fantastically well. Bending the elements is probably the best foundation to build diverse abilities and complex combos. And it shows in how varied the characters in Avatar Legends The Fighting Game are. They have massive disparity between the fire, water, earth, and air benders. And Avatar Aang rounds them all up, displaying mastery of all four elements. Moreover, Gameplay Group International adds diverse movement options and support characters, who you can experiment with and come up with mind-blowing attacks, combos, and finishers. The only issue I take with this game is that the story mode barely scratches the surface of how rich the lore of its source material is. It feels half-baked and leaves you wanting more. Otherwise, I think fighting game fans will be pleased with this one.

Learning the Ropes

Avatar Legends The Fighting Game actually draws from the Avatar: The Last Airbender Nickelodeon show and the follow-up, The Legend of Korra. You’ll control 12 characters from both shows, including the OGs, Aang, Sokka, and Katara, plus Toph, Azula, Kyoshi, Korra, and more. Characters like Aang and Korra have an Avatar State variation. Five more characters will be added in a future DLC package, bringing the total to 17 playable characters. While it might seem like a small roster for a fighting game, it doesn’t feel that way during the actual battle. Firstly, every character has a unique skillset, with the additional layer of unique movement. Further, you can opt for one of three support characters, who modify, alter, or entirely transform your special moves. But first, let’s take it step-by-step from the tutorial to the story mode and battles against the AI and online players.

The tutorial is straightforward enough to wrap my head around each character’s moveset and combo options. I’m taken through a step-by-step tutorial of the four-button inputs I need. No time pressure here, only memory recollection. I feel like all fighting games should follow this structure, taking you step-by-step through each character’s movesets and corresponding inputs. And then giving you the time to practice. Unfortunately, the practice side of it has some issues, where the AI doesn’t randomly block your attacks, and thus, you have a hard time knowing if your inputs land. But the tutorial is an absolute must if you’re to make any progress through the story mode. For some reason, Avatar Legends doesn’t have any difficulty settings, which is absurd given that the AI can be challenging right off the bat.

Tension in the Spirit World

I completely agree that the story mode in most fighting games is barely ever the strongest or most entertaining. Especially in established franchises, the devs will find any reason to put the characters in the same timeline and events. Forget that The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after Avatar: The Last Airbender. You’ll find characters from both franchises interacting. Often, they’ll get into some kind of squabble just so they can fight. That’s not to say that Avatar Legends The Fighting Game doesn’t attempt to make sense of its story. Avatar Aang wakes up in Avatar Korra’s universe. He finds it in disarray because there seems to be some trouble in the spirit world that is affecting the real one.

It’s a pretty destabilizing turn of events because people who’d never tolerate each other seem to be friendly towards one another. Villains have turned good. And at some points, it’s interesting how they begin to unravel their true nature, and how that conflict evolves. Again, I want to caution that the story mode isn’t anything that will blow your mind. The dialogue is funny, especially during Sokka’s interactions. And you can definitely see the spirit of the original shows alive and well in Avatar Legends. However, the interactions still feel amiss, despite being written by the source material’s writers.

Two Sides of a Coin

I feel like the presentation in the story mode has also been the biggest letdown. On the one hand, the hand-drawn characters look awesome. Their animations during fights are smooth and fun to watch. They embody the original characters’ aura and personalities. Even the background arenas have little details here and there that harken back to iconic moments from the show. In the story mode, though, the plot uses a visual novel style. Characters are static in their fight pose. They barely make any facial expressions or convey any sense of spatial awareness. So, even though the voice acting is good, it doesn’t quite land. As a solo player, you’ll probably have more fun in the arcade mode, where the battles are longer and more exciting, though still without difficulty settings.

Or ditch the single-player modes altogether for the multiplayer ones. Here’s where Avatar Legends The Fighting Game truly shines. Rollback netcode and crossplay are locked and loaded. The rest of the setup is smooth-sailing. You experience barely any lag or frustrating load times. Online matching is quick and easy. Before you know it, you’re up against a formidable opponent. You might want to try out the autocombos, which allow you to spam light attacks and still enjoy overwhelming your opponent with powerful combos. Or you can trust your skills and muscle memory and defeat your opponent fair and square. Light, medium, and heavy attacks all pack a punch. They land beautifully, with flashy visual effects. Take it up a notch, though, with special attacks and critical hits. Land critical hits successfully, and they charge up your energy meter, which unleashes special attacks and special moves.

Avatar State

It’s an incredibly precise fighting game system that punishes mistakes. Opponents can easily overwhelm you, which you don’t want to happen when matches are so fast. A few things, though, make Avatar Legends The Fighting Game stand out from the rest. The first is how every character moves gracefully and differently. Fans of the show will know how essential bending is to attacks, defense, and movement. Water benders whip up ice that they ski over to reach faraway enemies. Air benders can manipulate the wind, steering themselves in any direction. Even Earth benders have cool ways to tip the scales in their favor. The way Toph tosses enemies in the air by spawning a pillar of rock beneath them. Now, imagine how all of these cool abilities can be manipulated in your offense, defense, and movement, and you pretty much have a clearer picture of how deeply strategic Avatar Legends can be.

Aang took over 60 episodes to master all four elements. So, please be kind to yourself when it takes a minute to kick in. The controls are very easy to learn. Mastering the special attacks and combos, though, is where the work begins. When it all comes together, though, it’s a stunning sight. How Aang can be an unpredictable force on the screen, thanks to the ability to cancel his movements into other actions at the cost of draining the Flow meter. And don’t underestimate Sokka, either. Even without the ability to bend the elements, he can still be an unstoppable force. His boomerang skills can really turn the tables in your favor, and his hits land devastatingly well. And if you want to be even more unpredictable, you can tag in the support characters, further lending you unexpected synergy abilities.

Verdict

For a minute there, I was afraid that Avatar Legends The Fighting Game  failed to do The Last Airbender justice, as other games failed before it. The story mode is certainly disappointing, given how exciting the characters in the Avatar world are. There was potential to create an unforgettable original story. But as is, you’d be better off spending time in the multiplayer game modes. This is where the star quality is. It’s a pretty delightful sight seeing Toph dominate against Zuko and Azula. The animations are smooth and graceful. And the controls are fluid and responsive. But even more exciting are the unpredictable ways you can move around the stage. It enhances the devastating effect of the incredible special moves and combos at your disposal. Multiplayer is where all the best parts of Avatar Legends are, and definitely worth playing for fans of the show and fighting games in general.