Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of its most loved shows, and has been seeing a resurgence due to the Netflix adaptation. With Saber Interactive now working on a new Avatar: The Last Airbender game, it may provide the franchise with the fresh new story that it’s been needing.
Saber Interactive recently announced that they are working on a new Avatar: The Last Airbender game, which will be released on PC and consoles, though a date hasn’t yet been given. Saber has chosen to focus on an untold story in the familiar world of the series, giving it freedoms that other adaptations of the franchise have lacked. The game will be an RPG and will focus on a new version of the avatar who lived farther in the past than fans have seen in the series. A focus on element-bending combat and an immersive world will hopefully ensure fans still feel the same love for this entry in the series as they have for the existing stories. This will also keep the identity of the series intact while otherwise giving Saber free rein to create the game in its own style.
The Avatar Series Needs a Good Adaptation
Ever since the success of the first season of the TV series, different developers have taken a stab at adapting the Last Airbender universe as a game. Some games attempted to adapt the story shown on screen, while others focused more on side stories starring familiar characters, but for some reason, most of these games didn’t meet fans’ expectations.
Unfortunately, even the best Avatar: The Last Airbender games couldn’t recreate the feeling fans wanted after falling in love with the show. These games have looked at both The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra series, and taken the form of action, hack and slash, and RTS games to mention a few, but none of them have taken the form of a full RPG game before. Hopefully, the new genre coupled with the clean slate of a story can deliver what fans have been craving.
Avatar fans have gotten plenty of good news lately as this is actually the second new Avatar game announced to be coming soon. Maximum Games also announced a Last Airbender-inspired game, taking the form of a multiplayer fighter, that is set to release next year.
Given that the combat connected with bending is what tripped up previous developers, it should be interesting to see how a game where combat is the focus turns out. Maximum’s version of the bending arts is sure to impact how fans will feel about Saber’s game when it eventually releases, so it’s important for both developers that this game is a success.
How an Avatar RPG Can Succeed
An RPG might actually be the best choice for the Last Airbender franchise, as they share a number of important elements. This game will most likely be an action RPG in order to fit with the highly choreographed action sequences of the show. By letting players take on the role of the avatar, they’ll get to experience all four forms of bending, meaning that, in addition to good combat, the game also needs a good magic system to back it up.
This really is the backbone of the show, so there’s little room for error when it comes to fulfilling the player’s desire to master the elements. If Saber can deliver on that promise, the game should work out in its favor.
The other thing the Last Airbender series excels at is showcasing powerful, yet relatable, companion characters. Many RPGs include optional companions that help in combat and add to the story of the game, just like Aang and Korra’s friends do in the show. Saber has said that its game will feature companions, so it seems headed in the right direction. Despite the lack of success in the past, it seems that Saber Interactive is taking all the right steps to create the best Avatar: The Last Airbender game yet.
