Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game Review – The Avatar Fighter Fans Deserve

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game Review

There’s been a fair share of good and awful licensed fighting games. The idea of fighting with your favourite characters may sound like a heavenly prospect, but it can often be a hellish encounter. While Arc System Works managed to perfectly capture the epic battles of Dragon Ball, Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals desecrated the franchise. In addition to ensuring the mechanics are solid, developers must also faithfully capture the nuances of the franchise and translate these aspects into the medium. Beloved by many, Avatar finally steps into the arena, ready to let its wide cast take on one another in dream matches. Will this be the dream fighter that fans have been waiting for, or a nightmarish cash grab?

Avatar Legends is a traditional 2D fighting game that aims to capture the thrill of combat, echoing battles of its animated counterpart. However, Gameplay Group International has a difficult task on its hands: do they make it accessible to broaden its appeal, cater to the fighting game community to secure longevity, or attempt the difficult task of balancing both philosophies?

Finding its Roots

Legends delivers a deep, mechanically rich fighting system, which feels closer to 90s SNK titles than modern fighters. This includes a demanding combo system that requires precise input and adept timing to unleash a flurry of linked attacks. Positioning and minor variations on commands can drastically alter your attacks, which makes you consider how and when to use certain manoeuvres. Due to the expert implementation, this gives creative freedom when in the arena. You must read and counter attacks, opening up new opportunities for you to take advantage of.

Although it can be difficult to grasp the mechanics, when everything clicks, it’s exhilarating. The four-button layout is similar to classics and the Magic Series system adds a layer of familiarity. Auto-combos are also included, allowing newcomers to jump straight into the action. You can also branch out of these, making it a viable option to learn different combos. While this supports rookies, the tutorials overlook these players, instead focusing on mastery. Clear graphics explain the basics, while the Tutorial and Character Trials focus on enhancing your skills with the game. These are well implemented with detailed guides and walkthroughs, which successfully build your skills. However, the lack of fundamental training creates another barrier for new players.

There’s a frantic pace that grips each fight, making encounters a battle of wits and skill. Combos hit at a blistering speed, requiring you to react instantly to overcome and not get juggled across the screen. There’s a lot of freedom for you to tinker with the mechanics. While there are specific combinations, these are not restrictive. You can link numerous attacks seamlessly, which allows you to be more expressive on the battlefield.

The Meaning of Inner Strength

Flow is central to combat and adds to the quick-paced ethos that permeates the game. Pressing the action initiates a defensive manoeuvre that differs with each character. From a parry to a quick dodge, these allow you to move around the arena in an instant and protect you in the midst of a large combo. The more Flow you use, the more your gauge begins to dwindle. You can recoup this through landing successive attacks and being on the front door; however, if this empties, then you’ll be left in a vulnerable state for a short period of time. This creates a management system, where you must use your abilities wisely to not allow your opponent to exploit your weakness.

Chakra powers EX versions of your attacks and combines with Chi to unleash a truly devastating Super. These look remarkable and capture the epic encounters that imbue the source material. Speaking of which, the visuals as a whole are incredible. The artists animate each hand-drawn character perfectly, using subtle nuances to communicate their personality and powers. Backgrounds are multilayered, featuring plenty of Easter Eggs that further accentuate the love and adoration for the franchise.

The roster is diverse, featuring characters that suit certain playstyles. If you prefer rush-down tactics or zoning, Avatar Legends has you covered. You can also choose a support character that gives a stat boost, providing more options to vary the way you play. Unfortunately, the game omits some fan favourites, leaving the selection feeling limited. While the Year 1 Pass adds five characters, the base game leaves out a few players.

We’ve Got Each Other

In addition to an Arcade Mode, there’s a lengthy Story Mode which is canon for the series, featuring interactions with all the characters. While this successfully frames battles, the conversations are in-game, which lacks the cinematic flair that features in many modern fighters. Multiplayer is central to any fighter and the game features local and online modes. Although I only had limited time with the online portion, the netcode was solid with no issues, which could lead to a thriving online community. While the Gallery allows you to purchase artwork, etc, it’s a little bare-bones compared to some examples in the genre; however, the tight gameplay is more than enough to keep you hooked.

Avatar Legends captures the fast-paced, frenetic battles of its source material and translates this into a deep, immersive fighter that requires skill and precision to unlock its full potential. Each character brims with personality, which bleeds into their moveset, making each contest feel unique. Although the roster is limited and newcomers may struggle to get to grips with the higher-level combos, it’s a rewarding fighter that captures the spirit of the series, rewarding persistence with some truly spectacular battles.

***A PS5 code was provided for this review***