Our Verdict
Avatar Legends: Realms Collide is a poorly executed, cash-grabby, generic 4x recreation with little or no to supply from the huge world of the Avatar collection. Grindy idle gameplay and aspect quests overshadow any try at unique storytelling.
As an avid Avatar: The Final Airbender fan, 2025 is a big 12 months for me. It’s the present’s twentieth anniversary, we’re ready on a second season of the Netflix collection, and Nickelodeon simply greenlit a model new collection set within the ATLA universe. Avatar followers simply maintain successful, so I used to be extremely excited to get the prospect to evaluate Avatar Legends: Realms Collide early.
One way or the other, regardless of absolutely the wealth of supply materials and worldbuilding that the creators have established all through the collection’ twenty-year historical past, Avatar video games all the time appear to flop. Arguably, one of the best implementation we’ve seen of the Gaang is in video games like Fortnite, so I do know I wasn’t alone in hoping that Avatar Legends: Realms Collide would break this pattern.
Realms Collide is a 4x technique recreation, which admittedly isn’t my go-to style, however I used to be prepared to present it a shot due to the Avatar theming and the promise of Father Glowworm’s first visible look. The opening cutscene had me hooked and desirous to be taught extra in regards to the Shattered Skulls and the risks of the spirit world, however sadly, even attending to play as my favourite edgy firebender, Zuko, hasn’t stopped me from becoming bored.
Writer Tilting Level advised me that Realms Collide options “immersive gameplay, partaking narrative, and gorgeous visuals,” and I’ve to say that I disagree. Firstly, the gameplay is fairly generic, particularly when it comes to 4x video games. I spend most of my time tapping on little icons to gather supplies or improve buildings, and I’m not even positive what the aim of my stronghold is within the bigger narrative.
With out the imprecise Avatar themes and parts, this recreation might cross as every other generic cell technique title. Battling cultists is repetitive and boring, with no participant enter in addition to selecting who to ship out, which is wild contemplating the sheer variety of fight kinds within the Avatar universe. If I had been to make an ATLA recreation, I would even go for turn-based fight reasonably than idle techniques matches.
Then there’s the narrative component. Except for the promising opening cutscene, Realms Collide’s story is hard to observe and appears to behave as a thinly veiled car for the usual ‘make your metropolis greater and take down bigger enemies’ conquest recreation loop, which feels significantly misplaced throughout peacetime between the nations. A lot of ATLA’s unique message is staunchly anti-war that it actually baffles me why builders insist on making fight and expansion-driven Avatar video games.
I perceive the need to see superior heroes like Aang, Korra, and Kyoshi battle side-by-side, nevertheless it makes determining the time interval and setting actually complicated – arguably extra so for those who’re an invested fan than for those who’re an off-the-cuff viewer. What do you imply child Aang and Zuko are working with middle-aged Bumi Jr and Tenzin? The lovable, deep, and flawed characters from the Avatar universe come throughout as poorly written and one notice, and the Shattered Skulls really feel like a placeholder, faceless horde of enemies.
Lastly, the visuals are actually not gorgeous. The characters’ 3D fashions appear to be they’re reused property from different failed Avatar video games, the decision is crunchy, and the isometric viewpoint jogs my memory of Fb-era farming video games. I do know it’s harsh, nevertheless it’s true! What ties all of those points collectively is that we by no means see something taking place. We’re merely advised via dialog that one thing has occurred, which is a cardinal sin of film and videogame storytelling.
It will be irresponsible of me to not not less than contact on Realms Collide’s in-game store. As a 4x technique recreation, you spend a whole lot of time ready for issues to occur, whether or not that’s analysis, exploration, or enlargement. It’s 2025, folks’s persistence is at an all-time low, and corporations love to take advantage of that. There are such a lot of totally different microtransactions on this recreation they usually all really feel extremely predatory. Sure, the first viewers of Avatar content material these days is adults who grew up watching the present, nevertheless it’s essentially nonetheless a youngsters’ franchise, so promoting this many microtransactions within the recreation is borderline harmful.
General, Avatar Legends: Realms Collide is an enormous let-down on all fronts. I’m no recreation developer, however I actually don’t perceive how corporations constantly fumble the ball when making an enticing Avatar recreation that isn’t filled with microtransactions or glitches. In fact, for those who like 4x video games and Avatar, this may be proper up your alley as an off-the-cuff idle recreation to play all through the day, however I’m undecided there’s something that Tilting Level might add to reel me again in.
In case you’re searching for a top-of-the-range 4x expertise, try our lists of one of the best cell technique video games and techniques video games subsequent. We’ve additionally cataloged one of the best anime video games, exhibiting that gorgeous animated TV exhibits can obtain greatness within the gaming sphere.
