James Cameron's Avatar (iOS/Android)

James Cameron's Avatar is a video game application created by Gameloft. The game can no longer be purchased, as Gameloft has removed the game from iOS and Android shops.
Players play as a new avatar driver named Ryan Lorenz. The storyline is narrated by Neytiri, who says that it was told to her by her sister, Sylwanin. The game is a prequel to the events in the Avatar film, taking place approximately 20 years before the events in the movie. Although some characters and elements in the game show similarities to those in the film, the plot is quite independent from that of its cinematic counterpart.
According to Joshua Izzo, every Avatar video game that was released in 2009 is now non-canon, including this one.https://james-camerons-avatar.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:Ollympian/Canonicity_Clarifications_from_Joshua_Izzo The game also has minor continuity errors.
==Plot==
thumb|250px|left|Ryan at the training ground.
The story starts with Ryan Lorenz, a marine looking to start a new life on the moon of Pandora. After an accident on Earth in which his wife and daughter were killed, he pulled strings prior to leaving Earth to gain admission into the Avatar Program, a top-secret scientific program created by the RDA, who is running a vast mining operation on Pandora looking for a mineral called unobtanium, which is believed to be a solution to the energy crisis on Earth.
Once on Pandora, Ryan is linked to his avatar body, a hybrid of human and Na'vi (the indigenous people of Pandora) genetic material. After quickly mastering how to drive his avatar body, he is given his first mission of exploring deeper into the Pandoran forest to locate and mark deposits of unobtanium on his GPS. He completes this, but finds that he has ventured too deep into the forest and has lost all contact with the RDA base of operations. While trying to find a safe place to stash his avatar body for the night, he finds the dormant Tree of Souls. He is rendered unconscious and experiences a very weird and disturbing dream, which is actually a message from Eywa showing him what will happen to Pandora, should the RDA succeed in their endeavor.
Ryan is then discovered by the Ni'awve clan and taken into the hometree so he might learn their ways and of their struggle against the RDA. After the clan's shaman Atanwey had been kidnapped by the humans, Ryan defected to the Na'vi and aided in their warding off of human invaders. The leader, Tsu'hak wanted to move his people from the Valley of Origins, but when he, Ryan and Tsamlok went to clear the way, Tsu'hak was captured. It was again Ryan who freed him, as Tsamlok was injured in the initial attack.
thumb|250px|Ryan before his murder
When Ryan returned with Tsu'hak, he learned that Sylwanin was also captured and taken to an RDA base. Full of anger, Ryan went after her and saved her, killing many humans on the way. Ryan then was contacted by Moran and Grace Augustine, who told Ryan to go to the Tree of Souls. There he was confronted by Major Cage and Ryan defeated him. Ryan activated the Tree of Souls and returned to the Ni'awve. They planned to attack Hell's Gate and drive the humans off, but Ryan's human body was shot and killed before the attack started. It is mentioned that Ryan is still remembered as a hero of the Ni'awve people.
==Characters==
*Ryan Lorenz - The main protagonist of the story; defects to the Na'vi
*Major Cage - Head of Security for the RDA base of operations on Pandora
*Sylwanin - The tsakarem of the Omatikaya clan; tells the story to her sister, Neytiri
*Neytiri - Narrates the story of Ryan Lorenz throughout the game
*Grace Augustine - Head of the Avatar Program; appears briefly
*Moran - Ryan Lorenz's contact in Hell's Gate, also an avatar driver
*Ni'awve clan - Numerous members of Ni'awve clan make an appearance
==Gameplay==
thumb|250px|Gameplay footage
The game features a virtual on-screen joystick and buttons that allow players to easily control their character during the many platforming elements, while also providing them with enough precision to unleash some of the many weapons and combat combos. Weapons at the user's disposal include an Avatar Program custom assault rifle, a Na'vi staff, and a Na'vi hunter bow. Ryan is also able to interact with animals such as the direhorse and banshee. The plot of the game is split up into 16 levels, or, "chapters".
== Weapons ==
*Custom Avatar Assault Rifle
*Na'vi Staff
*Na'vi Bow
All weapons can be upgraded three times. This occurs naturally as you complete quests in the village.
== Continuity Errors ==
* One plot aspect contradicts Avatar: Adapt or Die. In the comic, Grace Augustine has known Sylwanin since she was little and would have taught her English at the school. However, the game shows an older Sylwanin supposedly encountering Grace for the first time, with no explanation provided as to how Sylwanin knows English.
* In Avatar, Neytiri believes Sky People do not See and can not learn how to See. This belief does not make much sense when according to the game, Ryan Lorenz is a perfect example that under the right conditions, a human being can learn the Na'vi ways. Sylwanin would have also praised Ryan's efforts to Neytiri, making this continuity stranger.
* Neytiri says her name is "Neytiri Dis'kahan A'itey" in the subtitles. The correct form is "Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite"
== Reception ==
The game is the highest-rated on Metacritic of all the Avatar games released around 2009, with a 78/100. It received positive reviews for its ambitious 3D graphics for phones at the time of its release, even having a zone resembling an open world.
==Trivia==
* In the game's data, Ryan's texture files are labelled "Jake", suggesting the mobile game was originally intended to be an adaptation of the original firm before being turned into a prequel. This could explain many aspects about the mobile game, such as Ryan's avatar looking very similar to Jake, them becoming lost in the forest and being watched by a female Na'vi (Sylwanin, Neytiri), having to fight a man (John Cage, Quaritch) and starting a war with the Na'vi against the humans in the ending.
== References ==
de:Avatar - Das Spiel (iOS/Android/Palm Pre)
pl:James Cameron's Avatar (iOS/Android)‏‎
ru:James Cameron’s Avatar (iOS/Android)
Category:Games