“Long ago, the four nations lived together,” is how “The Last Airbender: Quest for Balance” begins. “The Last Airbender” was released on Sept. 23 and it was kind of a sneaky one. I didn’t hear much about the game but when searching around I found the “Quest for Balance” was going to drop on the weekend, and I was impressed with every aspect of the game.
The Avatar concept of “Quest for Balance” immediately reminded me of a book I read called “The Pale Fox” which is about the Dogon and the concept of the cosmic egg. In chapter one, the book talks about Amma’s egg, which has four clavicles.
In this chapter, it says that “In their original sense, the four clavicles are also the prefiguration of the four elements, kize nay, ‘things four:’ water (di), air (ono), Fire (yau), earth (mine); likewise, the ideal bisectors which separate them will mark the collateral directions, sibe nay, ‘angels four,’ that is to say, space.”
I found this game captivating because it reminded me of the Dogon’s oral tradition of “Amma” and correlates with “sibe nay,” which reflects the space aspect and a synchronized and familiar parallel with the master Avatar vanishing.
“Only the Avatar, master of all the four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. I believe Aang can save the world.”
These words lead to the prologue of the game, “The Storm.”
The prologue gets you familiar with all of the button configurations and with the hero of the story Aang, who is bestowed the elemental sign of air. Once you get familiar with the game and you’ve completed “Book One: Water Chapter One: The Avatar Returns,” you can play online on every platform as well as cross-platform.
As you progress through the game, you get “Pai Sho Tiles” which you can use to improve your skill sets. You start out with a companion named Katara, whose sign is water, and she helps you complete the first stage of the mission on the “Fire Navy Wrecked Ship.”
After you complete the mission for this stage, “Firing up the Engine,” you’ll be able to play local and online multiplayer mode. How to play multiplayer is not as obvious as it could be, but all you have to do is find the “Avatar Statues” and you have the option to select save or change character and you’ll be able to begin to play two-player co-op mode which is always fun at home with friends and family.
I can really appreciate the storyline and how it is interwoven into multiple indigenous ethnic groups and reflects cultures like the Dogon in Mali, Africa, many indigenous East Asian cultures and spiritual systems of Balance like Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism. I thought this was the most intriguing part of the design of the game and is what stood out most to me when playing the game.
Quest for Balance is rated E10+ and costs $49.99. I played with my son and daughter who are six and three and they are already mastering the buttons and storyline of the game. It’s a fascinating and captivating game and fun for all ages now available for play. It’s a fun game with crisp 2D graphics and 18 chapters of gameplay, plus everything in free mode and story mode both local and online.
If you enjoyed the Nickelodeon show that was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, then you’ll enjoy this stress-free game that’s easy to play on your own, or with family and friends online.
