Godfall, as one of the first exclusives revealed for PS5, may very well be one of the most anticipated games of 2020. As an evolution of the looter genre into a more melee-oriented game, it seems safe to say that the PS5, Gearbox, and Counterplay are looking to innovate. This "looter slasher" has a lot of things going for it, but in this approach, it also draws some pretty interesting comparisons to Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The Nickelodeon classic may be drawing more attention nowadays thanks to it landing on Netflix, with the sequel series The Legend of Korra set to drop later this month. With it fresh on the mind, it's hard not to look at Godfall and see several elements of Avatar within the game.
The Chosen Narrative
Starting with the most basic comparison and one true of most fantasy games, shows, and novels is the premise of the narrative. Aang, as the Avatar, is the only one capable of defeating Fire Lord Ozai, bringing balance to the world, mastering all 4 elements, and acting as the bridge between the spirit and physical worlds. This is the general gist of many fantasy creations, and this is true of Godfall as well. As a Valorian Knight, the players are the only ones capable of equipping Valorplates like the Hinterclaw or Silvermane, of traversing the realms, and defeating the Mad God Macros (more on this entity later).
Water, Earth, Fire, Air (And Spirit Too!)
Godfall hasn't really given a deep dive into this yet, but even on a surface level, the structure of the game world appears very similar to that of Avatar: The Last Airbender. As many no doubt know, Aang's world consists of four nations: Water, Earth, Air, and Fire. While The Legend of Korra sees a push for these nations to come together in Republic City, there are still huge divides between the four.
The Water Tribes are mostly found in the North and South Poles, the Earth Kingdom controls huge swathes of land, the core of the Fire Nation is a volcanic island, and the Air Nomads controlled Air Temples scattered around the world. Each nation, or realm, was distinct but key to the world structure, and that's not to mention the Spirit World which is prominent throughout both series of the Avatar world.
This is interesting to note as Godfall features five elemental realms: Water, Earth, Fire, Air, and Spirit. While using the elements is nothing uncommon to video games, such as the Vellumentals in Paper Mario: The Origami King, this structure is somewhat distinct. The establishment of "realms" means these are locations to be traveled through, with the end goal being that of challenging the Mad God. Aang, at the same time, has to travel between the nations to master the various styles of bending, while also engaging in Spirit World antics, before facing Ozai.
The Mad God Vs. The Phoenix King
The biggest comparison may come down to the antagonist, as even in a Hero's Journey story, this antagonist can take many forms and modes. Yet, the primary antagonist of Godfall, the Mad God Macros, and the primary antagonist of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fire Lord Ozai, are incredibly similar. Fire Lord Ozai, becoming mad with power, crowns himself The Phoenix King and seeks to destroy the Earth Kingdom, but this is only possible because of the 100 years Aang was trapped in the ice, the 100 years of Fire Nation aggression and war.
Similarly, not much is known about the Mad God, but the name alone implies that it is an entity mad with power. At the same time, it's only in its current position of creating an apocalypse due to a "1000 year war," not unlike Aang's time away from the world. Notably, it is different in that the Valorian Knights (potentially the player included) fought in this war, but the core premise is simple: peace (however unstable) is broken, time passes, and the events of the series unfold leading to a final confrontation between the chosen Valorian Knights/Avatar against the power-hungry antagonist, the Mad God/Phoenix King.
Whether these comparisons still hold water when the game releases remains to be seen, but fans of Avatar may find themselves fans of Godfall as well.
Godfall releases Holiday 2020 for PC and PS5.