Avatar: The Last Airbender (video game)


 * This article is about the video game based on the animated series. For other similar uses, see The Last Airbender (disambiguation).

Avatar: The Last Airbender, known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang in Europe, is a 2006 video game developed by THQ and released for Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, and Xbox. The game is loosely based on the series, with the storyline set between Book One and Book Two. Gameplay for the Microsoft Windows version consists of a series of mini games based on the events of Book One.

A sequel, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth, was released in the autumn of the following year.

Game overview
The game begins with an overview of the events preceding the game with Katara narrating. It opens in the Northern Water Tribe, where Aang excitedly talks about his plans to go penguin sledding with Katara. Once he arrives at the village, Katara tells Aang that Master Wei is looking for him. He tells Aang to investigate the disappearance of a waterbender named Hiryu.

Aang goes to a cave where he finds a waterbender's pouch, much like Katara's, and a gear near a large hole. He returns to the village and returns both to his master. Not long after that, the Fire Nation launches an attack led by Prince Zuko, who wants Aang captured unharmed. Aang goes to help Sokka, who is struggling as he is surrounded by firebenders, leaving Katara to help Master Wei keep Zuko from getting any further into the city.

During the battle, Katara is captured and Zuko retreats with her in tow in order to lure Aang out to come after him. Before Aang and Sokka leave to chase after Zuko though, they encounter a machine blocking their way to Appa. They are able to defeat it, but they discover the machine was made by the Fire Nation, which means that they are becoming more powerful and dangerous than ever.



Aang and Sokka follow Zuko's ship on Appa to a village in the Earth Kingdom, where they learn Katara is being held in prison. They steal two Fire Nation soldier's uniforms and sneak into the prison disguised. While there, they help a village struggling with poverty and a shortage of food and supplies, by locating stolen food and defeating Fire Nation soldiers.

While rescuing Katara from prison, they discover that a person called "The Maker" is being forced to create machines for the Fire Nation, and so they attempt to free her. They defeat the jailer guarding her, but they cannot find her in her cell. However, they find a clue of another supposed attack on an earthbending training camp.

Team Avatar arrives at the camp, where they find Tyro and Haru are being attacked by machines. The trio intervenes and saves the earthbenders. Tyro reveals to Aang that their own village member, Yuan, has also disappeared during the fight. Haru decides to join the team in the hopes of finding his friend. Once they reach a magical grotto, they encounter a bear-like creature and are forced to fight it. Once they defeat it, it transforms into the forest spirit, who tells them to go to Omashu and tell Bumi about the machines.

Their journey takes them to Omashu and with the help of its king, Bumi, who gives them directions to a secret hidden island. Before they leave, though, the Fire Nation attacks the city, leading to Haru leaving the group to help his fellow earthbenders defend the city.

When they finally reunite and reach a secret entrance out of the village, they are stopped by the consul, stating he will not let them go. Katara and Sokka tell him that if he lets them go, the Fire Nation will follow, but he cares little for that, telling them he is part of a plan that will ensure the safety of the Earth Kingdom and he will make sure all of them die.

They manage to defeat him and realize the machines they have encountered before Omashu are meant to replace benders. They leave the city relatively unscathed when the Fire Nation invaded. Zuko appears seconds after they exit and interrogates the consul who refuses to answer, just smiling. At that moment, the prince notices something in front of him and prepares to fight it.

While investigating the mysteries behind the secret island, the gang finally finds the Maker, Lian. She reveals her plans to use her machines to end the war, believing that Aang will not make it in time to finish his training when Sozin's Comet arrives. She offers Aang the chance to work with her and her machines, but he declines, having witnessed the damages the machines have done to the other villages. An angered Lian sends a giant machine to attack them, while she makes her escape. After defeating the machine, Aang miraculously knows where she plans to strike next leading to the team pursuing her.

They go to an inhabited caretakers' village near an air temple, where Aang goes to the air temple sanctuary while the others stay to protect the village inhabitants. Aang defeats the machines Lian sent to destroy the Avatar statues, but his friends are captured during that time. He returns to the village and follows the tunnel the Geo-Tunneler left behind to an underground village. There, he reaches a fortress where all of Lian's machines are and Aang's friends are held captive. He breaks them all out, and they explore the fortress, yet are met briefly by Zuko, who is also held captive there. Aang tries to help him escape, but Zuko attacks him leading to the pair almost falling into a stream. Even when Aang grabs Zuko to pull him up, he lets go and is washed away.



In the deepest level of the fortress, Aang faces Lian to make her stop her creations. Lian voices her contempt for benders in general, saying "thinkers should be in charge, not magicians." Believing that division of the elements is the real reason behind the war, her machines would be used to "even the playing field". Sokka, the nonbender in the group, voices his disagreement to her opinion, to which Lian calls out the missing benders, including Yuan and Hiryu, who reveal themselves apparently willing to aid her by powering the Ultimation a war machine capable of controlling fire, earth, water, sound and air.

Team Avatar's united attacks managed to put down the machine. As Aang gets distracted to help Haru, the Ultimation bursts to life and tries to attack him from behind. Katara gets in the way, trying to protect him, but doing so knocks her unconscious. Enraged, Aang enters the Avatar State and defeats the machine once and for all. Lian is killed by the machine when it falls on to her. Haru reconciles with his friend and the team leaves the place behind on Appa. Haru asks if Sokka never liked benders as he said with Lian, in which the latter commented that he finds them all right, to which Katara and Aang begin to tease him, much to his aggravation.

Meanwhile, on the bank of the stream, Zuko pulls himself out of the water. Grumbling, he exits the scene.

1. Fire Navy attack


After the well-known intro finishes, Aang is telling Appa that he wants to go penguin sledding with Katara. He states that both Katara and him should rest for a while. Afterward, Katara arrives and tells Aang that Master Wei—Master Pakku in other versions—would like to see him and that he should go back to the town. She wonders about Sokka's absence, too. Aang seems to be disappointed because he cannot go penguin sledding now.

In the town, a little girl tells Aang that her mother is sick and that she needs herbal medicine to get better. Aang promises to help her and to search for the medicine. After curing her mother with a herb he has found outside, the girl rewards Aang with a STR source.

Master Wei tells Aang that a waterbender called Hiryu got lost somewhere west of the town. He begs Aang to look for him. When Aang arrives at the place where Hiryu has gotten lost, he finds a strange shiny metal thing lying on the ground, and in addition a water skin. Aang heads back to town and shows Wei the items he has found and how devastated the place there looked like. Wei advises Aang to search for Katara and Sokka because he is afraid that the same could happen to them.

When Aang finds the two outside of the town, Katara is angry about Sokka because he has not done the laundry. Sokka replies that this was woman's work, what makes Katara even more angry. As they notice Aang, he tells them about the missing waterbender and that they should go back to the town. There is also a place where Katara can catch a fish, but Sokka firstly doubts that Katara is able to do that. After catching the fish, Katara rectifies him stating "Bending is a skill of physical and mental strength which comes from the Chi inside", but Sokka still rather relies on his weapons.

Back in town, they get frightened about a big vibration, which comes from an arriving ship. Zuko steps out of this ship and searches for the Avatar whom he wants to have captured alive. Several soldiers come out of the ship as well. Katara, Aang and Sokka hurry to Master Wei, who bravely fights against three Fire Nation soldiers. Katara stays with Master Wei helping him to defend these soldiers and Aang and Sokka fight against other soldiers to protect the endangered Tribe. While they are fighting, Zuko appears at the former place and attacks Master Wei. Zuko wants to use Katara as a bait to capture Aang, otherwise he would injure Wei. Zuko returns to his ship and two soldiers bring Katara on it, too. Sokka and Aang, meanwhile, find Wei left back, who tells them what has happened to Katara. Furthermore, he tells Aang to rescue Katara and to learn waterbending from her then. They head to Appa, but instead they find a Fire Nation machine which attacks them. After Aang has defeated it, Sokka boasts himself as the "conqueror of all kitchen utensils". More seriously, he says that things are getting more dangerous and that they must find Katara.

The end card of the chapter explains their crossing the ocean and their finding Zuko's ship anchored at an island, which is occupied by the Fire Nation and where a military base is built on it.

2. Among the enemy


Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, Sokka tries to make plans what to do next. He decides that he should be the leader because he is the oldest. Aang replies that both him and Appa were more than hundred years old. Nonetheless, Sokka determines "as the voice of youth" that they have to save Katara. He wants to go to the port to look around and to observe Zuko's ship. He proudly states that Zuko was no match for him.

As Aang and Sokka reach the harbor and see the docked ship, they determine that Katara has already been brought away. They go into the local town and speak to the people there to find out where Katara could be. From a person at the north gate of the town they find out that a girl wearing Water Tribe clothes and a boy were taken to a prison in the north. So they decide to head to this prison.

On their way, a man at the coast tells them that the goods on his ship have been disappearing for a while. He supposes that foreign merchant ships like his one might be targeted. He makes a strange announcement that a certain "he" could tell them something.

When they arrive arrive at the prison, they see that it is strongly guarded, so they go back to the town. Aang suggests stealing uniforms from the barracks in the south to sneak into the prison undetected. Sokka firstly does not want to wear their uniforms because of the water tribe pride, but Aang convinces him showing him there is no other way. Sokka puts his pride aside and says they also have tolerance.

Since the barracks are guarded as well, they turn around and try infiltrating them from the other side. They overlook the terrain and do not see any guard though but a lake, which cannot easily be crossed. Aang calms Sokka down telling him he will bring him over the see with airbending. Poor Sokka, he gets thrown right against the wall of the barracks, while Aang lands softly behind him.

Inside the barracks, they auscultate a session of Fire Nation soldiers. Their chief tells his soldiers that they were old enough to take care of themselves. Suddenly, he asks them how often they bathed. The soldiers insure that they took care of their hygiene at least once a day. The chief is pleased to hear this and delivers a sermon about the inexcusable offense which an unwashed soldier would be. The chief and the soldiers finally leave the room.

In a room at the far end of the barracks, they find two uniforms which seem to fit. They stink terribly, but they have no other choice than wearing them. Aang even says that his nose was melting. Now they want to talk to the real soldiers to get information about Katara. One soldier tells them that Katara is imprisoned, along with Zuko and a strange other prisoner. When they leave the barracks, they take the uniforms off and head to the prison. To get over the lake again, Sokka, this time, clutches Aang and flies with him. Anyway, Sokka slips off and falls straight to the ground and hurts his nose again. With the uniforms, they can also access a certain place at the harbor, which looks like a store with tents for Fire Nation soldiers.



When they arrive at the prison, they put on the uniforms and enter investigate the building. The guards at the door tell them that they would have to search for the escaped Zuko. Sokka and Aang shall guard the door. On the first floor inside the prison, they take their uniforms off since they think it is save there. In one of the soldiers' sleeping room, they find a key for a prison cell.

In the basement, there are cells and in one of them there is a man locked away. He begs Aang and Sokka to help him getting out of there. He identifies Aang as the Avatar. In the cell at the very back, the two find Katara. They are happy to see each other. Aang and Sokka feel guilty because they did not stop the soldiers from taking her away, but Katara forgives them. Sokka opens the cell with the key they have found and he reunites with his sister. Katara quickly notices their bad scent. The boys want to leave, but Katara tells them that a certain girl is locked away there as well. This girl should have to do something with machines which the Fire Nation wants to use to win the war. Her name is Lian. Sokka does not want to rescue this girl because he is afraid of her machines, but Katara reminds him that Lian is forced to build them.

In the next room, they find Lian in another cell and want to help her, as suddenly a man with a Fire Lance appears and has the three kids fought against him. After having defeated him, they see that Lian is not in her cell anymore. But they find a note instead. It reads something about an earth kingdom village. They think the citizens could be in danger and hurry to help them. Aang and Katara also worry about Lian.

The end card tells us that they head to this village in the center of the Earth Kingdom. Around this village there is a forest with "mysterious air about it".

3. The Forest
When they arrive in the village, they hear someone screaming for help. A heavily wounded man limps into the village and tells the three kids about an attack of mechanical monsters in his village, and that two brave men, namely Haru and Tyro, lead the fight against the machines. Katara remembers the two. The man worries that they could not have enough time before the machines win. A woman who notices them talking begs the Avatar to help this man. Aang accepts and he, Sokka and Katara head for this village.



On the way to the village, they come to a bridge which is unfortunately collapsed. Katara sees this as a good practice and bends the water under to bridge to fill the gap and afterward freezes it so they can pass it. Sokka, however, runs over the ice, slips and falls.

When they arrive at the village, they see Haru fighting against four machines. He is surprised when he sees the three. Sokka tells him that Haru was safe now. They fight against the machines one after the other, even Haru is playable now. After defeating the enemies, Haru joins the team as their fourth member. They are told that Haru's father and other earthbenders were still fighting machines.

At the east of the village, they see three earthbending men fighting against four machines, but different ones than the ones before. These can not jump and jet gas, but throw fire and hit people with big bullets. Now the four fight them at once. Tyro thanks them and tells them they would be in their debt. After a small talk, Katara announces that they were trying to find more informations about the machines. Tyro tells them that an earthbender called Yuan was captured by the machines. Tyro suggests Haru that he should go with Aang, Sokka and Katara to find Yuan and to bring him back. Haru feels honored to join their group. Tyro asks the four to go back to the other town, narrate the village leader there of the saving of the village where they are now, and to return afterward.



Back in the village where they had arrived at first, Haru tells the village leader of their successful fight and that they now were going to hunt the machines down. The leader gives the team a letter which should be brought to a training camp in the south. Back in Haru's village, Tyro tells them about a Spirit which will help them, the wise Spirit of the forest. The Spirit can hardly be found, he rather finds the searchers.

In the south, they meet an earthbending trainer who teaches Haru an earthbending move, after they have given him the letter of the village elder. After a short training, Haru gains experience which helps him in fights.

When they come to a place deep in the forest, they get a strange feeling. When they find a cavern, they go inside. They think this is the cavern of the spirit. Sokka is suspicious at first, but Aang persuades him. At the back end of the cave, Haru hears a noise. Sokka is again very suspicious, but as he sees the spirit, Sokka finally believes and all begin to fight against him.

The Spirit is a bear-like being with helical horns on its head. It has red eyes and two sable teeth. On every foot there are three sharp claws. Its hide is red-brown with a white spot on its nape. It stands on all fours and has a very dangerous tackle, which it uses against the four kids.



After the Spirit is defeated, it turns into a light, white shining man, who is levitating. He says that the Avatar had proven his strength, his spirit gave everyone hope and he displayed wisdom. Sokka replies that wisdom wasn't going to help them against the machines. Haru asks the man about where the machines were coming from. The man aswers that thes knew already. They would just have to plant it at the core of Earth and they would find what they sought. The man disappears, leaving the four behind irritated. But Aang seems to know that they have to find a king.

The end card tells us that the core of Earth is nothing less than the town Omashu, and its king is the person who they have to ask for help.

4. Omashu
In Omashu, Katara tells Haru about the friendship between Aang and Bumi. They directly head to him.

At the east of the town, they watch a scenario in which a cabbage selling man talks with an Omashu town guard because his food was rotten and kicks it with earthbending off the wall. Underneath, the four kids stand there and catch the falling cabbages. They bring the cabbages to the owner and he thanks them. They get one cabbage for that and leave him.

They also meet a guard whose brother is an earthbending trainer like him, the kids met this brother in the forest. He also trains Haru, who learns a new move.

When they finally arrive at the king's palace, Aang and Bumi are glad to see each other. Bumi, like every time, makes jokes with them. But Sokka reminds him why they came, namely because of the machines. Bumi instead tells them about a play called "Blossom the Dancing Warrior", but shortly after turns serious and wants to help them. Aang tells him about the machines. Bumi suggests investigating the Omashu Royal Library. But the Consul tells them that only Earthbending Masters would have access to it because of Earth Kingdom traditions. He does not want to open it for them. Bumi, however, announces that non-Earth King-citizens like Aang wouldn't need to respect their traditions.

When they arrive at the library, the guards won't let them in. So they head to the back of the building to investigate whether there's another entrance. They find a door, which is unfortunately locked. Sokka searches for a way to get in and sees a small hole, the ventilation. Aang motivates Momo to go through the hole and thus to open the door from inside. Momo, inside the library, finds an opener with six buttons. It's a puzzle, which Momo solves and the door is open.

1. Waterbending Village
Aang is meditating on the outskirts of a waterbending village in the North Pole. He excitedly remembers that Katara had previously promised to go penguin sledding with him after training that day and hurries off with Momo to find her. He meets Katara at the entrance to the village. She tells him that Master Pakku is looking for him and he should go find out what he wants.

Master Pakku informs Aang that a waterbender named Hiryu has gone missing. Aang hurries to the ice caves to the north of the village. On the way he meets a Water Tribe citizen who needs ice crystals that Momo can find.

Aang investigates the ice caves, fighting off Arctic wolves as he does so, and finds two items next to a large hole in the ground: a waterbender pouch and a machine part. He brings the items back to Master Pakku, who tells him that he will investigate further and that Aang should see if he is needed around town.

Aang meets an old lady, Ming, who needs lamp oil and candle wick to warm her up. She sends Aang to Fisherman's Float, a location west of the village, to get the oil and gives him some copper to buy candle wick from the local merchant.

After he returns and gives the items to her, Prince Zuko and a force of firebenders arrive in a warship and attack on Zuko's orders, searching for Aang. Aang, on Master Pakku's orders, fights his way through the village to help an outnumbered Sokka on the outer wall. There, Aang sees Zuko capture Katara and retreat from the village.

Aang and Sokka race to get Appa, but a massive machine blocks their path. The machine uses firebending to attack them, but they eventually overpower it. Aang states that the machine had the most powerful firebending he had ever seen. They get on Appa and fly away.

Playable characters

 * Aang
 * Haru
 * Katara
 * Momo
 * Sokka

Other characters

 * Bumi's advisor
 * Hiryu
 * Jailer
 * Jin Wei
 * Lian
 * Ming
 * Wei
 * Yuan
 * Zuko

Bosses

 * 1) Colossal Inferno
 * 2) The Jailer
 * 3) Ancestral Bear
 * 4) Earthbender Consul
 * 5) Prototype Dreadnought
 * 6) Geo-Tunneler
 * 7) Dreadnought
 * 8) Lian and the Ultimation

Chapters

 * Waterbending Village
 * Amongst the Enemy
 * The Forest
 * Omashu
 * The Hidden Island
 * The Air Temple
 * The Fortress

Secret codes
Not for DS.

The following codes have been written in Extras Menu:
 * Unlimited Copper: 23637
 * Unlimited Chi: 24463
 * Double Damage: 34743
 * All Treasure Maps: 37437
 * Neverending Stealth: 53467
 * One Hit Dishonor: 54641
 * Unlimited Health: 94677
 * Concept Character Gallery: 97831

Hints and tips

 * Equipping items in the inventory can make characters stronger:
 * Katara's waterbending abilities improve when she wears items with life.
 * Aang's airbending is more powerful when he wears items with agility.
 * Haru becomes much stronger when he wears items with focus.
 * Sokka is more powerful when he wears items with strength.
 * Items in a set appear with an orange glow. Equip them all for an extra bonus.
 * Hidden chests often contain rare items and can be found in every level.
 * Keep an eye on the minimap to see approaching enemies.

Critical reception
GameSpot gave the game an average score across all versions of 6.4 out of 10, which corresponds to "mediocre" or "merely average", saying the gameplay was too repetitive but the sound effects and music were soothing and simple. IGN gave a slightly lower average rating of 5.4 with similar reviews, as did a handful of analogous gaming sites. Nintendo Power rated the game somewhat higher, giving the GameCube version a 7 out of 10. Despite the mainly negative and mixed reviews, the game had commercial success, finishing 2006 as THQ's top-selling Nickelodeon property.

Goofs

 * In the level "The Fortress" of the PS2 version, the four nations player there awards a set item for Aang: the Four Winds Headband. However, this item can be found earlier in the game from a hidden chest, and the item is not actually given here. That level even reports set items possible to find as zero, not even reflecting this goof.
 * As noted above; the set item Soul Iron Band for Sokka cannot be found in the PS2, but is given by the old man who wanted the soap.
 * Omashu is stated to be the capital of the Earth Kingdom and is in the normal location for Ba Sing Se.

Trivia

 * In the cave where she is first confronted, The Maker refers to bending as "magic", the same way Sokka did in the "The Boy in the Iceberg".
 * In the PS2 and DS version, the waterbending master is Master Wei, but in the PSP version, the waterbending master is Pakku.
 * The game features a mini-game called Four Nations, in which items are won from villagers. It is played similar to dominoes, with the numbers replaced by the symbols of the four nations and a special Avatar tile as a wild card.
 * This game is the only Avatar game to feature Haru as a playable character, as Toph was not introduced at the time.
 * Ba Sing Se had been mentioned in "The Great Divide" as the capital, but it was never stated where it was.
 * The air temple is located at the Southern Air Temple.