Skylanders
Skylanders
| Skylanders | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genres | Platform |
| Developers | Toys For Bob Vicarious Visions Frima Studio n-Space Beenox |
| Publishers | Activision Neoplay (South America) Square Enix (Japan) |
| Creators | Toys for Bob |
| First release | Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure October 11, 2011 |
| Latest release | Skylanders: Trap Team October 5, 2014 |
| Official website | www |
Skylanders is a video game series published by Activision. Games in the series are played by placing character figures on the “Portal of Power”, a device that reads the figures’ tags through NFC and “imports” the character represented by the figure into the game as a playable character. There are eight elemental categories to which a character, known as a Skylander, can belong: earth, air, fire, water, magic, life, tech, and undead.
In addition to the standard figures, there are variants (examples include “Dark Spyro” for Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure and “Punch Pop Fizz” for Skylanders: Giants, both exclusives for the Nintendo 3DS versions of the respective game), “legendary” variants (exclusive to Toys “R” Us in the US) and ‘sidekick’ Skylanders released.
The second game introduced the “Giants”, series 2 versions of the returning characters (featuring a new exclusive upgrade called a Wow Pow Power as well as the ability to switch upgrade path), and “lightcore” figures (which light up while on the portal and have a light bomb attack when first entered into the game level).
The third game of the series, Swap Force, introduces the “Swap Force” figures with the ability to switch top and bottom halves, as well as returning characters featuring an additional Wow Pow ability.
Skylanders: Trap Team, the fourth game of the series, was officially announced on April 23, 2014, on the Skylanders Game Facebook page with a new official trailer, and it was released on October 5, 2014. This installment introduces the Trap Master Skylanders, characters who wield big weapons made of crystal, and traps that allow capturing of enemies in the game and playing as them.
Some of the Skylanders available for play include Spyro the Dragon and Cynder, both of which were included in The Legend of Spyro series. Skylanders is otherwise unrelated to the two previous Spyro series.
The console versions of each game follow similar storylines, while the Nintendo 3DS versions follow stories different from those of the console versions. Also, Skylanders is the first video game series to use figures.
Plot
The games setting is a place called Skylands, a realm filled with magic and floating islands. Using their magical powers and machinery, the Skylanders defended their world for generations from various threats. For generations, the Skylanders worked with the Portal Masters in keeping peace and balance in their world, battling the forces of darkness, and protecting the Core of Light. The Skylanders have an unbreakable bond with their Portal Masters. Though they are not servants, the Skylanders chose to serve their Portal Master and do so eagerly. Each Skylander is associated with one of the eight elements of Skylands: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Magic, Tech, Life, or Undead.
The main plot is the Skylanders going through levels to prevent Kaos, the series main antagonist, from ruling over Skylands.
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure
The Skylander adventure starts here. The evil tyrant Kaos is threatening to destroy Skylands. Only you can bring the Skylanders to life-unlocking their special powers and abilities-by placing them on the Portal of Power!
Skylanders: Giants
Thousands of years ago, the Giant Skylanders fought epic battles in Skylands, but were banished to Earth. With a new threat looming, it’s time to bring them back o join forces with the Skylanders to defeat Kaos. Only you can put them on the Portal of Power to unleash their strength in the ultimate battle to save Skylands!
Skylanders: Swap Force
For generations, the Swap Force protected the volcano that replenishes Skylands’ magic. That is until an epic battle caught them in an eruption that blasted them apart, sent them to Earth and gave them the ability to swap powers. Only you can mix and match their tops and bottoms, put them on the new Portal of Power and save Skylands.
Skylanders: Trap Team
Kaos has blown up the walls of the feared Cloudcracker Prison, freeing the most notorious villains in Skylands. It’s up to you and the Skylanders to find and capture them. Using Traptanium, a magic material that can harness the power of the Elements, you have the amazing ability to trap the villains and return them to Skylands to fight for you! Begin the ultimate adventure as you explore Skylands in search of the escaped villains you can catch KAOS TOO!
Characters
Games
| Year | Title | Developer(s) | Platform(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Console | Computer | Handheld | Mobile | |||
| 2011 | Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure | Toys for Bob, Vicarious Visions (3DS) | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X | Nintendo 3DS | |
| Skylanders: Spyro’s Universe/Skylanders: Universe | Frima Studio | Web | ||||
| 2012 | Skylanders: Cloud Patrol | Vicarious Visions | iOS, Android | |||
| Skylanders: Lost Islands | Vicarious Visions | iOS, Android | ||||
| Skylanders: Battlegrounds | Vicarious Visions | iOS, Android | ||||
| Skylanders: Giants | Toys For Bob, Vicarious Visions (Wii U), n-Space (3DS) | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U | Nintendo 3DS | |||
| 2013 | Skylanders: Swap Force | Vicarious Visions, n-Space (3DS), Beenox (Wii) | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U | Nintendo 3DS | ||
| 2014 | Skylanders: Trap Team | Toys for Bob, Beenox (Wii U, PS4, XOne, 3DS), Vicarious Visions (iOS, Android, Fire OS) | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U | Nintendo 3DS | iOS, Android, Fire OS[6] | |
Innovation
In 2011, Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure was the first video game to introduce the “Toys to life” concept. With each new release, Activision added new innovations to the concept.
- With Giants, Lightcore figures were introduced. These toys light up when they are placed over the Portal of Power.
- With Swap Force, the new characters can separate their body and legs and mix with other characters to create unique combinations.
- With Trap Team, the magic is reversed. Players will be able to use Trap toys to capture villains in the game and bring them to life in the real world.
Reception
| Game | GameRankings | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure | (PC) 93.00% (3DS) 84.29% (X360) 80.95% (Wii) 80.18% (PS3) 79.23% |
(3DS) 82/100 (Wii) 81/100 (X360) 78/100 (PS3) 77/100 |
| Skylanders: Giants | (X360) 81.64% (PS3) 79.69% (WiiU) 78.17% (Wii) 77.57% (3DS) 63.10% |
(X360) 80/100 (WiiU) 80/100 (PS3) 78/100 (Wii) 78/100 (3DS) 59/100 |
| Skylanders: Swap Force | (X360) 84.68% (PS3) 83.93% (WiiU) 88.44% (Wii) 88.00% (3DS) 72.79% (XONE) 80.00% (PS4) 79.67% |
(X360) 83/100 (WiiU) 89/100 (PS3) 83/100 (PS4) 79/100 (3DS) 68/100 |
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure received generally favorable reviews, many praising the technological use of the “Portal of Power”. Although some reviewers criticized the absence of online multiplayer, the toys for the Skylanders were widely praised. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure was nominated for two Toy Industry Association awards: “Game of the Year” and “Innovative Toy of the Year”.
Skylanders Giants was released to generally positive reviews. However, the reviews from GameRankings and Metacritic were slightly lower than that of the previous game on most platforms. Cheat Code Central gave the game 9.2/10 and commented that “it feels like someone finally got everything right when creating a sequel,” and praising the ability to use the Skylanders toys from the first game in the second.
Skylanders: Swap Force was released to very positive reviews, with the reviews from GameRankings and Metacritic being the highest and most genuinely positive of the series so far across all platforms. Gaming website Quarter To Three gave both the Wii U and Xbox 360 a perfect score of 5/5. Video Game website Gaming Age gave the PlayStation 3 version the highest grade of an “A” and further commented that “Whether you’re a Skylanders fan or a gamer who’s looking for a charming and unique family-friendly game series to get into, Skylanders SWAP Force comes highly recommended.”
As of February 2014, the Skylanders series has crossed the threshold of $2 billion in sales, with 175 million toys sold since 2011, making the series one of the top 20 highest-selling video game franchises of all time.