Spyro Reignited Trilogy

After the success of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy in 2017, a similar remaster of the original Spyro trilogy went into development and released in 2018 as Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Since the game required an additional download to have full access to everything, I didn’t buy it at first out of disdain for the practice. Eventually, however, I caved and got a copy so I could compare it to the original PS1 games, which I owned. While I think Toys for Bob made a valiant effort at bringing the original trilogy into the modern day, it does have issues that got increasingly more difficult to ignore with each game.

Spyro: Year of the Dragon

Just one year after Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, Insomniac released the third and final game in the original Spyro trilogy, Spyro: Year of the Dragon, in the actual Year of the Dragon before they shifted their focus to the still-ongoing Ratchet & Clank series. This entry also had a more ambitious scope, with more playable characters and gameplay variety. Though admirable, I feel from playing it now that it really did more harm than good.

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage

With the success of Spyro the Dragon, Insomniac attempted something more ambitious with Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, which included missions and a bigger story, while addressing some of the issues with the original game. This entry released to critical acclaim one year after the original Spyro the Dragon and has stood the test of time. Looking back on it now, however, I feel I have a more mixed opinion on the more drastic changes to the original formula.

Spyro the Dragon

Insomniac games may be best known for their Ratchet & Clank series and Marvel's Spider-Man right now, but their earliest success involved an early PlayStation mascot, a purple dragon named Spyro from their second ever video game, Spyro the Dragon. Spyro is far from obscure, but with Insomniac’s more recent successes, I thought it would be interesting to look back at their roots and see how well their first series held up today. Spyro the Dragon certainly feels like an experience only Insomniac could deliver, but time has only highlighted its flaws.

Second Look - Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure + Adventure Packs

Following the end of the Legend of Spyro trilogy with Dawn of the Dragon in 2008, a second reboot of the Spyro the Dragon series was announced for 2010, known as Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, which utilized physical toys that you could place on a Portal of Power to summon it in-game. “Toys to life” was in fact one of the slogans on the box, which was quickly adopted as the Toys-to-life genre to describe other, similar games. I wasn’t fully aware of the game until its launch and at first ignored it, though I quickly became curious about it and found the toy concept interesting, enough to get the Starter Pack as a gift. I ended up liking it enough to try and complete as much of my collection as I could, and later ended up playing the other main games in the Skylanders series while noticing how little Spyro was actually part of it.

After Skylanders: Imaginators, I began to lose interest in the series, eventually selling off a bulk of my collection due to how much space it was taking up, with some harder-to-find toys among them. However, one collection I still held on to was my Spyro’s Adventure collection due to having more sentimental value to me, plus I knew that one day I wanted to revisit the game to see what about the concept made it so magical to me in the first place. After deciding to look back on it for the franchise’s 10^th anniversary, I found that spark was still there, despite showing its age and having a handful of technical issues.

[OLD] Skylanders: Trap Team

As part of this blog’s semi-tradition of reviewing the next Skylanders game in early January after receiving it at Christmas, I present to you a review of the latest installment in the series, Skylanders: Trap Team. Because of the series’ annual release schedule, it’s gotten somewhat difficult to keep up with, especially in regards to the toys and gimmicks (at the time of this writing, I still haven’t gotten every character introduced in Swap Force, let alone Giants, due to budgetary reasons). Regardless, when I heard about the new game, I found out it had a rather interesting new gimmick wherein you could trap villains from within the game and play as them with the push of a button, as well as introducing Trap Masters and Toys for Bob returning as the developer, which caught my attention. This, of course, required the purchase of yet another Portal of Power, but I decided to give it a whirl since I had become a fan of the series and I wanted to see how well the gimmick was pulled off. The price of admission is admittedly expensive (I received the Dark Edition Starter Pack), but I still found the new installment to be well worth it.

In the past, the Doom Raiders brought evil to Skylands until they were sealed in Traptanium by a special group of Skylanders called the Trap Masters, who utilize weapons made from the material. Years later, presumably after the events of Swap Force, Kaos infiltrates Cloudcracker Prison and frees them, hoping to use them to reign over all of Skylands. However, things quickly get out of hand as they, under the Golden Queen (one of the Doom Raiders), quickly overtake Kaos and form their own plan, leading Kaos to become desperate in wresting control back from the Doom Raiders.

The Trap Masters in action (from left: Lob-Star, Gearshift, Jawbreaker (back),
Wallop (front), Wildfire (back), Snap Shot (front)).

Having played the PlayStation 4 version of this game, I think the graphics look really amazing, keeping with the art style and color palette of previous entries while having great amounts of detail. The game also has some impressive physics, especially in the animation of water, as well as some really great lighting to boot. There is also some good music, some of which is actually fairly memorable. What I like is that each villain you capture (more on that later) has their own unique theme, each one orchestrated to suit them and made such that they don’t really become tiring. The voice acting is also as good as ever, with great performances from Patrick Warburton, Kare Wahlgren, and Richard Horvitz returning as Flynn, Tessa, and Kaos respectively. Some characters make surprising returns from previous games as well, with Sumalee Montano returning to voice Cali and Steve Blum as Auric (the equivalent to Moneybags from previous Spyro games), both from the first two games. The Doom Raiders also have good performances from their respective voice actors that give each one a unique identity. However, some dialogue can get really repetitive at times, so be prepared for that.

A high point of praise I give to the gameplay is how streamlined it is. The only special mechanic to remain from previous games is the Portal Master Rank and the occasional support for a Giant, but you otherwise only have to worry about having a Trap Master of the right Element to open an Elemental Gate or one of any Element to destroy Traptanium deposits to either advance or unlock secret areas/treasure; you no longer have to worry about Accolades or Swap Zones and Legendary Treasures you collect and the day of the week no longer offer you an in-game boost. Also, the Level cap for a Skylander remains at 20 like in Swap Force, so you don’t have to worry so much about maxing out your Skylanders.

I'm required to explore the game!
(Trap Master Snap Shot pictured, included in most Starter Packs.)

Increasing your Portal Master Rank doesn’t require you to buy as many toys (more on that later), but it does necessitate completing certain gameplay modes. For example, you can gain up to four stars for each chapter of the Story Mode and you automatically get twelve for completing it (totaling 100 if you include two Adventure Packs; again, more in a bit). An additional gameplay mode is the Kaos Doom Challenge, in which you have to go through a 100-Round gauntlet (divided into chunks) in which you must protect a Mystery Box of Doom, for which you gain lots of money and experience for your Skylander(s), making this a perfect way to upgrade your toys faster (I recommend doing this with another player for faster rewards and easier play; it can get pretty difficult later on even on the Easy difficulty). There’re also different Arenas, unlocked during Story Mode, for which you gain one star and some money for each one you beat. No matter which Mode you pick, you cannot regain stars, but you can regain the other rewards that come with them. Though you don’t gain stars for this, there’s also an extra rhythm-based mini-game that you can play in the hub world to gain extra cash, though the enjoyment factor depends entirely on the player.

As mentioned earlier, a new gameplay feature introduced for this game is the ability to capture specific enemies (of which there are 46, 10 Doom Raiders among them) within Traps and use them in battle. This is where the new Portal of Power comes in, which I must say is constructed pretty well; I’m especially amazed at how it can read the figures despite having a clear surface. This new Portal has a special slot to place the Traps in, which is connected to a small speaker where the villain can talk to you in response to certain on-screen events. When playing as a villain, any experience or money you gain goes directly to the Skylander you switched it out for, although the Skylander cannot gain extra health unless you switch them back out. The villain has sort of a health bar, represented by a timer, and returning the villain to the Trap slowly increases the time back to its maximum (there’s also a varying window of time where you can’t switch back to the villain if it’s replenishing an empty timer). Said time limit can also be increased by completing side missions within Story levels that make the villain generally stronger as well as permanently switching their moral alignment; it seems this process can be repeated by capturing and reforming villains multiple times, but fortunately you don’t have to capture the villain or put them in the Trap, plus the villains automatically get sent to the prison in the hub world if you decide not to contain them inside the trap (you also get their Bounty).

Wolfgang (the pictured Doom Raider) is awesome.

One thing I like about the speaker function is that the sound travels seamlessly between the Portal and the TV, since audio comes from the Portal when the villain is in the Trap and from the TV when out (tolerance level for each captured villain’s voice also depends on the player); this also provides a rather interesting experience for the final level against Kaos, since I was genuinely freaked out when the un-captured Kaos spoke directly to me through the Portal and the experience prompted me to make comparisons to Psycho Mantis. Traps also come in a variety of shapes, though (to me at least) their appearance causes them to look almost like hard candy, so I would exercise some caution with children.

One interesting development is that your Sidekicks (now Mini Skylanders) now act as full-on Skylanders rather than as some sort of pet for a Skylander. This means that, for example, Trigger Snappy now has the same upgrades as the normal Trigger Happy and has a higher-pitched voice (Trigger Snappy is, at the time of this review, the only one I have). This adds a lot more versatility to gameplay while also making these toys more useful than they originally were. Fortunately, if you don’t have one lying around, these are available in 2-packs that also introduce eight new ones, though there is the caveat that these seem to only work with Trap Team (based on one look at the packaging).

We have a use now!

At this point, I would like to address how compatibility works between games. Of course, Trap Team toys are incompatible with previous games (presumably unless they are Series 2-4, like previous installments), but all figures from previous games are forwards-compatible with Trap Team. Location Pieces also work here, but instead work similarly to the Anvil Rain Magic Item in that they rain down stuff onto the area to deal damage to enemies (this can also apply to figures that unlocked Battle Arenas, such as the Volcanic Vault, though items like the Dragonfire Cannon work as actual weapons). Magic Items from previous games also work here, but their timers and abilities may have changed depending on the item in question. The Portal also works between not only previous games but also systems, since both the PS3 and PS4 are USB-compatible, though Traps likely won’t work since their data would not be present on the game disc.

This is probably pointless considering the franchise’s success being built upon it, but a point of criticism I still have is how, in spite of how easy it is to increase the Portal Master Rank and how streamlined the experience is, you still have to pay exorbitant amounts of cash on toys to be able to explore the entire game. Taking into account current, non-Sale prices from most retailers: The regular Starter Pack for home consoles (1 Trap Master, 1 Skylander, 2 Traps) costs $75, which will get you so far in terms of exploration. Trap Masters cost $16 each; there are 16, but the bare minimum is 8. Traps cost $6 each, though since you can get by on only 1 for each Element, there is a 9-Trap minimum (there is 1 specifically made for Kaos). There are 2 Adventure Packs that cost $25 each, of which you need both to be able to capture and redeem additional villains not found in the main Story Mode. On top of this, the game also introduces 2 new Elements into the mix, Light and Dark, for which there are 2 Expansion Packs (1 Trap Master, 1 Trap, 1 Location Piece) that cost $30 each, and both are required to be able to 100% the game. Adding this up (minus a toy container and the Kaos Trap since I have not seen the latter in retail outside the Dark Starter at the time of this writing), being able to fully explore the main game costs ~$333 USD. If you start with the $100 Dark Edition Starter Pack (2 Trap Masters, 1 Skylander, 2 Traps, 1 Ultimate Kaos Trap), then the total becomes ~$342 USD. Keep in mind this is only the bare minimum to explore the game in full and your collection can expand however you wish, although I would not recommend spending all of that at once depending on your budget.

You will need this.
(Kaos Trap pictured.)

If not for continuity present between games (though the IDW comics attempt to address this), I would consider Skylanders: Trap Team to be an excellent jumping-on point for newer fans, but it’s still an excellent installment nonetheless due to making some vast improvements from previous versions. This is also my favorite game in the series so far, since it’s much easier to gauge progress to getting 100% completion and I’ve actually been more determined to reach that goal. The graphics are amazing, the new gimmick works surprisingly well, and the gameplay has been heavily streamlined for a better experience. Though what I typed in the preceding paragraph sounds expensive, I would highly encourage taking advantage of Sales (Toys ‘R’ Us in particular seems to have one constantly) in order to lessen the strain on your wallet. I would also suggest playing Co-Op with someone else (even on lower difficulties), since this allows for faster Skylander upgrading and can make some stages much easier (fortunately, Skylanders share gained money and experience, the former of which is somewhat easier to come by in this game). Even though I’m still behind on my collecting, if there is a new game this year (hopefully there’s more time until then but I doubt it), I look forward to seeing what happens next.

[OLD] Skylanders #2 (Comic)

Though I’m not used to reviewing comics as they come out, the reason this review is delayed is due to Finals hitting in college as well as a delay in acquiring this issue. With that out of the way, I’m going to discuss the second issue of IDW Publishing’s Skylanders comic, based on the popular game series from Activision. As with issue #1, it seems to be a reprint of a mini-comic, but it still advances the current arc.

Like the first issue, there are two stories, “Mini But Mighty” and “Dark Night”, and they each share a creative team of Ron Marz and David A. Rodriguez as writers with David Baldeón as the artist. “Mini But Mighty”, colored by David Garcia Cruz, continues the story from “Forgetting Flynn” in issue #1, beginning with a celebration of the opening of a new Skylanders Academy. However, Cali (from Spyro’s Adventure, Giants) notices that Flynn isn’t there yet, at which point Tessa (from Swap Force) spots the Dreadyacht is out of control, as it is piloted by the Mini Skylanders. After landing it, Tessa goes to search for Flynn, finding Weeruptor, whose Kaos clone is at the Academy. The writing is good here as well, like in the first part, since it provides more character development for returning characters, especially Cali and Tessa (Auric and Wheellock from previous games appear, but they don’t get as much screen time). There’s also a moment that acts as an effective plot summary of the first three games while hinting at the events of Trap Team, which is good for people who have not played those games and only want to know the major events (it’s also good for me because I still have yet been able to play Trap Team). However, as with issue #1, while I understand that this was also available in a smaller format, it still bothers me that the story ends with an “End” rather than a “To Be Continued”, though it’s probably because I’m reading this comic as a monthly release; this is just a minor nitpick, though.

The backup story “Dark Night”, with colors by Ander Zarate, starts with Barkley trying to find a bathroom, but he ends up running into Bouncer, Night Shift, and Trigger Happy as they are leaving for a mission they were called for at the end of “The Secret Origin of Trigger Happy”. Barkley is thrown off by Night Shift’s appearance, leading to Night Shift expositing his backstory in order to calm him down. It’s essentially a visualization of his character bio, but it’s still presented well and it fleshes out Night Shift’s character more. (I expect next time we’ll see an excuse to tell Bouncer’s backstory in order to round things off.)

Tessa going after an out-of-control Dreadyacht.
(Cali is in the background.)

Both stories in this issue, as mentioned previously, are drawn by David Baldeón, whom I think is a really good fit for the Skylanders series. The respective colorists for both series also do justice to Baldeón’s style, which I discussed in my review of the preceding issue. While Mike Bowden’s art has some merits to it, I personally so far like Baldeón’s style a little better in regards to Skylanders and I wouldn’t mind seeing him contribute more to the book.

As with previous issues, the comic contains a set of four character bios at the back. For reference, they are Trigger Happy, Eruptor, Gill Grunt, and Krypt King. If you want to know Trigger Happy’s origin after having read “The Secret Origin of Trigger Happy”, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Skylanders #2 is a good continuation of the events of the first issue in both its main and backup stories. It does a good job with fleshing out the characters in the Skylanders universe and the art is really well executed. Again, I am glad that I have yet to be spoiled on the events of Trap Team and I would still recommend this comic to new and existing Skylanders fans, though it helps greatly if you read issue #1 first. Considering how well this issue turned out, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for issue #3.

[OLD] Skylanders #1 (Comic)

Quite recently, IDW Publishing has begun releasing a comic book series based on the ever-popular Skylanders property, having released an exclusive issue #0 at San Diego Comic-Con to build interest in both this venture and the then-upcoming Skylanders: Trap Team. Thankfully, this first issue is not just a reprint of the #0 comic, beginning to tell new stories in the Skylanders universe to flesh out its world. Though it is obviously meant as a way to further advertise the toys (see: Transformers), this first issue does manage to expand on the games’ characters, even if it is a little rough around the edges.

This issue features a main story, “Forgetting Flynn”, and a back-up story, “The Secret Origin of Trigger Happy”, both written by Ron Marz and David A. Rodriguez. “Forgetting Flynn”, drawn by Mike Bowden and colored by Fernando Peniche, follows Flynn as he tries to transport the Mini Skylanders to Skylanders Academy. On the way, Flynn sees Kaos has disguised himself as Weeruptor (one of the Mini Skylanders) to infiltrate the Academy. In response, Kaos casts an amnesia spell on Flynn and a Skylander, Chopper, tries to snap him out of it. I thought the story was written fairly decently, since it does good at highlighting Chopper and Flynn’s dialogue was written such that it sounded like things he would say, especially when delirious (and of course it’s hard to un-hear Kaos with his dialogue). However, the whole business about Kaos taking the form of Weeruptor goes unresolved, and on top of this the story just says “End” at the end. Looking at an ad in the comic for the Skylanders Micro Fun Packs (micro comics plus extra goodies), it appears the story will continue in the next issue and this is part of a 3+-issue arc, so the “End” was probably included due to it being released as a separate micro comic. However, it was a little confusing for me, since I’m used to seeing a “To Be Continued…” or some other variant when a comic has a running story (the Adventure Time comic from Boom’s Kaboom! imprint does this with bigger arcs and it usually also has a back-up story). As far as the writing goes, however, this was my only real hang-up about it; also, “enchilada” eventually becomes a weird word, but that’s beside the point.

Buy our toys!

Mike Bowden’s art works pretty well for the main story, as it did for the Comic-Con comic, bringing his own style to the Skylanders characters while still drawing them accurately and expressively. Fernando Peniche’s colors compliment this style, adding extra life to the characters and helping to match the tone of the situation. An interesting thing about the art is that, while the characters themselves and other important objects use definitive outlines, the backgrounds go without outlines, which I think gives the comic a certain feel to it and helps the characters not blend into their brightly-colored backgrounds.

“The Secret Origin of Trigger Happy”, drawn by David Baldeón and colored by Ander Zarate, sees the Skylanders Trigger Happy, Night Shift (a SWAP Force member) and Bouncer (a Giant) at Skylanders Academy training out of boredom while they wait for Blades to show up, and in this boredom Trigger Happy tries to relay his backstory. This story was an interesting read, as it gives some insight into what Skylanders do when not trying to stop any villains (of which the new game contains a plethora), and it was kind of funny to see references to some known Marvel and DC heroes as Trigger Happy explains his origin. The story ends up being kind of a big tease, but it was still nice to see the Skylanders in their off-hours; it makes you wonder what others do with their spare time. I liked David Baldeón’s art here, since it was very energetic and expressive, and Ander Zarate’s coloring work only adds to this energy (in addition to some rather impressive lighting work that really adds some depth to everything, as well as some glow effects on places where there would be on Bouncer’s toy). It would be very interesting to see more from this art team in the future.

The artwork for the back-up story is very energetic.
(Page shown without its dialogue.)

Also, as with the #0, this comic contains character bios at the back, so it can be assumed that this will be a running feature. I like to make a point of reading stuff like this, as it gives me more background on the characters and helps me to appreciate them more (and I’m sure the same can be said for any hardcore fan). In case anyone is wondering, the bios in this issue are for the Skylanders Spyro, Jet-Vac, Prism Break, and Food Fight.

Skylanders #1 is a decent start for the Skylanders comic, even if it does have a couple of rough patches. The writing isn’t terrible, the art is nice to look at (especially in the back-up story), and it does a good job of trying to flesh out the characters (which is a little more than I can say with the games themselves), which I hope to see more of in future issues. This is definitely a comic that any Skylanders fan should pick up, and anyone interested in playing the games but does not have the money or resources to do so can use this as a more cost-effective jump-on point to understanding the game’s world (the main story even offers a brief and concise summary of the overall backstory for newcomers). As someone who has not been able to play Skylanders: Trap Team yet, I’m glad to see that there aren’t any spoilers for that game anywhere, so anyone in a similar situation can pick up this comic without worry.

[OLD] Skylanders #0 (Comic) - Zero Toys Required, Still A Good Start

While the Skylanders franchise has proven itself to be a very profitable/successful Spyro reboot and toy seller (even if Spyro himself isn’t really in the spotlight), it doesn’t seem to have much in the way of supplementary material, aside from a few spin-off games and a handful of books. To rectify this, IDW Publishing has recently announced a Skylanders comic book series, which more recently made its debut with an exclusive issue #0 at San Diego Comic-Con, its own story serving as a prequel to the upcoming Skylanders: Trap Team. As a Skylanders player myself, I wasn’t sure what to think of it at first, but as the Con drew closer I decided to give the comic a shot so as to invest myself further in the series lore; to this end, I ended up (unintentionally) getting two copies of the comic at the IDW Booth (I was aiming for one), as well as copies of the variant cover after attending the Skylanders panel at the Con (this seems to be the only way to get this particular variant) and getting each copy of the comic signed by the issue’s writer, David A. Rodriguez (he had a signing each day at IDW throughout the Con). After reading the series’ debut issue, I would say that this new comic series is off to a good start, though it’s much too early to tell how good it is at transitioning into the story of Trap Team (since, you know, the game’s not out just yet).

When Lord Kaos makes a discovery, he explains to his servant Glumshanks about a prison in Skylands known as Cloudcracker Prison, wherein Skylands’ biggest villains are encased in a material known as Traptanium, the most durable substance in all of Skylands. When Glumshanks asks what this has to do with anything, Kaos explains that he has a plan that will eventually grant him total control over all of Skylands. Later, The Skylanders Pop Fizz, Stealth Elf, and Wash Buckler are flying with Flynn as Stealth Elf practices, but no sooner do they have to join other Skylanders in fending off an army of Trolls attacking a supply of Radiance Crystals, the element used to make Traptanium. If that’s not enough, a Doom Raider named Wolfgang appears to overwhelm the Skylanders.

David A. Rodriguez, the aforementioned writer of this issue, does an amazing job of capturing the spirit of the characters Kaos, Glumshanks, and Flynn, as their personalities and actions lined up with what they would normally do in the games (I have not really played or read any supplementary material), to the point where I could hear the characters saying their respective lines. I personally don’t know much about the personalities of the Skylanders themselves, since I haven’t read many character bios and any personality I have seen from them comes mainly from whatever they say in toy form, commercials, and a handful of cutscenes. However, the actions of the Skylanders present in the story, especially those that got the most screen time (Spyro himself appearing in only a single panel), felt like things they would do in the situations they were presented with. Again, it’s too early to tell how well this comic lines up with the plot of Trap Team, but I would nonetheless say it was well-written as it seems to set up plot points present in said game.

The Doom Raider Wolfgang shows up in this comic.

Mike Bowden’s art on the comic does well with capturing the general art style of the game, as well as having each character looking accurate to how they look in-game (and on-toy). The colors by David Garcia Cruz suit Bowden’s art well and help each character pop out in their respective surroundings, helped by the use of a generally bright color palette. There is one gripe I have with the art through, but this isn’t a mistake original to the book: the Trap Master Snap Shot uses a bow-and-arrow as his oversized weapon (a visual gimmick of the Trap Masters), but, as with his toy and official artwork, the bow lacks a bowstring (which is, you know, an important part of a bow’s anatomy), so even in the context of a comic it looks like Snap Shot is holding some weird-looking object rather than a proper weapon. Aside from this one thing, I don’t really have any complaints about the artwork.

There is also a set of four character bios in the back, namely for four of the Trap Masters introduced in Trap Team (Jawbreaker, Wildfire, Snap Shot, and Wallop). I find this feature to be interesting, since it allows the reader to know more about characters from the game series without having to look them up online. Though laid out much differently, this reminds me of a similar feature that was included within the issues of IDW’s Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers mini-series, as well as the bios included in Fun Publications’ Transformers material. In any case, I find that these bios aid in adding more depth to the universe and fleshing out the characters more.

So far, I would say the Skylanders comic is off to a good start. I would have to read more issues once the comic officially debuts in October to get a better idea of the comic’s general quality, but I would still say that this issue from Comic-Con was really well-executed. As a prequel, it seems to set up the plot of Trap Team well, though again I can’t judge that fully until I get to play the game. The writing and art are both executed well and the story gives potential players a glimpse of what Trap Team will be like in terms of new characters and plot. This comic is a must-have for Skylanders fans, and if you didn’t attend Comic-Con, I would suggest trying to seek this one out if you are interested. Hopefully this issue becomes reprinted in the future, perhaps in a trade paperback of some sort, so that those who didn’t attend the show will be able to read this story, but for now eBay is probably your best bet if you don’t have a copy already.

[OLD] Skylanders: Swap Force

With the releases of Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure and its sequel, Giants, being only a year apart from each other, the Skylanders franchise seemed to have established an annual release schedule for future games in the series. The newest game in the franchise, Skylanders: Swap Force, enforces this by being released just a year after the last one, Giants. With some video game franchises such as Assassin’s Creed moving toward an annual release of sequels (to some differing results), it’s understandable if one becomes wary of a decay in quality over time. Considering the fates of Activision’s Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk franchises, I wasn’t sure what to make of it for Skylanders, especially considering it requires more of an investment than most other games to get the full experience (not unlike the series’ new competitor, Disney Infinity). Swap Force appears to be showing the new main developer, Vicarious Visions, has some interesting ideas in store for the series, including, but hopefully not limited to, introducing the ability to swap the top and bottom halves of special Skylanders figures, the titular Swap Force, to create new Skylanders and increase the possibilities (over 250 possibilities, according the advertising, assuming you have all the figures). While this is a rather interesting premise for the toys, and a new gimmick to keep a collector like me invested, let’s see if the latest game can hold up as well as the toys can.

The game opens in the past by introducing us to the Swap Force, who gained the ability to swap after being caught in an eruption from a magical volcano on the Cloudbreak Islands while trying to stop Kaos. In the present, while Captain Flynn is trying to have a vacation in the same area after his previous adventures, he runs into a girl named Tessa, who has been seeking the Skylanders to help drive attacking forces away from the village of Woodburrow. Since he has the Skylanders with him, Flynn agrees to help. Meanwhile, with the eruption of the Cloudbreak Volcano upon them, Kaos has a plan to rule over Skylands by using a cache of crystallized evil he had dug up to evilize one of the four Ancient Elementals, who gather every 100 years to have the volcano erupt magic unto Skylands. At the same time, however, Kaos must deal with a new threat aside from the Skylanders: his own evil mother.

Wash Buckler, one of the new Swap Force characters
(included in the regular console Starter Packs).

The graphics of Swap Force seem to go for a more realistic look than in previous Skylanders games, especially during cutscenes, while still managing to retain its cartoonish art style. This is evident when comparing Captain Flynn’s appearance to the last two games, since the new direction with the graphics has given him a slight, yet noticeable, change in design (he, Master Eon, Kaos, and Glumshanks are among the few returning non-toy characters). Within all of this, the game also seems to have a wider range in its color palette, though it skews brighter while using darker colors when necessary, which helps fit with the somewhat more realistic visuals. As with Spyro’s Adventure and Giants, Swap Force has some really good music in general, with some nice variety in the background music, which is composed such that it doesn’t get grating to listen to after a while. One musical sequence in the game I was particularly impressed with was the introduction to a boss fight against a puppeteer named Mesmeralda, which featured some interesting visuals paired with a very well-performed song.

Also kept up with the previous games is the quality of the voice acting. While the voice acting for the Skylanders has seen some improvement since the last game, with each of them having a variety of phrases depending on the situation, the non-toy characters also have good delivery with their lines. Patrick Warburton does a good job reprising his role as Captain Flynn, as does Kari Wahlgren as Tessa, their interactions with each other and other characters providing some good laughs to go along with the more serious moments of the game. Reprising his role as Kaos, Richard Steven Horvitz continues to make his character one of the most enjoyable in the entire game as he ups the hamminess while delivering some extremely funny lines (one of my favorites is when he refers to his own troops as a “failure buffet”).

One thing I have to give the Skylanders developers credit for is making sure the figures remain of excellent quality. The toys for Swap Force are still very impressive to look at, with small details that make them worthwhile to own, even if you’re not willing to play the game. As for the new Swap Force gimmick, I am impressed by how they were able to pull it off. The tops and bottoms of each Swap Force toy (that are members of the titular Swap Force) are held in place by small magnets embedded in the bases of each half, yet the game is still able to read what combination you have created; I’m not sure exactly how this works, but it’s still an amazing feat of technology nonetheless. Though there are an advertised 250+ combinations that can be made with these specific toys, the only toys I used from the Swap Force toyline are the 5 that come with the (limited and expensive) Dark Starter set, which includes the Dark versions of Swap Force members Wash Buckler and Blast Zone, so I have only seen 4 combinations so far, so I’m curious to see what further combinations look like in-game. Fortunately, the game keeps track of these for you with a handy chart.

This brings me to another point. As with Giants, this game requires you to have invested in the new line in order to get certain in-game achievements, or Accolades. For instance, some are obtained by placing a certain number of figures on the Portal of Power, while some are gained by making Swap Force combinations. There’s even one that requires you to have obtained one of the promotional Sidekick toys distributed by Frito-Lay (because you got one, right?). However, these Accolades do have a purpose, in that they give you stars to increase your Portal Master Rank; depending on your current Rank, you can place Legendary Treasures scattered throughout the game onto pedestals in Woodburrow, each one granting you special in-game benefits.

Are these worth paying for a bundle of chips and/or the aftermarket prices?
You decide!

On that note, the game has an added feature wherein you can gain certain advantages depending on what day of the week you are playing. This includes, but is not limited to, increased armor and health, among other things. Personally, I find the best day of the week to play Swap Force to be on Sunday, since on this day your Skylanders figures can gain twice the amount of experience they would normally get, allowing them to level up and reach the current cap (30) faster than usual. This can really go hand-in-hand with the new arena challenges, which includes the usual Battle Arena mode, but also adds Survival challenges that can be played either single-player or local co-op, in which you fight against a few waves of enemies until either you lose or they run out (there is another arena mode, but more on that one later). Each of these survival modes independently gives you stars to increase your Portal Master Rank, so it’s good to play with a friend or relative to gain more stars. With this in mind, I found it best to play the co-op version of the Survival mode on a Sunday with lower-Level Skylanders to not only help max them out, but also gain more money for the Skylander to give them further upgrades; which upgrade path you wish to take for them depends on your preferences. (Note: Swap Force Skylanders have two sets of upgrade paths, one each for the top and bottom halves of each figure.)

As with Skylanders: Giants, Swap Force (the game) has special features for the Swap Force (the group) toys to help make purchasing them worthwhile. To wit, toys with the Swap Force gimmick have special abilities in the bottom half, each represented by a symbol (ex. Wash Buckler has a ladder symbol, meaning he has the Climb ability; Blast Zone has a rocket symbol, meaning he has the Fly ability). Within each stage are special Swap Zones, which can be unlocked by having a Swap Force figure whose symbol on the bottom half of the combination matches the symbol needed to unlock the Zone. Within these Zones are special challenges that can only be performed by members of the Swap Force; once these are successfully completed, you can replay them in the Arena to gain more stars for your Portal Master Rank. While this helps provide some replay value for the game and creates some incentive to use more Swap Force toys, I didn’t find that much need to use the Swap Force during gameplay, though some of that might be that I only have the two Swap Force figures that come with the Starter Pack.

Dark Wash Buckler, the Dark variant of Wash Buckler
(included in the Dark Edition Starter Pack).

To access further Swap Zones however, you are at the mercy of the availability of certain Swap Force enabled toys. While some may or not be harder to find depending on where you go to buy these toys, there are two in particular, Trap Shadow and Stink Bomb, who (at the time of this writing) don’t appear to be available right now. This renders the Swap Zones requiring the Stealth ability impossible to access, meaning you have to wait a while until they become available. This is on top of the fact that single Swap Force Skylanders cost about as much as a single Giant, so if you desire to collect more of these figures, it is best advised to tread carefully with your wallet.

This is Stink Bomb. At the time of this review, he
and Trap Shadow are not yet available.

On that note, I wish to break down how backwards compatibility works with Swap Force in relation to the Spyro’s Adventure and Giants figures. In order for the toys representing members of the Swap Force to properly function with the new game, they require a new (wired) Portal of Power, which comes with every Starter Set; the older (wireless) Portal of Power will not be able to register these particular toys. Aside from this caveat, every single Skylanders toy released so far will work with the new game (with Series 3 versions of Spyro’s Adventure toys being compatible with every game and Series 2 versions of Giants toys presumably being compatible with Giants). Items from previous expansion packs will work as they always have, with some improvements over their respective updates for Giants (such as a different layout and placement of their gauges), however location pieces from Spyro’s Adventure will no longer unlock a new gameplay level, rather they only provide their secondary effect of raining destruction upon enemies. This was most likely to get players to purchase the new expansion packs made for Swap Force, namely the Tower of Time set (available now) and the Sheepwreck Islands set (not available yet), which makes sense from a marketing standpoint, but may provide minor disappointment for long-time players (at least the older sets still have a purpose).

As for the new Portal of Power itself, it actually has a pretty nice design (which of course is how it appears in-game), and it seems to work better than the older version. While using this new Portal, I didn’t experience any of the problems I did with the first one, which can probably be attributed to the fact that it is wired instead of wireless (this might also be why it can read the Swap Force members’ toys while the other one can’t, but then again I’m not entirely sure how this technology works the way it does). It should also be noted that the new Portal of Power is compatible with all three games, while attempting to use the previous Portal will result in an error screen. While this may be a little unfortunate for some, I would still recommend using the new Portal anyway, since it works better than the other one. Also, depending on where you normally place your gaming consoles and whatnot, I wouldn’t worry too much about the new Portal’s wire, since it actually has a pretty good length to it, so playing in a medium-sized room shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.

Speaking of playing, one thing I had mixed feelings on was the level design. Similarly with Giants, the levels in general seem to be somewhat larger than last time. This means they can take a little longer to get through, though I don’t know how much of that was me having enough figures to want to try out as much as I could in a level. Regardless, with the additional areas I could access, it would take me at least an hour or so (maybe even up to two) just to get through one level, which could get a little exhausting after a while. Thankfully, the Boss fights were a little easier to take (even after having to go through a rather large stage to get to them), and some of them could be rather clever and challenging at times (special mention goes to the fight against Kaos’ Mom).

However, there is still some creativity in the level design, in that some gates leading to certain areas require two Elements to open, rather than just one, allowing you to get creative with your Swap Force combinations to get through (although since I only had two figures from the Swap Force team, I often took the other option and used two figures, one of each required Element, to unlock said gate). The lock-picking minigame from the first two games has also been replaced by a different one, in which you must reunite two creatures named Shock and Bolt, switching between controlling each one to help the other advance (bonus treasure is rewarded for collecting the Bolts within each one of these as well). Though the special Giants areas in the Giants game are absent, there is still some use for these toys, since within each level you can find chests which only a Giant can open, which adds replay value to your collection (assuming you have at least one of them in the first place).

Your wallet will not escape the pull for long.
(Pictured: Crusher, one of the Giants.)

Before I end this, I would like to give one last bit of praise to the inclusion of a jump button. Since I played the PS3 version of Swap Force, I thought the ability to jump would be omitted like in Spyro’s Adventure and Giants (though it was there in the handheld versions from what I have read), but I was genuinely surprised by its inclusion with the console version of this game, and I wholeheartedly welcome it. The decision to include this was likely to make things work with the larger level design and the increased amount of jumping and to not clog the levels with Bounce Pads, but having this feature in general (to me) opens up a little more freedom when controlling each Skylander. I know I’ve been devoting an entire paragraph to this single feature, but it’s something I really missed from the first two games.

In the end, Skylanders: Swap Force is a creative and welcome addition to the Skylanders franchise. Sure, the levels can take a while to get through if you have enough of the figures to be able to access certain areas, but the interesting ideas brought about by the Swap Force mechanic really help to make the game stand out, even amongst the other Skylanders games, and helps the series feel less formulaic in the long run (which hopefully continues in a potential sequel). Fans of the Skylanders series, especially those in the younger player base, would definitely find some enjoyment in this game, including trying to get more mileage out of the Swap Force gimmick. If you are a newcomer to the Skylanders series, I would recommend at least playing through the Story Modes of the first two games first, if only to get a handle on the overall Skylanders story to better understand the plot of Swap Force. While I do wish to get more mileage out of the game by collecting more of the figures, I would still probably try to spread them out over time so as to go easy on my wallet.

[OLD] Skylanders: Giants - Bigger Does Not Always Equal Better

As is to be expected from a popular title, a sequel is inevitable to be made. After the amazing success of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, Activision announced a sequel to the series, Skylanders: Giants, released late last year (this game was one of those Christmas gifts I mentioned earlier). It not only introduced new Skylanders to the mix, but also a new LightCore technology, in which the toy lights up when on or near the Portal of Power peripheral, and the new race of Skylanders called the Giants, which are essentially bigger Skylanders. With the hype made for the new Giants figures before release, the game of course has something to live up to. So the question is, does this new installment to the Spyro (can it still be called that?) franchise deliver?

After the defeat of the evil Kaos in Spyro's Adventure (a name that is not entirely accurate), the game picks up in what is quite possibly one of the most meta plots I have ever encountered. After being reduced to a toy form, Kaos awakens at night. In a toy store. After initial confusion as to his new surroundings, he comes across a few Skylanders on another shelf. In a Skylanders display. In toy form. Complete with detailed, accurate toy poses. Through a TV, Kaos is contacted by his assistant, Glumshanks, while attention is made towards a Portal of Power. In toy form. Using this, Kaos makes his way back to Skylands, unknowingly awakening the ancient Arkeyan Conquertron in the process. Banding together, the Conquertron assists Kaos in his goal for domination of Skylands.

The game continues with the previous game's color palette, which I again find to be a good thing, making things stand out while also appealing to the target audience of children. While it uses darker colors where appropriate, even then you can still tell what's what, which is a good thing for this game's atmosphere. Giants also continues to deliver some good music, even if some of it is recycled from Spyro's Adventure, being either catchy and not annoying to epic when necessary; there's even a halfway-decent song delivered by a singing drill (never thought I would ever type that sentence).

One thing that should be noted about this game is the voice acting, mainly the fact that the Skylanders toys themselves now have more full voice acting as opposed to a catchphrase or two and some grunts. With the toys I got in addition to the Giants Portal Owners Pack, the voice acting seemed pretty good for what it was worth, though I did notice that some Skylanders received a change in voice actor between games (Series 1 Gill Grunt for instance). Also, rather than having a few varied phrases to spout upon a summon, each Skylander now only says one catchphrase (printed on the package of the individual figures), which eventually got grating after a while when I kept switching them out. As for the other, non-toy characters in the game, while it sees the return of some the same voice cast from the first installment, it also sees quite a few new ones, one of the most surprising being Star Trek's George Takei as the Arkeyan Conquertron. Of course, Richard Steven Horvitz continues to keep up the Zim theatrics when voicing Kaos, making him, to me, one of the most enjoyable and funniest characters in the game.

The toy gimmick of Skylanders is taken a step further by making it so there are now, as advertised, over 45 Skylanders to collect, including the aforementioned Giant and LightCore figures. Among these are also some Series 2 figures, in addition to a number of new characters, which are a lot of the popular toys from the first game reposed to represent one of their upgrades (and, of course, to make them look new). I'm not too familiar with the Series 2 figures, since I only own one that I barely used, but from what I've read it seems they get special benefits in-game that Series 1 figures do not (although fortunately, you are able to still use Series 1 figures in Giants and Series 2 figures in Spyro's Adventure). As with the first batch of toys, these new figures are rather gorgeously detailed, which only increases their collectibility. Owning a LightCore figure myself, I can say that the technology that went into them is very impressive, which helps them to stand out from the pack and introduce some variety in the figures (although LightCore is a separate line of figures, meaning you must collect the LightCore version of a character and their normal counterpart). Giants also include this new technology, making them even more impressive for what they are.

However, in order to gain certain achievements in-game, the game essentially forces you to invest in the new toyline. In case you have not seen any pictures or did not pay close attention, Spyro's Adventure (Series 1) figures have a green base (just like the Portal of Power), whereas Giants (Series 2, Giants, LightCore) figures have an orange base. Most Accolades in the game require you to register "Orange Base" figures, which is basically "buy all our playsets and toys" (to quote Homestar Runner) in video game form. Since there's more price points to be found with this new line of figures, you are basically required to spend even more money than you would have with the first game, if you are that much a die-hard collector. (And even with a Series 1, Series 2, Legendary, and Dark variant, Spyro is still a bit player in his own game.)

On the subject of toys, remember my earlier statement about living up to hype? Well, in this case, I am referring to the titular Giants. There was a lot of hype for these figures before release, including a pre-release trailer that showcased the Giant Tree Rex (which comes with either Starter Pack), which made these new toys look epic. Even if one didn't see the trailer(s), one would assume that the hype would have to pay off somehow. It does not. Aside from a few mentions of finding (read: buying) the Giants, they are treated as though they are regular Skylanders, as if they had been there the entire time (which they have in-universe). There are certain things that only a Giant can do, such as lifting certain boulders, jumping into cracked ground, being able to smash blockades, and performing Feats of Strength, but aside from that, the game doesn't do much to make the Giants feel all that special, which to an adult player can be rather disappointing, though I can't say the same for a child player.

As a final thought on this, I would like to mention one thing that could be of use to loyal Skylanders players. Remember all those Adventure Packs you got that came with a new environment and a couple of extra items to add to your experience? Good news, you can can still use them here! In fact, from the figures I remembered to use, it seems that there are also some improvements, such as the Healing Elixer being able to heal you faster, and the Hidden Treasure not making any annoying sound. Not only can the Adventure Pack locale figures still unlock the same levels, they also unlock new Battle Arenas for local multiplayer. Fortunately, for those who do not own any Spyro's Adventure toys, you can still purchase equivalents of some of the special items through the money-obsessed Auric (voiced by Steve Blum).

As with other sequels such as Devil May Cry 2 (ugh), the environments in Giants are much larger than in Spyro's Adventure, including a number of areas that can be unlocked using figures of certain Elements. As such, there are much more collectibles to find and more of a level to explore, though at times it makes them seem to drag on. Regardless, the added collectibles for each stage ramp up the replay value, in addition to all the new toys to buy, which I find to be an overall good thing.

One last item of note is the introduction of a new minigame within the main game called Skystones, in which you use stones representing enemies from the game against an in-game opponent. Often this is to achieve some sort of goal, such as opening a gate, but it is more often just an NPC seeking a little entertainment. If you win each encounter, you also get a new Skystone from them in order to further customize your 5 stone setup; you can also buy new stones from Auric during each stage. The game is simple and easy to grasp and, though I played on the Easy difficulty, I actually did run into some trouble with a couple of later boards. It wasn't exactly addicting for me, but it at least does provide some replay value, as well as some bragging rights about whatever Skystones you may have.

As with the first game, there is no jump button, but at least items are now much easier to grab and don't require any sort of complex maneuver to get ones that are just out of reach. Before, it was possible for an item to be lost forever when something was broken or opened, but developer Toys for Bob did the smart thing and added invisible walls that would prevent them from going outside the playable area. Even though the same Portal of Power is used between games, I've noticed that the peripheral was somehow less finicky that it was before, but that doesn't mean I didn't run into a few questionable moments, such as it registering a Skylander after I had already been playing with it for a while. Aside from this, the Portal still works fine, and at least you don't have to buy a new one in order to play the new game.

As I had been playing the PS3 version again, I noticed that it's still designed to be Wii/Wii U friendly, which I am not complaining about since it makes the game easier to port. Although special actions requiring an analog stick are now moved to the Triangle button, which makes the experience a little less awkward, they could have at least changed one hint that still mentions the need to "shake to escape" something. As with before, this is just observation on my part and not an actual complaint.

Skylanders: Giants attempts to break new ground by introducing newer and shinier figures to use within the game, but it doesn't do enough to make them seem all that special. While this may be the case in the eyes of more grown-up players, this game is still something that is perfect for any child fan of Skylanders, as they are the target audience and will most likely get more entertainment out of it. It does cost a bit more to get the full experience, but on the bright side the toys are still very well-crafted and might be something nice to display on your dresser. Despite the drawbacks of this title, I still have a desire to collect more of the toys over time so I may expand my repertoire and get my full money's worth.

[OLD] Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure - This Game Literally Sells Itself

This game has been re-reviewed. Read it here: https://trophyunlocked.blogspot.com/2021/10/second-look-skylanders-spyros-adventure.html

Spyro, a well-known cute purple dragon, began life in an acclaimed trilogy of games created by Insomniac for the PS1, before the developer left the character to create Ratchet & Clank. Since then, Spyro was relaunched by the hands of Vivendi Universal Games, who made several games for the character with mixed results. Now under the control of Activision, the dragon has been revitalized in a new relaunch title, made to appeal to a younger audience, which this review shall cover. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure proves to be a rather interesting title with a unique concept, but you'd better make sure you don't burn a hole in your wallet too quickly.

The story, written by Toy Story veterans Joel Cohen and Alek Sokolow, begins in the mystical realm of Skylands, inhabited by the protective Skylanders as peace reigns under the Core of Light, created by Portal Master Eon. However an evil Portal Master under the name Kaos destroys the Core of Light through the power of darkness, ejecting the Skylanders along with it. When a Skylander reappears later, it is up to you, a new Portal Master, to use the Skylanders in order to rebuild the Core of Light and defeat Kaos. Though simple, this is effective and coherent enough to to string together the game's events.

The graphics of this game are bright and colorful, which actually works really well in the game's favor. Aside from being good visual appeal to its target audience, everything stands out perfectly well and makes things very easy to spot. The soundtrack is a delight to listen to, including some instances of very catchy and equally epic battle music during boss fights. The voice acting is done rather well for a children's game, including the voice of the villain Kaos, performed by Richard Steven Horvitz, perhaps well-known for his role as the titular character of Invader Zim. His performance is in fact very similar to Zim's, which I found made him a more entertaining bad guy to say the least.

What makes this game unique, however, is the main gimmick: Your Skylanders are represented by physical toys, which you can transport into the game through the Portal of Power. This new peripheral is a light-up base that wirelessly connects to your console, giving you the role of Portal Master within the actual game. The fascinating thing about these toys is that everything that happens to their avatars in the game (money, levels, upgrades, and experiences) is saved onto the toy itself, so you never have to worry about losing that precious data from your console. However, this is also part of an ingenious way for developer Toys for Bob and publisher Activision to continuously print money.

For starters, there are, as advertised, over 30 Skylanders figures to collect, reducing the titular Spyro to a bit player despite his name being in the title, which is appealing to someone like me who is easily attracted to gimmicks. The game itself comes with three of these toys (Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy); I managed to complete the game and whatever I could access using only these three toys, though I had to bring my brother in for the drop-in drop-out co-op in order to win the final boss fight. You actually need several Skylanders, at least one from each of the eight different Elements, in order to access everything the game has to offer since some sections only allow access to specific types. To put into perspective my earlier comment about burning holes in wallets: A single Skylander costs $8; a pack of three Skylanders costs $20; and an Adventure Pack, containing an extra setpiece, a Skylander, and two item figures, also costs $20 (I have nothing to say about the Adventure Packs because I don't have them at this point). This means that in addition to paying $70 for the base package, you need to spend at least $40 extra at retail in order to get the best experience, which can sound ridiculous to any older player.

On top of this, as I've stated in the title, this game takes many an opportunity to advertise these toys. For starters, part of the actual story, explained by Eon, dictates that once the Skylanders were scattered from Skylands, they shrunk in size and landed on Earth for you to find (read: spend your money on) them. To add to this, an off-hand comment made by a fairy (who unfortunately looks slightly like Chucky from Child's Play) refers to the current Skylander leaving their world and turning back into a statue (read: removing the toy from the Portal of Power to replace with another). There are even advertisements in the actual game, although these are more subtle. At points when you collect Soul Gems, which represent powers for another character, you are given the option of previewing the character its associated with (including Spyro), which is only missing a voice-over and some children to become a more blatant commercial. Adding to my previous statements on spending money, this means you have to buy the advertised character in order to actually use that power.

While spending money this way can be problematic for some people, this is actually not among my major complaints with this game. For example, although this isn't a platforming title, it seems like the type of game that would have a jump button, which it doesn't have. This often leaves some items nigh impossible to reach in higher places unless, in some cases, you give your Skylander the ability to fly. Even worse is the fact that the Portal peripheral is a tad temperamental at times. At least a few times I've had it where I was asked to place a Skylander on the Portal of Power, only for it to immediately follow up with the summoning animation, all while a figure was still placed on the Portal of Power (I've even once seen the animation flash through the symbol for every Element before coming to the correct one). These I learned to deal with as I went forward, as I eventually accepted the lack of jumping as normal.

This is more of an observation, but while I played the PS3 version of this game, it appears to have been designed with the Wii in mind. Menus are laid out as if one would have to point with the Wiimote, some commands are replacements for shaking the controller (in fact one tip against a particular enemy is "shake to escape"), and quite possibly the aforementioned lack of a jump button. Again, this isn't a complaint so much as mere observation.

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is a unique approach to the Spyro franchise and to gaming in general. Save for the Portal of Power at some points, everything is solidly constructed and gives a worthwhile experience to its demographic in addition to existing fans of the series. This game is a perfect gift for any child since they will quite easily have the most fun with this title. Although paying for the physical DLC can be a problem for some, I actually enjoy the unique aspect of this gimmick and I plan to invest in more figures in the future so I may complete my experience.

I apologize for this review being late, as I received it as a Christmas present.