PixlBit

Three years later and the Skylanders craze is still in full swing. From kids to adults, it seems that everyone loves collecting and playing with these colorful characters. The latest iteration of the series brings a new wrinkle to the toys as well as to the game, but neither truly changes the tried-and-true formula. Platforming mechanics add a bit more depth to the traversal and combat mechanics, while the swap ability makes it a bit more fun to play with the physical toys by mixing and matching tops and bottoms. There’s no doubt that the whole kit is quite nifty, but as a game, Skylanders Swap Force still leaves something to be desired.

There are plenty of similarities in Skylanders with the Gauntlet games of years past. Naturally they’re a bit easier and more “kid friendly,” which incidentally makes them quite boring to play for your average gamer. Despite this reality, the series has managed to do well and I can only assume it’s all thanks to the toys. They’re brimming with character and just seeing them on the shelf at the store is enough to get excited about playing with and displaying them. The toy line is the real product here, not the passable, children’s quality Gauntlet clone that accompanies them.

If you have any degree of experience with dungeon crawl games in the vein of Gauntlet, you’ll be more than equipped for the light challenge in the base mode of the game. Even the hard mode is far from difficult once you’ve become accustomed to the character you’re using and their moves. The RPG elements that level up your character make that easier, as does the currency which can be spent to upgrade your top and bottom halves, falling in line with the new construction of the swappable toys.

I actually find Swap Force to be something of a conundrum. It has all the necessary component parts to be a fantastic experience. Cooperative dungeon crawling, multiple upgrade systems, some gear, hidden areas, collectibles, and even a few mini-games and bosses to break up the seventeen levels in the game; however, I couldn’t get engaged. Truth be told, the game put me to sleep a couple times because of how mindless some of the levels were. I thought the addition of platforming mechanics would’ve broken the monotony of the dungeon crawl, but it proved to be a small impediment on the way to the next enemy encounter.

Exploration of the levels is also flat because most of the hidden components are locked behind the physical DRM of the toys. If you already have a large collection of toys, this isn’t likely a problem for you, but anyone else will be hitting pay walls quite often due to not owning one or two Skylanders of the proper elemental type. It’s a frustrating reality of the configuration of this game, but as a completionist, it’s frustrating to not be able to fully clear each level as I progress through them.

The obvious marketing extends into the Soul Gems, which are tied to each of the different toys. If you don’t have the toy, you can watch a little clip about the character to see if it’s worth a purchase. Many of these Soul Gems are found at the end of an unlockable area, which feels like a greedy place to advertise for yet another product outside of the ones you’re already using.

Forcing more toys on you is the most grating example of how Swap Force isn’t really much of a deviation from the past two entries in the series. All of the components introduced there have been carried forward and all of the past series of toys will still work, meaning that those invested in the series will have a ton of options and upgraded characters right from the start. If you like what Activision has done before with the series, Swap Force is a no-brainer, but if you’re looking to take a dive into the series, take into consideration what age gamer is going to be playing, as well as the exorbitant cost of the figurines. This is a big investment and the actual game isn’t particularly special.