It wasn’t that long ago that I reviewed SWAP Force for the 3DS and enjoyed it. The 3DS version is a lot different than the console one, which Nathan enjoyed, although the toys are of course cross-compatible. As the PS4’s launch day line-up started getting thinner, it became apparent to me that one of the most interesting games available was going to be one that was released just a month ago on current-gen. Skylanders SWAP Force, no matter your platform of choice, is the third and best game in what has become a bit of a phenomenon for younger, and older, gamers alike.
What I’ve always liked about Skylanders is just how well it works. For Activision, they have a model for intense profitability through selling additional figures as well as numerous merchandising avenues. For the parent, it’s a very kid and family friendly game that, if not tempered, could certainly be a very expensive investment to collect all 100+ figures in the wild, but at least the toys and the games are of high quality. For the adult gamer, while these games may be targeted for kids, they’re still really fun if you enjoy simple 3D platforming action. And for kids, well, I can only imagine the excitement around collecting the toys, trading with friends, and placing them on the Portal of Power for the first time and seeing them pop-up a second later on screen along with the enthusiastic voice of the announcer calling out the toy’s name. Also, I like that Skylanders was a new IP, even though it originally was sort of anchored by Spyro, the friendly purple dragon character from the PSX days.
So all that to say, Skylanders, Skylanders Giants, and now Skylanders SWAP Force are all excellent games. More to the point, SWAP Force is easily the best of the bunch due to not only backwards compatibility with the previous toys, but also because of the sixteen new SWAP Force toys that, when combined in all possible forms, give another 256 combinations of playable characters. Collecting these isn’t going to be cheap, but it’s definitely going to be fun. The magnets used to connect the upper and lower halves of the SWAP Force toys are really well designed in that you can only snap the toys together the correct way, and they’re not too easy to pull apart, giving them the proper balance of functionality and usability. Besides the toys, SWAP Force also vastly improved its gameplay by adding the ability to jump and by including numerous mini-games that take advantage of new abilities that the SWAP characters have, such as climbing, digging, and bouncing. Mini-game types include climbing up a wall with damaging objects falling down while also trying to beat the clock, to shooting down Kaos minions from the sky in a first person mode. The games are intuitive, functional, and challenging enough for younger gamers to make them exciting. Overall, SWAP Force is an entertaining, accessible, and fun 3D platformer.
The story of SWAP Force is more than just sufficient too, it’s actually pretty good. Kaos, the diabolical yet funny villain, has discovered a way to evilize creatures by using this mysterious stone he’s discovered. He intends to use it to take over Cloudbreak City. His plan involves disrupting a centennial gathering of four main spirits who pool their magic together to keep the Skylander’s abilities “charged,” so to speak. Eon, the old and wise mentor of sorts from the previous games, returns, and calls upon the Skylanders to repel Kaos and his evilized forces. The return of Captain Flynn and Tessa boost the story with humor and plot details as you take your team of Skylanders across multiple distinct areas.
General gameplay discussion aside, I’d like to provide some details on the experience as it relates directly to the PS4. First, the game takes up only about 7GB of space and installed rapidly. The Portal of Power has a 7′ cord permanently attached on the Portal side, and has a male USB end on the other that plugs directly into the front of the PS4. The ample cable length is expected, yet still appreciated as it gives the owner flexibility in how they want to position the Portal. The Portal needs to be plugged in in before you launch the game, lest you get a friendly notice upon launching the game that the Portal is not connected. Interestingly, the Touchpad feature is not used at all, so the controls are identical to what they are on the current-gen. Both the Story and Arenas modes are included too, making this further similar to the current releases. About the only key difference, and it’s going to be up to the individual to decide how important this is to them, is that the visual fidelity on the PS4 is noticeably better. It doesn’t make one game more playable or even necessarily more enjoyable than the other, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you have yet to purchase this game and you’re on the fence about what version to get. Simply put, Skylanders on PS4 just oozes colorful, vibrant visuals that draw you closer to the screen because it’s so pretty. It feels like you’re watching a Blu-ray of some Pixar or Dreamworks movie, yet it’s just a game, and I haven’t experienced a single hiccup in framerates or any technical issues at all.
No discussion of Skylanders would be complete without talking about the toys. For this review, I was fortunate enough to receive both a Starter Pack and four more individually packaged figures. These included Heavy Duty Sprocket, Boom Jet, Night Shift, Ninja Stealth Elf, Blast Zone and Wash Buckler. Trying them all out is a given and fun, but the best part about SWAP Force is of course being able to combine the new figures together to instantly make new ones. Of the toys that I have, my favorite was Night Buckler. By combining Night Shift with Wash Buckler, I created a nearly unstoppable attack due to fast upper and lower body melee attacks that also have significant range. Night Shift’s boxing is far-reaching, fast, and powerful, while Wash Buckler’s lower attack propels you forward while striking in a forward direction with tentacles. I also liked Boom Jet a lot by himself as throwing explosive footballs and also calling in what are essentially air strikes after the first upgrade are fun to see. Boom Jet benefits nicely when combined with Blast Zone’s lower half for added mobility, too.
With that, let’s get to the summary…
