Skylanders has been getting quite a bit of competition over the past couple of years. Activision was the first to come up with the idea of toys come to life in a video game and although it wasn’t immediate, it didn’t take too long before others followed in their footsteps. Disney was first up with Infinity and then Nintendo launched their version, Amiibo. Warner is releasing their own title with LEGO Dimensions but Skylanders isn’t going to just skip a year. As expected the latest in the series, the fifth in the franchise history, once again introduces a new mechanic into the series.
Time and time again the Skylanders have managed to emerge victorious in their efforts to stop the schemes of the evil Kaos but now the unthinkable has happened. Kaos has managed to take over the Skylands, Master Eon has vanished, and the realm itself is on the brink of collapse. Citizen who have opposed Kaos have been thrown in prison while others have formed a very uneasy alliance with him, mostly out of fear. However a new team of Skylanders, the SuperChargers, have be assembled to try and put an end to yet another of Kaos’ plots before his Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction destroys all they hold dear.
Skylanders: SuperChargers of course brings new characters as well as some upgraded ones from past games into the latest title, but it also brings in something new which hasn’t been seen before. Part of what SuperChargers provides players with is the ability to use vehicles. Disney has already done this in Infinity although not to the same degree that Skylanders has approached the idea. Instead of simply allowing players to purchase vehicles within the game, SuperChargers has them as physical toys and just like with the Skylanders figures, the various craft have an elemental attribute associated with them. As the case has been with the games from the start players will encounters areas within the game where different elements are stronger in certain areas although that doesn’t mean that you are required to have that element in order to enter, something which wasn’t true of the past games.
You will find three different vehicles types which are land, sea, and air, and any Skylander can take control of them. The new portal has been designed to accommodate a character as well as a craft however the drawback is that players are required to have one of each present on the portal in order to play the game. Each of the new SuperCharger characters also has a signature vehicle so when the two are combined in gameplay and craft becomes slightly more powerful. The starter pack includes Spitfire, a new Flame Spirit Skylander, as well as a car called Hot Streak which are meant to be combined together. However any Skylander can control any vehicle in your collection
Just like with the characters, the vehicles can be upgraded as well as modified although they don’t require any levelling up. Mods will be found within levels, can be obtained by using the new wishing well at the Skylanders Academy (presuming you have wishing coins to toss into it), purchased when they show up at the store, or even won during races. The only requirement of upgrading or modifying is that you must use a SuperCharger Skylander in order to do so. Aside from the mobs players can also improve their shields and weapons by trading in the gears they have collected throughout the game.
Outside of the main gameplay Skylanders: SuperChargers does offer some additional things for players to do and the majority of that is focused on racing. There are courses which utilize every vehicles type so players can race in a standard race, time trials, boss battles, and even online if they have friends playing the game. The inclusion of online gameplay is a great addition to the series however this is designed only to include friends so you can’t randomly enter races. The races have a few differences from what you’d find within the game itself. The use of weapons is still featured but now the game limits your ability to use these. Once depleted you’ll need to wait for them to recharge or collect items to load them back up again. There are also special weapons, items, and bonuses which can be found throughout the track. What inside the mystery boxes won’t be revealed until you pick them up and the game will automatically activate them for the player. There are three levels of difficulty for most races as well. There are also missions which become available from some of the NPC’s at the Skylanders Academy.
Skylanders: SuperChargers does make a few changes to what has previously been found in the series. While Skystones is still featured now the game has been stripped down a little and only has players using three stones in the new Overdrive version of the game. The locks you will find at times have been simplified to some extent and now you must guide a small character through the lock to the key while attempting to collect there electrical bolts on your way. With the past Skylanders games players could go through the game with the three included figures which came with the game and that’s still the case with Skylanders: SuperChargers but the idea of needing a variety of elemental types to access each part of the game has been eliminated. Now you simply need the right type of craft so a player could purchase the starter pack as well as an aircraft and a sea vehicle and play through most of what the game has available.
SuperChargers also features the same concept of leveling up not just your characters but also your portal. Accomplishing things such as defeating enemies, obtaining hats, finishing races and even playing online will earn you emblems which can be traded in to increase your portal master level and each time you advance you are allowed to pick a bonus attribute to apply to the game. The new portal has a spot to insert traps from the past game, Trap Team, but sadly it seems that like all of the past Skylanders releases, SuperChargers suffers the same fate where the mechanics aren’t carried over. I have yet to find any area which has even required the need for traps and there isn’t an option to swap out your Skylander for a villain. Since needing elements to enter areas isn’t present here you won’t find any areas needing two different elements and so characters from Trap Team are a bit useless and I haven’t had the game tell me that I needed a Giant character for any reason.
SuperChargers doesn’t really look that different from what the titles in the series have looked in the past. The game is smoother and sharper than it has been previously but for the most part the graphics have stayed virtually unchanged which in this case I feel is actually good. Skylanders really has never been in dire need to a complete graphic makeover. The game has worked rather well with its cartoon inspired look of the characters and the locations have a good amount of detail added to them. I feel that the developers understand the appeal that the game has as well as what the typical fans of the series is and they aren’t looking for overblown visuals so much as a comfortable visual environment.
One of the things I think I’m most concerned with isn’t that there are too many Skylanders games but rather that the marketplace is becoming a little full with four different games which use the idea of bringing your toys to life. Sure, some such as Amiibo are designed to carter to just one console, others use well-known licenses as their draw, but while Skylanders and others have been successful, that bubble could burst at any time. Guitar Hero and Rock Band for example both did extremely well but eventually the public grew tired of them although both are poised to make a comeback. Skylanders: SuperChargers helps to keep the series alive and kicking and I suppose ultimately it will be the holiday sales numbers which will tell the answer on if in fact Skylanders should continue or if perhaps it’s time to let it sit for a while.
Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a toddler daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.