If you are familiar with COIN-OP TV then you probably already know we’re big fans of the Skylanders franchise. What Skylanders offers to kids and gamers is a unique experience in collecting toys that are cleverly incorporated into a fantastically fun video game experience. Both Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure and its sequel Skylanders Giants were excellent entrees into the franchise but Skylanders Swap Force takes things to the next level by upping the graphics and expanding upon the storyline and characters.
Skylanders Swap Force was developed by Vicarious Visions who was previously handling the Nintendo 3DS and iOS versions of Skylanders spin-offs. It’s safe to assume that the original developers Toys For Bob will return again for the fourth installment of the Skylanders Franchise. No matter which development company is behind the game – Activision has kept a strong grasp on making sure this franchise is smartly moving forward and thus far avoiding any fatigue.
What’s new in Skylanders Swap Force are the new ‘swappable’ figures that come apart – you can mix and match 16 new figures between their bottom and top halves to form over 250 combinations. Each combination offers an interesting take on gameplay and deciding how to swap figures plays into both the in-game experience and the out-of-game experience of collecting the toys. The story of Skylanders Swap Force takes place on Cloudbreak Islands – everyone’s favorite hero Flynn is back again along with Kaos as the villain and we’re introduced to Kaos’ mom for the first time who has her own brand of mischievous sidekicks as well.
Something else new to the gameplay is the ability to jump — fans asked for it – fans got it! While it doesn’t sound like much — being able to jump in Skylanders is a vast improvement in how to play the game. For those that don’t know — all Skylanders previously released will carry-over to the newest game and some previously released figures like Spyro and Stealth Elf have new versions called ‘Mega Ram Spyro’ and ‘Ninja Stealth Elf’ with new ability upgrades called ‘Wow Pows’.
Skylanders Swap Force was released on next-gen consoles this week for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The next-generation versions of the game will be in 1080 HD and include higher quality graphics – the edges and look of the game will be smoother – giving the game an even more cartoon-like experience. We’ve been producing a ton of Skylanders Swap Force gameplay videos since the announcement so be sure to check them out at the link below!
Skylanders Swap Force playlist
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=SPiGeNbcQnRdGJ7ZIPQ5E5iL3IsKl7tz2q