It’s amazing how a little purple dragon has inspired a new generation of gamers, but Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure kick-started what’s now a billion-dollar franchise. The latest entry in that franchise, Skylanders Swap Force, is now available at retail for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, 3DS and just about every other system imaginable. And although we’re still working on our full review, what we’ve played so far makes Skylanders Swap Force the best Skylanders game yet.
In the new game, Portal Masters must defend the Cloudbreak Islands and battle not only the evil Kaos, but also his mom. Skylanders Swap Force introduces the concept of “swapability,” which lets players interchange the top and bottom halves of 16 special characters, thus mixing and matching their powers and moves as well as their physical forms.
Building on the franchise’s signature gameplay and collectible-toy experience, Skylanders Swap Force gives kids more choice than ever before over how their Swap Force characters fight and move. Set in a detailed world that’s impressive rendered by an all-new graphics engine, the game takes kids on a adventure with 40 new collectible characters, each with unique powers and personalities. The breakdown is: 16 Swap Force characters, 16 core Skylanders characters, and eight new LightCore characters.
In addition, fans can play Skylanders Swap Force with their entire collection of toys from the first two Skylanders games (Spyro’s Adventure and Giants).
The game also features new abilities such as flying, climbing and teleporting that can be used throughout Skylands. Friends and family can join the fun with drop-in/drop-out cooperative play as well as experience action-packed gameplay in various Battle and Survival Modes that feature all new arenas.
Additionally, players can embark on an all new unique Skylanders Swap Force adventure on the Nintendo 3DS that features game levels and story that are unique to this platform. The 3DS version also includes three new characters (Rattle Shake, Volcanic Eruptor and Free Ranger) that aren’t found in any other Skylanders Starter Pack. We will have our full Skylanders Swap Force review posted later this week.