Skylanders

''Skylanders'' is a toys-to-life action-adventure video game franchise published by Activision. ''Skylanders'' games are played by placing a character's figure on the "Portal of Power", a device that reads its tag using NFC and "imports" them into the game as a playable character, leveling them up and saving its progress on the figure to potentially be used on a different game or video game console with all its saved stats. Skylander figures are generally sold separately from the game itself, unless as part of a starter pack. Typically, the starter pack for each game contains two or more Skylanders, a Portal of Power, the game disc and sometimes something else to show off the game's newest feature.

Plot

The games take place in the Skylands, a realm of floating islands located at the center of the universe that is often threatened by evil forces who seek to rule it and gain access to all worlds. For generations, a band of heroes known as the Skylanders have worked with the Portal Masters to defend Skylands from evil and protect the Core of Light. The player, who is considered to be a Portal Master, commands the Skylanders to stop Kaos and other evil threats. Each Skylander is associated with one of ten elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Magic, Tech, Life, Undead, Light, and Dark. The console versions of each game follow identical storylines, while the Nintendo 3DS versions have different stories.

Games

''Spyro's Adventure'' (2011)

''Spyro's Adventure'' is the first game in the series and features 32 Skylanders, four for each of the eight elements. The Skylanders seek to restore the Core of Light, which Kaos destroyed, by collecting the Eternal Sources of each element and other components.

''Giants'' (2012)

''Giants'' is the second installment in the series and a direct sequel to ''Spyro's Adventure''. It introduces a new team of Skylanders called the Giants, who were canonically the first Skylanders assembled to stop the Arkeyans' reign and are strong enough to lift, throw, and destroy trees and rocks. They must stop Kaos after he reactivates the Arkeyan Conquertron and attempts to take over Skylands by resurrecting the Arkeyans.

''Swap Force'' (2013)

''Swap Force'' is the third installment in the franchise and takes place in another part of Skylands called the Cloudbreak Islands. It introduces a new group of Skylanders called the Swap Force, who have the ability to swap their top and bottom halves which also includes other abilities. Together, the Swap Force and the Skylanders fight to prevent Kaos and his mother from ruining the performance on Mount Cloudbreak.

''Trap Team'' (2014)

''Trap Team'' is the fourth installment in the franchise. It introduces two new elements, the Light and Dark elements, as well as the Trap Masters and the Trap mechanic. This mechanic allows players to trap special in-game enemies in element-specific Elemental Traps, which are shards of Traptanium. The trapped enemies can then be summoned as playable characters for a limited time, but can be used freely in the main hub. The Skylanders and the Trap Masters fight to stop Kaos and the Doom Raiders.

''SuperChargers'' (2015)

''SuperChargers'' is the fifth installment in the series. It introduces a new group of Skylanders called the SuperChargers, who pilot special vehicles of the Land, Sky and Sea. The Skylanders must stop Kaos, who has used The Darkness's power to create The Sky Eater, and The Darkness, which has its own plans. SuperChargers also featured a multiplayer racing game mode, very similar to the ''Mario Kart'' games. This racing game mode, however, is near impossible to play with other players (in 2024) The Nintendo console versions feature Donkey Kong and Bowser as Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser, along with their respective vehicles, the Barrel Blaster and Clown Cruiser. These figures and vehicles can only be scanned and used in-game on Skylanders: SuperChargers (Racing) and Skylanders: Imaginators on Nintendo hardware. The characters, but not their vehicles, also functioned as amiibo figures. The Wii and 3DS versions of the game, titled ''Skylanders: SuperChargers Racing,'' focus on racing and feature the SuperChargers competing in a race sponsored by Pandergast to win a snow globe which will grant one wish. ''SuperChargers'' was the last game to be released on tablets, the Wii and 3DS.

''Imaginators'' (2016)

''Imaginators'' is the sixth installment in the series, which was developed by Toys for Bob. It was released on October 13, 2016, in Australia and New Zealand, on October 14, 2016, in Europe and on October 16, 2016, in North America. It was the only game in the series released for the Nintendo Switch. It allows players to create and customize their own Skylanders called Imaginators and train them under the Senseis. The Skylanders must stop Kaos, who is using mind magic to create Doomlanders with help from an ancient Brain. Crash Bandicoot and Doctor Neo Cortex make guest appearances as playable characters, marking their first appearance in a video game since '' Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2'' in 2010. Their figures were initially exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 starter packs, but were later released as a stand-alone double pack.

Spin-offs

In 2011, Activision released ''Skylanders Universe'', an online browser-based multiplayer game that allowed players to interact in Skylands, play minigames, customize their own island, and log their Skylanders collection. Players could connect their portals to their computer to summon their Skylanders, like in the core series. The service has since been discontinued.

Activision released spin-off games on mobile devices, including ''Cloud Patrol'', ''Battlegrounds'', ''Lost Islands'', ''Collection Vault'', mobile ports of ''Trap Team'' and ''SuperChargers'', ''Battlecast,'' and ''Ring of Heroes''.

Development

Launching ''Skylanders'' cost Activision $100 million or more, roughly as much as making, manufacturing and marketing a title such as Call of Duty.

Version differences

As the ''Skylanders'' franchise has been released on numerous platforms, with various versions developed by different developers, there are significant differences between them.

The most notable differences are found in the Nintendo 3DS versions, which have unique stories and gameplay more focused on platforming. Additionally, they use a separate, smaller portal that communicates via the console's infrared. In the first two games, players had to "load" two figures, and were able to swap between them at any time using the touch screen until a new Skylander is loaded to replace them. Beginning with ''Swap Force'', every figure scanned is permanently saved into the game. In ''Trap Team'', villains are captured using the touch screen instead of using real-life traps, which the 3DS portal does not support.

The first two games were developed with the Nintendo Wii in mind, with the HD versions being ports with slightly enhanced graphics. In contrast, starting with ''Swap Force'', the games were developed for the HD consoles, with the Wii version having heavily downgraded graphics. In addition, ''Superchargers'' on Wii and 3DS was a distinct game titled ''Superchargers Racing'', which only included the racing portions. ''Imaginators'' skipped these two consoles entirely.

While portals are typically interchangeable between platforms, the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of the game require their own portal respectively due to restrictions imposed by Microsoft.

The Nintendo Switch version of ''Imaginators'' does not use the Portal of Power; instead, the figures are scanned using the NFC on the game controller. Similar to the 3DS versions of the previous games, scanned figures are saved and can be switched through a menu. Traps are not supported, and Vehicles only unlock Imaginite Chests.

Music

Lorne Balfe composed the soundtracks for the games, while Hans Zimmer composed part of ''Spyro’s Adventure’s'' main theme. ''Imaginators'' does not use an original soundtrack, instead using music from previous games.

Media

Novels

Cavan Scott wrote a series of books, beginning with ''Skylanders: The Machine of Doom,'' which takes place before the events of ''Spyro's Adventure''. He would later write the ''Skylanders: The Mask of Power'' series, which also serves as a prequel to ''Spyro's Adventure''. Another series, ''Skylanders'': ''Book of Elements,'' focuses on two elements in each installment, with Shubrik Bros. Creative writing the first and Barry Hutchson writing the second.

Art Books

Two art books, ''Strata: The Art of Skylanders: Swap Force'' and ''Clutch: The Art of Skylanders: Superchargers'', were produced by Vicarious Visions. As employee exclusives, the only way to obtain them is through online sellers or charity events.

IDW Publishing

IDW Publishing created a comic series associated with the ''Skylanders'' franchise which takes place in between games. The series was reportedly cancelled to avoid conflicting with ''Skylanders Academy'', which used a different canon.

TV series

In 2016, it was announced that Activision Blizzard Studios would produce an animated television series based on ''Skylanders''. The first season debuted on Netflix on October 28, 2016, the second season on October 6, 2017, and the third and final season premiered on September 28, 2018. On April 30, 2019, it was announced that ''Skylanders Academy'' was cancelled.

Possible film

Activision has commented on the possibility of a movie based on ''Skylanders''. On May 6, 2014, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg announced that the Activision team had an interest in "jumping on the film adaptation bandwagon" and adapting ''Skylanders'' into a film.

Future

Following the release of ''Imaginators'', the franchise went into hiatus, with speculations surrounding a seventh console installment. Nevertheless, future projects within the ''Skylanders'' universe were limited to the recent mobile game titled ''Ring of Heroes'' until its closure in 2022. The studios worked on other unrelated games until Activision Blizzard was acquired by Microsoft in January 2022. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick stated that Microsoft had interest in reviving some of the old studios' hit franchises, including ''Guitar Hero'' and ''Skylanders''.

Reception

''Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure'' received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic, with many praising the technological use of the "Portal of Power". Although some reviewers criticized the absence of online multiplayer, the toys for the Skylanders were widely praised. ''GameSpot'' gave it a 7.5 out of 10, praising its family-friendly gameplay and role-playing-style character progression, but criticized the lack of online multiplayer, the cost of buying a complete set of figures, the arbitrary inclusion of Spyro, and the unreliability of the Portal of Power peripheral. ''Nintendo World Report'' gave the game a 9 out of 10, praising the Wii version for its gameplay and production values, and the Nintendo 3DS version for its accessibility to younger gamers and overall design. ''Destructoid'' gave the game an 8 out of 10 saying, "It's not the most complex game on the market, but the innovative gadgetry and authentic thoughtfulness on the part of the developer stands out in a market so used to churning out the same old crap." ''Giant Bomb'' reviewer Jeff Gerstmann gave the game four out of five stars, stating, "''Skylanders'' is probably aimed at kids, but whatever. I am a legal adult...and I think it's still pretty cool." ''Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure'' was nominated for two Toy Industry Association awards: "Game of the Year" and "Innovative Toy of the Year".

''Skylanders: Giants'' received "generally favorable" reviews on most platforms according to Metacritic; the Nintendo 3DS version received "mixed or average" reviews. However, the reviews in general were slightly lower than that of the previous game, especially for the Nintendo 3DS version, which received the lowest Metacritic score in the series. ''IGN'' gave the game an 8 out of 10 score, calling it a "more polished but by-the-numbers sequel that’s really fun to play". ''PlayStation Lifestyle'', however, gave the game a lower score with a 70/100, saying, "The reality is that ''Skylanders: Giants'' is age-appropriate fun that harkens back to the delight you had collecting ''Pokémon'' cards or mashing your way through a dungeon crawler. If you've got little ones, then you already know the verdict here."

''Skylanders: Swap Force'' received "generally favorable" reviews for most platforms according to Metacritic; the Nintendo 3DS version received "mixed or average" reviews. The Metacritic scores for the game were the highest and most positive of the series on most platforms. Gaming website ''Quarter to Three'' gave both the Wii U and Xbox 360 a perfect score of 5/5. Video game website ''Gaming Age'' gave the PlayStation 3 version the highest grade of an "A" and further commented that, "whether you're a Skylanders fan or a gamer who's looking for a charming and unique family-friendly game series to get into, Skylanders Swap Force comes highly recommended."

''Skylanders: Trap Team'' received "generally favorable" reviews for most platforms according to Metacritic; the iOS version received "universal acclaim". However, the scores from Metacritic were slightly lower than that of the previous game on most platforms with the iOS version receiving the highest Metacritic score in the series.

''Skylanders: SuperChargers'' received "generally favorable" reviews according to Metacritic. The scores from Metacritic had some scores that were higher than the previous game, such as the Wii U and PlayStation 4 versions, but some were lower than the previous game, such as the iOS and Xbox One versions. The game was also nominated for two awards: Best Family Game at The Game Awards 2015 and Favorite Video Game at the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards. Despite its positive reception, Activision reported in February 2016 that the game did not meet sales expectations.

''Skylanders: Imaginators'' received "generally favorable" reviews for most platforms according to Metacritic; the Nintendo Switch version received "mixed or average" reviews. Compared to the previous game, the game received lower scores on most platforms except the Xbox One version. Despite the generally positive reception, the game sold only 66,000 copies during its launch month.

As of February 2015, the ''Skylanders'' series has crossed the threshold of $3 billion in sales, with 175 million toys sold since 2011, making the series one of the top 20 highest-selling video game franchises of all time. As of June 2015, over 250 million toys were sold. As of 2016, over 300 million toys have been sold and the franchise has become the 11th biggest console franchise of all time.

References

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