Skylanders: Swap Force

Genre: Action-RPG / 3D Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op / Competitive (Local)

Game Company Bad Behavior Profile Page: Activision Blizzard

.

Review:

Note: Are you confused by all this “Toys to Life” stuff? Check out eShopperReviews’ helpful guide here!

Skylanders: Swap Force is a family-friendly Action-RPG with 3D Platformer elements released in 2013 on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, and Wii U, with an entirely separate game with the same title released on Nintendo 3DS the same year. This is the third game in the Skylanders franchise, the series that started the “Toys to Life” craze that has largely died out by 2022, save for Nintendo’s own Amiibos, which continue to linger on. Much like Amiibos, Skylanders figurines have NFC chips in the figurines, which can be read by a “Portal” device that connects to your Wii U via a USB port.

.

Getting Started

For those wondering about what additional toys/gadgets/doodads you’ll need to get to enjoy this game, know that in order to play this game, you need to get a compatible Skylanders portal – specifically, a Wii U-compatible Skylanders Portal from Swap Force or later games in the Skylanders series (portals from Spyro’s Adventure and Giants will not work with this game). This includes portals made for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Wii platforms (not the 3DS, Xbox 360, or Xbox One platforms though – those won’t work). The Wii U Trap Team portal is highly recommended, as this is the only portal that works with all Wii U games in the series.

You will also need at least one compatible Skylanders figurine (this game only works with Spyro’s Adventure, Giants, Swap Force, and Eon’s Elite figurines) – Different figurines have different abilities, and some types of figurines are required to access certain areas or get bonuses in some areas, but no specific figurine is required to play the game.

Adventure Pack figurines from Spyro’s Adventure can supposedly be used to get bonus items in the game, though I haven’t been able to test this.

Finally, if you want to play this game’s multiplayer Battle Mode, you’ll need at least two Skylanders figurines.

.

Swapping in New Toys and An Improved Presentation

The highlighted new feature this time around is the Swap Force figures themselves. These figured are fairly large compared to normal Skylanders figurines, and are split into two halves that connect via magnets. Because of this, these halves make for a “mix and match” capability that lets you combine any top half with any lower half for this series, which then translates into the game itself.

Of course, if you’re just here for the game and aren’t interested in the toys, know that Skylanders: Swap Force is an impressive step beyond its predecessors in the graphics and sound departments as well. The series’ signature excellent 3D character designs and animations are once again on full display here, but this time the game features far more detail in the environments and backgrounds, with some really beautiful water effects, as well as very nice lighting and shadow effects. Where earlier Skylanders games looked stylistically excellent, Swap Force looks good on a technical level that would make it seem right at home on modern platforms. This makes sense, as this is the first game designed in the era of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and the game’s creators no doubt wanted the game to be up to snuff for those platforms, something the Wii U version is evidently also the beneficiary of.

And of course, once again, topping all of this off is a wonderful orchestral soundtrack and some absolutely fantastic voice acting from well-known veterans like Richard Steven Horvitz and Patrick Warburton.

.

Finding a True Gem at a Swap Meet

Swap Force remains fairly faithful to the series’ gameplay up to this point, with the added ability to jump giving players additional freedom and bringing the gameplay experience closer to the 3DS games. However, the focus here is primarily on the game’s satisfying combat, and on exploring the game’s (still mostly linear) levels.

To this end, the game’s level design seems to have been streamlined, ensuring that the lack of camera control is less of an issue than it was in Giants, and tightening the pacing to keep things interesting throughout. In addition to this, there’s some good gameplay variety that keeps things interesting and ensures that players always have something new and interesting to look forward to, with some pretty impressive setpiece battles as well.

When it comes to the use of the Skylanders figurines, this is also a better experience than the prior game. After the previous game kept the gameplay fairly safe and similar, but sprinkled elements into all of its levels that made them notably easier to traverse if you had one of that game’s titular Giants figures, Swap Force takes a step back to something more resembling the way the first Skylanders game did things – throughout the game’s levels, you’ll encounter optional areas that require a Skylanders figure with a specific element, a specific pairing of Swap Force elements, or a specific type of Swap Force legs, and if you don’t have that figurine or would rather not bother, you can just skip that section and continue on with your journey. You’ll also still find treasure chests that can only be opened with Giants figurines. However, none of these elements are tied to your progression through a level. If you want to play through the entire game with a single random Skylanders figurine, you can do so without being made to go through extra steps because the game wants you to use a different figurine.

I should note that this remains true regardless of whether that figurine is one of the new Swap Force figurines, one of the large Giants figurines, or one of the standard figurines from Spyro’s Adventure – all of them are equally viable here. However, if you do choose to make use of the new Swap Force figurines, you’ll be happy to see they provide the player with a delightful amount of freedom to customize their character, with both top and bottom halves being able to be upgraded independently, and giving players the opportunity to piece together their ideal Skylanders warrior.

Finally, I should be sure to mention the Battle Mode, which allows players to pit their Skylanders against one another in various competitive modes. This mode has once again been expanded from the previous games to include even more new game types, and if you happen to have a friend who is a fan of the franchise, this adds to the game a wonderful competitive element vaguely reminiscent of Pokemon.

.

A Force to be Reckoned With?

Where Skylanders: Giants improved on the first game but also added a few issues, Skylanders: Swap Force is an improvement over the prior games in pretty much every area. The gameplay is more streamlined, the camera is far less problematic, the graphics are a huge step above earlier games, and the figurine-scanning mechanic is far less intrusive. And if you do make use of the new Swap Force figurines, you’ll be able to have even greater customization options for your character. Because of all of this, Swap Force is easily the best game in the series thus far. It’s an excellent choice for players looking for a family-friendly adventure, and a must-have for Skylanders fans.

tl;dr – Skylanders: Swap Force is the third game in this Toys-to-Life series, a family-friendly Action-RPG with Platformer elements much like the previous console entries in the series. Pretty much every element from the prior games has been improved upon here, including a more impressive presentation, more streamlined level design, less intrusive use of the Skylanders figurines, and more options and features. This is by far the best Skylanders game in the series up to this point, and an excellent game in general.

Grade: B+

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Andy Miller, Exlene, Johannes, Ilya Zverev, Connor Armstrong, Eli Goodman, Kristoffer Wulff, Stov, and Gabriel Coronado-Medina. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}