It’s been an interesting ride with the craze known as Skylanders. We went from a household that seemed to have no future with the toy/game line, to one that has been bit by the bug.

First, let me remind you of my wife’s first thoughts on the game.

Finished?

Good. Now to update you on our situation: We totally have Skylanders. What seemed like a simple gift from my Grandmother to my children has cost us more money than I would have anticipated; and it’s entirely my fault. With all due respect to anyone who sees Skylanders as a mere child’s plaything that plays on weak willed parents who spend too much money on their kids… you go to hell. You’re one hundred percent accurate… but fuck you.

My kids took an instant liking to the game. What surprised me was how easy the game seemed to be for them to get into. Both my 3 year old son and 5 year old daughter (who have since owning the game turned 4 and 6) were able to pick up on the controls relatively easily. My son still has some problems now and again, but that’s mostly due to his hands just not being big enough to grip the controller in a way that would make it easy for him to connect with all the face buttons.

If there is one thing I can say as a positive about the game, it’s how well designed it is. The gentle slope of difficulty is perfect for smaller kids. It’s a bit slow for a more experienced gamer, but even I won’t argue that shit gets real in Skylands. It eventually becomes an experience that I don’t feel like falling asleep to, and I look forward to playing with my kids.

What I will cast negativity on is…. how well designed it is. Not the game mechanics mind you, but the whole “system” that has been created. You get three Skylanders with the game. Each of these three represents a different element. There are eight elements total. So do the math. That’s right, you have FIVE elements not covered.

Does this mean I can’t play the whole game?

Well, not exactly. You can use the three Skylanders and, if you’re playing solo and not horrible, you could theoretically play through the whole game. BUT, you would miss out on a metric fuckton of side content and wouldn’t gain the bonuses that are given in certain areas of the game. So every time you walk into a spot that says, “Air Skylanders are more powerful here,” you’d be missing out on bonus damage that could make life a bit easier. AND, you wouldn’t be able to get some of the hats (that grant ability bonuses) that are only available through gates that can only be opened by certain elemental Skylanders.

Is the racket coming into focus??

That’s not all! You even get MORE bonuses if you own multiple Skylanders of the same element! That’s right, if you collect all 4 of one element, all of the Skylanders from that element do more damage.

But wait, there’s more! Some Skylanders come in “adventure packs” which contain a bonus level (think DLC) in the form of a statue that you can toss onto the Portal of Power to unlock, as well as bonus items that grant additional abilities for limited times.

IT’S. GENIUS…

…and it’s made my wallet bleed a little bit.

What does my wife think of all this?

…she kind of digs Trigger Happy.

Steve "Slurms" Lichtsinn

Blogger and Podcast host for Multiplaying. All viewpoints in my words whether written or spoken are my own, and do not reflect the views of the community I am a part of. I don't do this for a living, and it shows!