We’ve been huge fans of Skylander since the Giants pack came out a couple of years ago. My son wasn’t quite three and I have no idea how he found out about the game, but he was all about it. He “needed” it, was quite often heard leading up to his birthday and Christmas. We got the game and fast forward two years and onto our third version later, its fourth total installment, with no signs of growing bored! Skylanders is a Role Playing/Action Adventure Platform game that spans across a few gaming systems. We tried it out for the WiiU, while having played it on Xbox360 in the past.
Snap Shot |
Food Fight |
So what makes this Bob for Toys developed and Activision published game different go-round? A few things really. The Trap Team lead by the Trap Masters use a new portal, the Traptanium Portal. You can also add two players to one portal now, instead of needing to separate ones for multi player play.
Each portal contains a spot for a crystal, made of Traptanium and geared for each element, that your Portal Master and the Trap Master use together to capture a villain who has been released by Kaos from Cloudcraker Prison! Each crystal holds up to two characters and the game comes with a holder, so you will not have crystals lying around the house to be lost. Once you trap a criminal, they become a playable character and good (for the most part) in your quest to stop The Golden Queen and ultimately, Kaos, once again!
The Gulper captured |
The game is backwards compatible, so all your previous Skylanders will work on the portal. Currently, the game is in wave one, where quite a few characters have been released, but not all! My son already has over a dozen characters, two that came with the game system, a few sent along with the game, and a few we just had to go run out and by! He also has at least one crystal for each of the available elements: water, tech, undead, magic, fire, wind, life, and earth. But there’s a big surprise in store for all players, new mystery elements! They are not out yet and we have our speculations of what they might be, but we’ll have to wait and see! And don’t worry, all your regular game play is there, from gates that house hats, to puzzles, and new games and maybe even a sing-a-long!
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Lob-Star and Head Rush; both Trap Masters |
We all have our favorite characters here. I personally like Head Rush. They’ve really stepped up to include more female characters in this version and she’s amazing! She stomps, she chargers, and the best part, she’s got a wicked yodel too! My son has kicked Krypt King from his first place in favor of Lob-Star, a ninja star wielding crustacean type of Skylander who’s a water type. Both are Trap Masters capable of capturing an escaped villain!
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A mixture of new and returning Skylanders |
Like other version, there are also groups of Skylanders who are not masters. They’re much smaller, but still pack a punch! My son is always excited to see new ones invented just for the games, plus how they’ve repurposed series one characters. Full Blast Jet-Vac is a Series Three and now sports red feathers instead of blue and Fizzy Frenzy Pop Fizz is the blue monster in the back and also on his third series. He’s a family favorite, for his wacky, crazy behavior after drinking a bottle of soda. How Wild Fryno is series two, and Tread Head along with Fist Bump are brand new! Each with their own unique abilities, sayings, and upgrades.
Skylanders Trap Team is by far, in my opinion, the best yet of the series. It advances and becomes a better story, with better game play, and graphics each time. It’s not too violent or vulgar, and has definitely helped my son with his hand-eye coordination, along with problem solving ability and reasoning skills. Who says video games aren’t helpful? Available on eight different platforms, you’ll find the version that works for you and your Portal Master.
Connect
You can connect with Skylanders Trap Team on their official website