Skylanders: Imaginators

When talking about games that could make our collector side show up, Skylanders Imaginators has to be mentioned, and if you enjoyed playing games like Disney Infinity gathering as many characters as you could or simply collecting Amiibos from Nintendo you won’t be disappointed. Developed by “Toy for Bob” and published by Activision in 2016 for Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch later in 2017, this is the seventh game of the Skylander series and undoubtedly the best one.

Saving the world once again

The game follows the events of Skylanders SuperChargers after an era of peace that gets to an end when Kaos, the main villain, uses mind magic to brainwash the Skylanders and create an army of Doomlanders that will always try to stop us from finishing with Kaos plans.

What makes it special

This is an action/adventure game that’s also part of a genre not so often seen called “Toys-to-life” in which you will have to get the collectible figures with NFC integrated, called Sensei or Villains, all of them with their pretty unique weapons and abilities based on a certain element, and a portal to be able to play. And that’s not the only special thing about it, the best part is that the game is compatible with all the previous series figures over 30 different ones to collect, and among those characters like Crash Bandicoot, Dr. Neo Cortex, Bowser, and Donkey Kong.

Creating your Character

If you think that getting iconic characters is amazing, believe me, creating them is even beyond as this is the first game of the series that allows you to make your own Skylander if you buy a figure called Creation Crystal which comes in every element and not only allows you to customize all of his appearance, abilities, and weapons used but also the figure saves the information of the experience gained in order to make it every time stronger, how cool is that?

About the Gameplay

Fan of games like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro?

Well I can assure you it won’t let you down, from the combos to the platforms it will always meet your expectations and give you tons of hours of fun, and since you can play with Crash, you might end up feeling it as another game of the series.

Pros:

• A lot of in-game content
• It can take around 6 to 9 hours to complete
• The possibility to play with iconic characters of other games
• Multiplayer modes
• Character creation and customization

Cons:

• You need to have the portal and figures at all times to play (Unless you own a Switch)
• Very expensive

The fun and creativity that is inspired by Skylanders: Imaginators is second to none. As a lover of slightly unconventional gaming styles, the entirety of the Skylanders series has provided a fresh sense of life to the toys-to-life genre that has an essence hard to capture. The only other toy lines to truly rival Skylanders have been Nintendo’s Amiibo collection and LEGO Dimensions, of which Lego Dimensions is no longer being produced, unfortunately.

There are a lot of things that Skylanders does well in this installment, specifically surrounding the refined platforming aspects and the new figurines available to join your adventure, but it doesn’t come without its flaws. However, Imaginators does one add one character that is sure to draw in many players young and old: you.

Battle Against Mind Magic

The Skylanders series is not known for its engrossing plot/stories, but Imaginators does a fairly decent job of creating a dynamic, somewhat chaotic experience. Using your Skylander (any one of a number of characters, or even designing an avatar of yourself), its up to you and the other Portal Masters to put a stop to Kaos and other Doomlanders before they destroy the entirety of the Skylands. This story is fairly linear and predictable, but as I noted, this is not Skylander’s bread and butter. What makes this world come to life is being able to insert your own Skylands character into this action platforming adventure.

Beyond that, if you’re not too into collecting the overwhelming number of toys to play around with in-game, Skylanders will scare you off. This title supports over 300 old and new Skylanders toys and, in all honesty, can be an expensive hobby to keep up. Trying to collect each and every one could possibly lead you to insanity or even bankruptcy in a relatively short time period. In any case, its important to know what you’re getting into here, as it can get out of control fast.

Save the Skylands

The platforming in Imaginators is fun and ultimately lighthearted. It isn’t built on navigating each level with precision, dying hundreds of times to perfect a boss fight, or carving your own path. What makes Skylands special is the whole toys-to-life theme, the fact that there are hundreds of ways to approach each level (technically) and that you can explore a relatively huge world in a variety of ways. Above all else, this game is a lot of fun to play with your kids or younger players. This is not only because will they get a kick out of the enjoyable platforming aspects (it never gets too difficult) and seemingly limitless world/possibilities, but the real-life toys are just as fun to play with and spark their imagination.

There are some fun elements to the gameplay, specifically the various combat styles that come with different toys, but otherwise you’ll be focused on getting those new toys to actually try them out. Lastly, getting to level up the different Skylanders that you have, collecting different armor/power-ups, and battling hundreds of enemies are all done well enough. Its nothing crazy, and doesn’t introduce anything new compared to old installments, but it definitely looks the cleanest/crisp of them in terms of graphics and sound design too.

Pros:

• Welcoming/kid-friendly platforming
• Creative/Interesting levels
• Endless character possibilities/ways to play

Cons:

• Expect to invest a good amount of cash on toys
• Some skills for toy characters permanently locked when chosen
• Reworking some characters can be tedious since you need Imaginite (hard to get)