The third iteration of Skylanders is on the horizon and it’s called Swap Force.
Swap Force extends Activision’s new approach to DLC with the franchise – using toy figures to unlock content on the disc. This time, though, there are new interchangeable figures that can be mixed and matched to tailor character’s abilities to the player’s taste.
The game will grant access to its DLC content via 56 new figures. These take the form of 16 new Core Skylanders, 16 Swap Force, 16 returning characters and 8 Lightcore toys that light-up on the portal.
This is a big game, and one that parents and gamers will need to consider carefully before investing in. The approach to DLC plays a big part in this as you can see in this Swap Force gameplay video
Along with more figures, this year, you will also need to buy a new portal. Skylanders Swap Force doesn’t support your old Portal from Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure or Skylanders Giants. The result of this is that you will also need a new Swap Force Starter Pack
This pack includes the game disc, the new slim-line portal, one Series 3 figure and two Swap Force characters.
The game has proved a huge success with families, but questions remain whether it can win fans amongst more core gamers who look at DLC slightly differently – particularly content that is already on the disc. It is also a big ask to get previous Skylanders players to invest in new peripherals.
I look forward to discovering the date and price on this when Activision confirm details later in the year.
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Andy Robertson runs Family Gamer TV and writes about games and families.