The Skylanders franchise is every child’s dream. Placing a toy on the Portal of Power in the real world brings that character to life on-screen, and it’s easy to imagine why kids can’t resist collecting every figure they can get their hands on. While Skylanders Giants, the game’s upcoming sequel, keeps this gimmick intact, it’s deeper than you might expect and actually has a hell of a lot to offer hardcore gamers.
This time around, there are plenty of new characters -- most notably, the giants. Giants are, as you might have guessed, twice as big as normal Skylanders, including both their in-game characters and real life toys. That size increase comes with both advantages and disadvantages. While giants can move boulders, knock down barriers and trample obstacles, they’re also significantly slower. This is where Skylanders Giants evolves past the limits of its predecessor.
Strategy is important this time around, and choosing between giants and normal Skylanders plays a huge part in traversing the game’s world. In a battle scenario, a giant’s brute strength helps you move forward. In an area where enemies fire missiles at you, the agility of a normal Skylander might serve you better. Choosing who to play as and when adds a new level of depth that makes Giants legitimately fun to play and not simply a showcase for kids to show off their collection.
Activision has sold more than 30 million Skylanders toys and will surely sell plenty more, but the new figures aren’t simply a cash grab. In fact, you’ll be able to play through the entirety of Giants as any character you like, whether it’s a normal character or a Giant. The whole game can be accessed as either one, and the challenge comes in solving puzzles to figure out how to open a door as one or the other. Players can also unlock hidden areas by revisiting each level as a different type of character – elemental types, size and unique abilities are all the keys to accessing various hidden environments for additional loot.
Giants not only allows players to use their original Skylanders, but will even carry over stats, upgrades and customization from the original game. The level cap has been raised from level 10 to 15, and you’ll be able to continue leveling up your favorites. As in the original Skylanders, all characters can be used on any platform, meaning that if you level up one character on a 360, you can use that same toy on a PS3, Wii or 3DS and maintain all of your stats. New Series Two figures are also planned, bringing back original characters in new poses and adding an upgraded ability in the game for each.
Skylanders Giants will feature 20 new characters (including eight giants) when it hits stores later this year. With features like drop-in/drop-out co-op and new multiplayer modes, Giants could end up being the most hardcore kids game we’ve seen yet.
