PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure requires the use of additional accessories and as such, the game only comes in a "Starter Pack" which contains the game software, three figures, a Portal, some stickers and a poster.
You're getting a lot of additional objects with your purchase but the game takes advantage of the "collect them all" mentality to encourage players to purchase additional figures (a total of 32 in this first series) to play as them in the game.
The figure we get is Trigger Happy, a psycho-maniac wielding two guns and a crazy face.
Each figure is in a static pose and attached to a non-removable base.
The next figure is the titular Spyro, who unfortunately takes on the uglier aesthetics of the later Spyro games.
What surprised me was the attention to detail to this figures, including the generous use of paint to highlight the sculpted detailing.
The last figure you get is Gill Grunt, who wields a harpoon gun.
Once again, the detailing is astounding but I can't help but wish that these figures could have packed in some additional movable joints, this would have improved the play value tenfold.
Of course, these figures are useless with the "Portal of Power" which is what causes the game to recognize which figures you're using.
The Portal is a big chunky piece with the center lighting up. It is wireless and runs on three AAA batteries.
Each figure has a transparent base which allows the Portal's light to create some nice effects. This is especially true for Gill Grunt who has his whole base made of transparent plastic.
The Portal's light changes color every few seconds which is really cool.
Finally, with the ancillary pack-ins, you get some stickers of each character.
Collector cards for each character and a code for the online game (useless now because I think the online game was unlocked and does not need codes anymore).
And lastly, there is a giant fold out poster which presents a cross-sell of all the other Skylanders that you can purchase. Overall there's actually a lot of stuff for what you're paying.
THE GAME:
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is a platform game released in 2011 by Activision. What makes Skylanders stand out at the time was the fact it combined a video game with physical toys. These toys aren't only merchandise; the whole game is designed around them. With the "Portal of Power" provided in the package, you can transport Skylanders who are fixed unmoving statues in real life into their animated self inside the game. This works by plugging in a wireless receiver into the USB slot of the PS3 system for which the Portal to communicate. This works flawlessly. The game's story takes place in the fictional world of Skylands and begins when the antagonist, Kaos, destroys the Core of Light. As the Skylanders (a team of elite warriors of Skylands) fought back, Kaos uses trickery to banish them from Skylands to Earth, shrinking and limiting their movements in the process, which explains why they are toys in real life. The player acts as a Portal Master, someone who has the ability to transfer the Skylanders back to their world to save it.
The game then proceeds in a methodic fashion in which you play through levels to regain parts, repairing the Core of Light. Throughout your adventure, you'll meet various characters who help out. These characters and the worlds explored vary widely. Kaos will constantly try and thwart your progress. Skylanders are somewhat revered in the world and more powerful than the normal inhabitants, which provide the perfect excuse of how one is able to smash all who are in their way. Despite the title and this supposedly starting off as a reboot to the Spyro franchise, he doesn't take a huge role. Spyro never gets named, this is because you have the freedom to pick which Skylanders you want to use and play through the game. While the story isn't complex, it is enjoyable and the dialogue was funnier than I expected. The final boss battle felt too dragged out though, with Kaos having a ridiculous amount of health. You can swap Skylanders on the fly in the game by taking the character off the Portal and playing another one, this will trigger a short transition screen and then your character instantly appears ready for action.
It's good that swapping characters is so painless because the game's levels are designed with this in mind. You can treat the toys as physical DLC in a way because you will need to buy additional figures in order to access all the game has to offer. This isn't nearly as bad as it sounds because these additional areas are just small extra sections within a level where you can grab more money or collectibles. Other ways the game encourage swapping is the fact that each Skylander is one of eight elements, the starter pack only provides three, so you need at least five more figures in order to fully complete the game to 100% (note that the Platinum trophy is obtaining without purchasing anything extra, it's just that you can't get all the collectibles). Various elements are also more powerful at certain places. If you Skylander runs out of health, they cannot be used until you restart the level, however, you can swap to another Skylander to keep going on, which makes the already easy game even easier.
The Portal of Power is wireless, which is pretty cool until you realize that the battery life isn't great. It uses three AA batteries and lasts approximately 10 hours, which is enough to finish the game once through though. The game is a platform game with a large emphasis on action. It's a simple game to pick up and master, the analogue stick is for movement and two buttons correspond to two different attacks. What's mindboggling is the fact that you can't jump, which feels wrong. Otherwise, you can purchase upgrades to boost your attacks and add some variations. Surprisingly, this works and the game is really fun. The levels are well designed, while they're extremely linear, it makes it all the more fun to speed through them. Each Skylander's abilities are different enough such that it's a completely different experience. A small nitpick is the fact that characters walk so slow though. I wish that there was somehow an option to make characters run faster since it can sometimes be painful watching them walk around slowly or that you cannot dodge an enemy's attack in time.
The game is easy, especially if you end up focusing on one Skylander throughout the whole game. This is because there is also a level system and what's cool is that the toys retain the levels, upgrades and money earned while you're using the character. This means that you can bring your toy to a friend's place and still retain all your stats. If need be, you can always reset the character back to level 1. The graphics are nothing to be amazed at, they're actually somewhat subpar. At least the bright and vivid aesthetics makes up for it. The music on the other hand is surprisingly good. The trophies are harder than you would expect. Some of them are a bit challenging especially if you only use the three characters in the starter pack. However, they are enjoyable and the Platinum is fun. Overall, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure exceeded my expectations. I thought it would have been a very kiddy game that's shallow and easy. While it is still on the easier side, it provides heaps of fun and the concept works well. At its core, this is a fantastic platform adventure game.
OVERALL:
As a package, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is worth the money. While the story mode is on the shorter side being around ten hours long, this is a testament to how great the game plays and how fun it is. Even if you weren't before, it will definitely convince you that the concept works and even tempt you to get more figures. Grab this game while you still can as it's probably on clearance for any stores that still has it.
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