A new Skylanders every year is as sure as the daily setting of the Sun. And each year, I'm worried if the new iteration will be able to build on previous foundations, and once again make it a must buy for those who have invested into all the titles that came before it. Again, Activision proves that not only do they know how to keep innovating this children friendly franchise, but they also keep making it more enjoyable to play.
This year stars the titular Trap Team, an elite force of Skylanders that wield gorgeous looking weapons made out of Traptanium. The majority of the game is spent huting down the escaped Doom Raiders, which you can then have the option to trap, given you have the right element trap. Once trapped, you can then summon these guys in place of your Skylander, effectively doubling the amount of characters you can now play as in the game.
The implementation of the villains as playable characters is fluid, and relatively hassle free. Once you capture a villain, you can summon them with a push a button. Though you can't keep them out indefinitely, since they operate on a timer. At that point, you have to switch back to your Skylander and wait until they recharge to use them again. The new (and absolutely gorgeous) portal now includes a tiny speaker, where you can hear whatever villain you have currently trapped, spout various nonsense or sound effect. It's certainly cute, and most of the time entertaining, and I love the effect the game makes when you're summoning a villain, making the sound fade out from the portal and fade into the game, as if they're truly traveling from the portal to the TV.
If you're just buying the Starter Pack, you'll only be able to trap a Water and a Life element Doom Raider. If you want to trap the full spectrum, you'll need to dish out $7 per plastic trap, or $16 for a triple pack. And that's not counting the Kaos trap that you can't buy individually unless you buy the Dark Edition. As much as I love the new Skylanders and their designs, which are probably some of the best designs I have seen thus far, I despise that poor parents are going to be forced to spend more money on these tiny plastic crystals to house villains. Granted, you technically only need one per element since you can switch out villains from crystals back at the Hub, but the Starter Pack comes with a collector's box that has slots for every single villain crystal. If you let your kid see this, it's game over, since it's essentially asking you to buy a separate crystal per villain. And since there is over 40 of them… well, you do the math.
The other content that's locked behind supplemental purchases are this year's elemental gates. No longer can you use any old Skylander figure's element, this time it needs to be a Trap Team Skylander with the correct element, taking a focus away from old Skylanders, and adding a much bigger focus on the new ones. That means you'll need to shell out around $15 per elemental Skylander, except water since that comes in the Starter Pack, if you hope to unlock all the gates. However, and this is either the most genius marketing ploy, or the most evil, a few gates are locked behind an unknown element, which you can't access until that element is sold in stores.
The gameplay itself is still as solid as ever, with some great platforming and improved combat mechanics. Each character feels vastly different from one another. Gearshift, the robotic humanoid who wields a giant gear that splits apart into two swords actually has three active combat modes that you can switch freely between, whereas the Starter Pack water Skylander Snap Shot, has two basic attacks, a long range bow shot where he shoots his sword, or a powerful slash attack. Not to mention each Skylander has various upgrades that make their moveset even more varied.
Aside from the Trap Team, old Skylanders get a makeover with baby forms this time around, meaning you'll be able to run around as baby Spyro or Gill Runt. If you fancy yourself a collector of these toys, then these are a no brainer.
Some of the mini-games that were in Skylanders Giants but missing from Swap Force are back again, like Skystones Smash. This much improved card game will have you playing monster cards against each one another, to burn down each monsters health, while also trying to damage the other players health pool. While its mechanics are fairly easy, it's a super addicting side activity. It's certainly more Magic the Gathering Lite, but that's certainly not a bad thing, considering the target audience.
Then there is the Kaos Doom Challenge, which is easily the best side-activity in Trap Team. Here you build and modify tower defenses while you fend off hordes of monsters with your leveled up Skylanders, as well as any trapped villains. It's an extremely fun mode that definitely gets more challenging as you progress, essentially requiring you to level up your Skylanders if you hope to stand a chance.
I've only been provided the Starter Pack for review purposes, but in order to get the most out of my gameplay, and to have the most informed review, I went out and bought all the available crystals and a few other Trap Team Skylanders. Usually, I was able to get by in past Skylanders titles with my older figures, but since so much content is locked away by either the requirement of a Trap Team figure or an elemental crystal, the Starter Pack feels rather incomplete. If you're planning on purchasing this for yourself or perhaps a younger family member, just be prepared to shell out some extra money, since so much content is locked away otherwise.
If I was to score the game based on the amount of money Activision wants you to spend to get every single thing in the game, it wouldn't do so hot. However, Skylanders Trap Team is still a fantastic game regardless of all the extras it will inevitably force you to buy.
