Skylanders Giants Review

In skylanders adventures we see the group send Kaos off to earth where he will be trapped, in the new Skylanders Giants the story continues from there seeing Kaos find his way back to Skylands where he plans to yet again try to take over their lands. You have been chosen to become a portal master to help end Kaos’ plans and to make the lands a safe place.

The giants are much larger than the series 1 skylanders and they feel a lot more powerful although a lot slower to move from place to place. 1000’s of years ago the giants fought in battles but were then banished to earth, but they have been brought back in an attempt to help you defeat the enemy Kaos. Moving boulders, islands and breaking holes in the ground, you will find a joy in being able to smash up the environment by just walking around.

For those new to the game:

It is not necessary to have played the first game, so for those that haven’t played that one here is a low down on how the game works and the important aspects to know about.

Using your portal to transport your chosen character into the game, you are to work your way through the levels (which can be replayed at any time through the menu), defeating enemies, bosses, levelling up your skylanders and saving the lands from evil. There are 8 different elements to choose from, (Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Tech, Magic, Undead and Life) each playing an important role in your journey. In some areas you will find that individual elements are stronger and in turn giving your skylanders extra experience. It is not necessary to own each one to complete the game, but you will need to own the ones in the starter pack. The bonus of owning one from each element is that you will be able to explore all the secret areas that are locked to specific elements. These areas normally hold collectables or hats for your skylanders to wear.

Collectables are found throughout the levels, below is a brief understanding of what they are;

• Story scrolls – these contain a history or some information about Skylands and its inhabitants.
• Skystones – these are for use in the game skystones which you will learn about later in this review.
• Skylanders
• Movies
• Charms – these boost stats or give abilities to your characters.
• Accolades
• Soul gems are special items found to unlock special abilities for the characters.
• Luck-O-tron wheels increase experience, food drops, etc.

Battle modes are a versus mode which allow you to challenge friends, there are 4 modes in total;

• Arena Rumble: 1 vs. 1
• Sky Goal: 2 players race to a ball which they must take to the end zone
• Skygem master: 2 players battle to collect a number of skygems
• Ring out: 2 players battle each other to push the other out of the ring.

Levelling up your skylanders is key to this game; there are a few ways in which to do this. One way is to smash up the environment collecting gold which will allow you to buy upgrades from the upgrade fairy on the ship. This will get you new abilities or improve upon current ones. The other way is to defeat enemies which will gather you XP. There are also heroic challenges to complete; these are little mini quests which are to be completed within a set time limit. There are challenges for each specific skylanders, but each character can do any of them. These challenges give your skylanders added bonuses to make them stronger.

For those who played the initial game:

If you have played the first game before then you will know the general gist of what’s going on, however there are a few new introductions to take note about. The controls have generally stayed the same with only one little change, which makes the actions of putting in a key or opening a chest a bit easier.

A new mini game has been introduced called skystones, in this game you play against a computerised opponent to get the most amount of tiles on the board by taking control of your opponents tiles. This is done by having more points than theirs on the side of the tiles touching.

Game play 4/5

The game is consistent and the storyline is enjoyable to play through. There is a wide variety of enemies to come across and a good difference in activities to perform. It was overall a very good story to work my way through.

Graphics 4/5

Quirky and colourful, the graphics in this game will appeal to any audience. The cut scenes have been done extremely well and have quite a humorous side to them. The environment around you is just as pretty and colourful; you can also interact with most things you come across.

Sound 4/5

The characters are extremely quirky and their conversations are funny to listen to. The voices fit the characters well and help to make the game as enjoyable as it is. The music you hear in the background is fitting to the current happenings and is easy to listen to.

Closing comments

I thoroughly enjoyed the game and I am a huge fan of the new design for the characters. Especially that the giants light up, it’s a nice little new addition. Getting this starter pack also meant that I had 6/8 of the element types which meant I could explore a lot more of the areas than if I just had the giants starter pack.

Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.