At one point in time, all was right with Spyro the Dragon’s world. The franchise was comfortably in the hands of Insomniac Games, and they produced some quality efforts for the classic PlayStation system. But then that team moved on to greener pastures, between the Ratchet and Clank and Resistance series, while Activision took over Spyro’s territory – and proceeded to make it grow in unnecessary ways. We didn’t need the likes of celebrity voices (Elijah Wood, David Spade) or an “epic” style of game (the last Legend of Spyro), just something that resembled good old-fashioned gameplay. But under the right developer, there is the possibility of throwing in the kind of classic platforming that inspired the series to begin with, along with new tech that takes it in a bold new direction. That’s exactly what Toys For Bob is looking to do with Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, and the team happily showed us just what kind of progress it’s making when it invited us up to its “tropical” studios, just outside of San Francisco.
First off, Skylanders isn’t even your typical Spyro adventure. Sure, the fire-breathing dragon is a playable character, but he’s one of various heroes available over the course of the game. Your job is to try and eradicate evil from the land, but that’s hard to do when you’ve got enemies running around everywhere, at the command of the evil Portal Master Kaos. Plus, certain items must be collected to achieve this goal. Each of the characters in the game come with a series of attacks and movement boosters, so they can run around quickly and take out enemies both near and far. You can mix up these attacks when groups of enemies are around, and also use your techniques to help solve particular puzzles, such as dragging a bomb to blast open a door before its depleting fuse causes it to explore. These brain benders are never to the point of being too difficult, though, as Toys For Bob is making this one an all-ages affair – similar to its previously developed Madagascar games.
Unlike those games, however, Skylanders is going for a more original hook. Spyro is the only real recognizable character here, as the rest are completely new additions that stand out in their own right. Chop Chop manages to bring some fun blade action to the party; Stealth Elf can sneak around handily while holding her own in battle; Eruptor uses a series of lava-based attacks as his own sadistic way of dispensing justice; and many more will be available over the course of the game. How these characters become available is pretty much up to you. That’s because Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure isn’t your typical platformer. You see, along with launching a successful new game franchise, Toys For Bob is working with Activision on releasing a coordinating toy line. This game works with a “magic portal”, a small stand that glows when it’s plugged in to the 360 (or activated with batteries on PS3 and Wii). It syncs up with your system and then requires a figure be placed on the portal in order to begin playing.
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