In Skylanders SWAP Force, players will be able to control all new characters that have the ability to swap halves with other characters with the same ability. The strange Skylanders gained this ability while fighting a dark force some time ago and being caught in a magical eruption from the same volcano Kaos is attempting to control in the current storyline. This new power allows characters to combine different elements such as fire and water with the Blast Buckler or Wash Zone combinations possible with the characters available in the new Starter Pack. Certain areas in the game are only accessible by using characters that combine the different elements in the game, and it's here where players will find the best secrets the game has to offer and some of the most fun mini-games as well. This innovative new feature will likely be included in every release in the future and with good reason.
Skylanders SWAP Force has made several improvements in its presentation. High quality voice acting and humorous writing still makes the game a great release for younger gamers, and its fantastic design easily comparable to some the best animated shows around. Skylanders SWAP Force has also improved graphics that make the game look the best it ever has across any console. Characters are now more detailed than before to help bring the figures to life on screen. Fine details such as character's fur, scales or skin is identical on screen to the actual toy and animations are drastically improved with realistic movements that don't distract from the great gameplay. A few examples include Rattle Shake slithering across the ground with his snake body, Wash Buckler using each of his many tentacles to walk around or stick to and climb up walls and Free Ranger floating around on a magical tornado at his feet. On next generation consoles, Skylanders SWAP Force looks even better and includes even more details such as reflections of characters in water and better lighting animations. Skylanders SWAP Force is definitely a good looking game and the best in the series.
There are tons of new figures coming to the Skylanders universe in Skylanders SWAP Force. The new characters are some of the most innovative yet. While there are plenty of new LightCore and special run characters included in the new set of figures, the main attraction is the new SWAP Force characters. Two halves can be swapped at anytime with any other figure from the set to create a completely different creation with abilities granted from that element. In this way, any character gain the ability from any other half of another figure. Additionally, players can trade and borrow character halves to give moves to other friends or to level one half of a character with a stronger half, since data for the character's skill tree, level and experience is stored on each part. The figures connect with a powerful magnet that keeps the figure from breaking or being lost, and the rest of the toy is made with high quality parts that is built from longevity.
Fans have been requesting it forever and the team behind Skylanders SWAP Force has finally added a jump button to the game. The new feature allows players to fully explore the various locations that make up the Cloudbreak Islands, and new level design allows the development team to create maps with vertical intent with more platforming sections and creative puzzles than ever before. Jumping can also be used in combat to avoid incoming attacks. Jumping allows characters to no longer be restricted by gravitational pull and helps Skylanders SWAP Force feel much more like an open world adventure than previous titles. The new jump button would have been the biggest improvements to the new game if it wasn't for one very important new feature included in Skylanders SWAP Force.
The best new feature in Skylanders SWAP Force is the one the game is named for. This new style of Skylanders characters can swap halves with any other character from the set while still being fully playable in-game. With all of the new characters on the way, there will be 256 unique combinations that players can mix and match to find the best creature for each battle. The ability to switch out halves of characters gives the different toys loads of replay value as players explore the pool of moves that will be available with each new combination, and all of the experience earned on one half is saved separately to that toy to make the characters nearly two toys in one. New areas become available with the right combination of characters and fights become more strategic with the best two elements allowed to fight together and to be quickly swapped out if needed. The new Skylanders SWAP Force characters are the coolest ever developed for the series, and they're here to stay.