Skylanders SuperChargers (Video Game Review)

Activision and Vicarious Visions have unleashed the power of Skylanders SuperChargers onto consoles for gamers around the world to enjoy today. Read on to learn more.

At BioGamer Girl, we have found the Skylanders series to be a delight to play and the title has become a great past time of our family. The series has managed to improve remarkably over the years and each new release has managed to add more immersion and entertainment for its fans with Skylanders SuperChargers taking it to an entirely new level. 

Skylanders SuperChargers expands on the previous titles while adding ridiculously fun new vehicles into the mix. Gamers can now jump into a wide array of fun vehicles to make their way across mountainous terrains, fly across the blue skies or simply dive into the blue seas all at the touch of a button. The vehicles have been impeccably designed with the option to modify and upgrade them as you complete levels throughout the game.

Children and adults alike have spent countless hours playing with tiny vehicles and imagining everything they could do if they were only real. Now thanks to the amazing advancements of technology, gamers can now take their imagination to the next level, and truly experience that with vehicles-to-life in Skylanders SuperChargers. The toys are detailed and look amazingly realistic and once gamers place them on the portal--that realism transfers over into the digital world remarkably well.



The developers have managed to keep the series incredibly fresh and entertaining with each new title and that has continued to be the case with the release of Skylanders SuperChargers. The new release adds an almost Mario Kart racing style to the series that can be played either cooperatively online or with other gamers in local play. The well-written storyline has Kaos up to his antics once again with gamers having to rescue their friends by exploring a world of treacherous terrains that can only be explored through the title's wide array of available vehicles. The SuperChargers of the new release are toy characters that fit well with the various vehicles rather they be boats, planes or cars. Fans can match up any toy with a vehicle, even characters from previous titles, but when they match a vehicle with a SuperCharger they reap the benefits through bonuses.

In Skylanders SuperChargers, Kaos has another quest to rule over the Skylands, and he plans to use his “Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction” weapon to literally eat the sky. In order to stop him from destroying the Skylands players take control of a team of SuperChargers to pilot a wide array of vehicles that can travel through all of the destruction caused by Kaos rather it be over land, sea, or sky. The game has been known for its incredible voice acting and this continues with the new release. Any diehard fan of the cartoon show Invader Zim will recognize the voice behind Kaos (Richard Horovitz)--literally one of the best voice actors out there.

The best part of Skylanders SuperChargers is that it has been designed in a way that it never becomes repetitive, because players can jump between the action-packed driven storyline into racing while enjoying fun mini-games in between. Skylanders SuperChargers introduces 20 new SuperCharger characters (Spitfire, Stormblade, Fiesta, Splat) and 20 new vehicles to the release, while also supporting all 300+ Skylanders toys from previous titles. If that isn't a ton of varied gameplay then I don't know what is! The fact that gamers can explore each new title with all of the characters they loved from previous releases really adds a high degree of immersion and replayability to the series.

Skylanders SuperChargers never limits the imagination of the player which is something that makes the game so incredibly fun and entertaining. While there are over 20 missions to use your vehicles--most of the game plays out like a platformer adventure title--with only using the vehicles to navigate over certain parts of the level. Gamers will appreciate not being stuck in a vehicle the entire game and was a smart choice by the development team. Cooperative play has also been incredibly designed and puts both players in the same vehicle with one player controlling the movement of the vehicle while the other controls the weapons to take out enemies. By combining the mechanics of vehicle gameplay between players, you find that cooperative gameplay is more friendly and enjoyable.

"Move over Mario Kart, because Skylanders SuperChargers is now the greatest kart racer out there!"

If you are more in the competitive spirit, you can also hit up four-player competitive racing which also features voice-chat for the first time ever in the Skylanders series. When jumping into the online multiplayer, players will be able to test out the title's six race tracks in Racing Mode featuring a mix of supercharged racing and combat that comes complete with power-ups and boosts. If you would like additional content then you have the option of purchasing additional Racing Action Packs alongside unlocking two new tracks and modes with the villain trophy that includes the SuperVillain Cup, Boss Pursuit and Mirror Cup. Skylanders SuperChargers features a lot of first for the series which also includes the addition of two iconic character from Nintendo with Donkey Kong and Bowser. Move over Mario Kart because Skylanders SuperChargers is now the greatest kart racer out there!



Every new mission in Skylanders SuperChargers was something that was unexpected and magical with the developers managing to always keep you guessing on what would happen next. The hub of the title is the SuperCharger's Academy where gamers can continuously replay some of their favorite levels adding a high degree of playability to the title even after completion with daily missions, challenges and collectibles. And I literally mean that you could replay Skylanders SuperChargers for years to come--it is that fun--especially with Portal Master Rank to unlock new skills and abilities!

"Skylanders SuperChargers has raced its way to being one of the best new titles for families this holiday season."

In the end, Skylanders SuperChargers is an incredibly bold new addition to the series that takes the game to entirely new heights. The game features solid gameplay, impressive visuals and impeccable voice acting combined with the addition of incredibly realistic vehicles and characters. There is just so much to talk about in the new title that one single review could never do it justice. The more our team played it--the more there was to discover and love about it. The only gripe that we even had about Skylanders SuperChargers was the fact the portal and characters didn't light up during use like previous titles. Beyond that, Skylanders SuperChargers is literally the best and most adventurous release in the popular franchise. The passion and love that has been poured into this release will be evidently clear for diehard fans of the series. Vicarious Visions has went above and beyond in Skylanders SuperChargers, and the new release has raced its way to being one of the best new titles for families this holiday season.

Score: 9.9 out of 10
Reviewed for Xbox One