Activision will release Skylanders: Imaginators on October 16th. However, you can read our review now!
The story for Skylanders: Imaginators takes place in the past where Ancients could use the power of Mind Magic to create everything within the beautiful world of Skylands. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and the Ancients soon realized that the ability to turn anything you imagine into reality could be very dangerous. The secret was locked away until the evil Kaos found it and released the power of Mind Magic back into the Skylands. Of course, Kaos wants to use the power to create an army of Doomlanders like the world has never seen. It is now up to you to create powerful Skylanders Imaginators to stop them and save the Skylands once again.
The ability to keep a series fresh is something most franchises struggle with--but not Skylanders. The ability to create your very own creations straight out of your imagination is a natural progression for the game series and is something that fits perfectly into the gameplay.
Eon has sent the Senseis to help guide you in the new world where anything is possible. Gamers have over 300+ characters that are supported by Skylanders: Imaginators which gives the game a great deal of replayability right off the bat. The biggest draw of the game is the Skylanders Creator which can be used to customize all aspects of your characters including how they look and their unique abilities and powers. The fact you can create your own character really adds a new level of immersion to the game that will make Skylanders: Imaginators a hot item this holiday season for kids.
However, if making your own character from scratch isn't your cup of tea, you can simply choose a randomized one to jump into the game. The addition of the Senseis adds 20 new characters to the game alone--so it is not like you won't have plenty of unique characters to test out from the start. The Senseis are basically a master to your Imaginators and the unique relationship is carried out in the game through unlocking weapons, techniques and areas throughout the world alongside the increase of level caps.
As you may have guessed, the idea for Imaginators came from years of the developers receiving kids drawings and wanting to give the opportunity to bring their creations to life. Gamers have the ability to tweak their character anytime during playing in case you change your mind about something on your Skylander. Imaginators is definitely the most expansive Skylanders game yet, and the developers have done a great job at making sure all of the different character parts work seamlessly during gameplay.
Skylanders: Imaginators is once again a visually impressive masterpiece with its bright colors and cinematic cutscenes. The soundtrack manages to work alongside the gameplay perfectly and elevates your mood to just the right level rather it be intense battle or intrinsic puzzle-solving.
So it sounds and looks fantastic? But how does it play? Well upon jumping into the Skylands, players notice that the story-driven gameplay experience is still intact but now has charming new adventures and characters to boot. Imaginators also supports local co-op, so the ability to invite a friend really makes the gameplay that more fun and immersive. The only big difference in gameplay (besides making your own Skylander) is the addition of Sensei and their master-apprentice relationships with newly created Imaginators.
In the end, Skylanders: Imaginators is a great new addition to the series and continues to be impressive with each new release. However, the ability to customize your character from its body to its personality really takes the series to the next level. The customization levels are off the chart for Imaginators with upwards of 50+ options available for some things like character heads. There are ten battle classes to choose from alongside custom crystals which really helps keep the gameplay engaging and fun. Skylanders: Imaginators does a great job of furthering the series while keeping to the foundation of what makes the game so great in the first place. To learn more, visit the official Skylanders: Imaginators website.
Reviewed for Xbox One