Skylanders Imaginators Reviews
Excellent combat and the joy of customizing a character keeps this as a strong entry in the franchise, even as it is undercut by a lackluster story and underwhelming humor. Level design is mostly great with some uninspired moments. Definitely still worthwhile for kids, but not necessarily as intriguing for adults as well.
Using the new Creation Crystal figures, you can make your own Skylander using a deep set of customization options. Making characters is a joyous, hysterical experience, as the charm and levity of the series is nestled into every element of the creation tool. You can pick out all sorts of body parts, fine-tune their powers, pick out a catchphrase and a voice, and even add theme music. It’s a character creator that basically takes all of the best parts of creator tools over the years and puts them all into one. I generally don’t care much for in-depth character creation, but I loved making Skylanders here. Unfortunately, the creator often runs slow, hampering the neat experience.
If you’re a diehard Skylanders fan, or really love Crash Bandicoot, or have young children who love Skylanders, Imaginators is a no-brainer. If your kids are older, if you want to play with them, or if you don’t have kids at all, consider Disney Infinity 3.0 or LEGO Dimensions to save your sanity.
A strange deviation from the traditional, action-figured based formula that succeeds in rewarding players, but comes up short in story, levels, and collectability
Skylanders Imaginators is saved by its focus on character customisation.
The overall experience at the centre of all Skylanders: Imaginators' toys and loot chests is so charming and feature-rich that kids will enjoy it and adults won't begrudge playing it alongside them. If you don't mind the potentially large financial undertaking that a Skylanders game represents, then this is perfect for younger players. The return of Crash is also good value; it's simply heartening to see that the 90s mascot feels at home in a modern platformer.
Skylanders Imaginations is built for the long haul with great replay value, which may be one more reason for the series to take a year off.
Skylanders Imaginators pursues the legacy of its predecessors and is a fun, simple and visually rich action-platformer that makes use of action figures to interact in the game. It could have been more generous, given how much of its contents require owning all the figures, which will weigh heavily on the players' budgets, but the game also allows some margin to finish its main plot without the need to overspend.
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Race mode also has been slightly reworked, feeling more responsive. Some real fun can be had, with up to four players competing online in head-to-head races. It channels a decent Mario Kart vibe.
A whimsical evolution of the beat ‘em up
All in all, Skylanders Imaginators is yet another well-made adventure filled with charming characters and amusing gameplay. The Switch version is hampered a little bit by the system's portability and the loss of compatibility with some previous figures is a shame, but it's still a fine way to play, especially if you long for the days of the Skylanders 3DS games. This is a good time, even if it doesn't match the highs of past entries in the series.
Activision and Toys for Bob have once more delivered a highly entertaining adventure, filled with hidden goodies galore, and an amusing script, on top of an extremely solid platforming escapade. Newcomers may grow frustrated at the amount of content locked behind 'pay walls' ('toy' walls?) but the core story has enough meat to keep early Nintendo Switch adopters satiated; as for long-term fans with a large toy collection, this is superb.
Maybe as a result of the sheer growing mass of Skylanders games, though, the level design here is particularly uninspired. Most maps are simple A-to-B affairs, with some simplistic puzzles dotting the landscape. It carries some legacy issues, like the frustratingly slow block-pushing puzzles, and the inability to easily read ahead when characters are slowly delivering their dialogue points. Plus the central hub, called M.A.P.S., is a bit more confusing than most of the past hub worlds, since it consists of several floating islands without obvious paths between them.
Nothing says we're living in the darkest timeline more than Skylanders: Imaginators.
Skylanders Imaginators feels tired. A game that either needs a significant break or possible retirement, it's difficult to recommend to anyone but younger gamers - and parents would probably prefer to avoid it due to the additional character cost. There are plenty of other games more worthy of your cash, and if you desperately must have this game, buy it on another system where the starter pack will be cheaper.
As it stands, this is the superior way to experience Imaginators on any platform, and it's highly recommended that Switch owners give the title a whirl!
All in all, Skylanders: Imaginators offers a ton of content, regardless of how many accessories players choose to purchase. At its worst, the title can sometimes exemplify the greediest excesses of the toys-to-life craze, but long-time fans will still find plenty to offer, as well. Toys-to-life fans and those who love creating custom characters will find a lot to enjoy, but newcomers on a fixed budget may want to look elsewhere.
After a dozen hours romping around the Skylands with Faemily, Seamusbot, Archer Rex, Bird Kirkilton and Dadcat Robot, it feels like I’ve made the game my own. This is my Skylanders.