Skylanders Swap Force
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Skylanders Swap Force Media
Critic Reviews for Skylanders Swap Force
If you're looking for family friendly fun that'll last hours and hours even after the campaign is complete, then rest assured that Skylanders: Swap Force is well worth the investment — of course, just how much you're willing to invest depends on how badly you want to collect all of those eye-catching figures.
Vicarious Visions delivers a well-evolved set of ideas for its latest return trip to the Skylanders universe, Skylanders: Swap Force.
After playing this game alone, and with my children, as a parent I can easily recommend it, as it is a title that the whole family can play over and over again while having lots of fun.
Skylanders: Swap Force is clearly geared towards a younger audience, but that doesn't mean that fans of hack-and-slash platformers should ignore the title entirely. The idea of physical figures that you can control in the game is brilliant – if expensive – and it results in a solid experience that thrives with friends. Sadly, the slow pacing, repetitive combat, and awkward jump mechanics let the gameplay down in places, and prevent it from reaching its full potential.
The swappable characters add a nice new mechanic and jumping is finally in. The PlayStation 4 version looks solid with better textures and resolution. It's fun for the whole family, but can be an expensive investment if your kid wants to unlock every level in the game.
The Skylanders Swap Force Starter Pack is the perfect jumping-off point for the super-popular game and collectible toy craze.
Although it's arguably the definitive version of the game, the next-generation iteration of Skylanders: Swap Force is nearly identical to its console-based predecessors. Those who enjoy family friendly action-platformers, and have been waiting for this release, will surely find a lot to enjoy. However, there's no reason to upgrade if you've already purchased and played through the title on another device.
If you're looking to invest in the game and have a choice, leave your older generation system behind – this is the right way to enjoy the entire line of Skylanders Toys you or your kids have amassed. The added improvements in graphics and audio will certainly outweigh any minor annoyances the Xbox One version brings. Be warned: if you already own it on any other console besides the Nintendo 3DS, it might not be worth the duplicate toys that come along with the minor bump in audio and video fidelity. This is where Activision should be looking at releasing a next-gen version with previously unreleased characters to bolster their brand in the next-gen world.
