Prior to Skylanders SuperChargers’ announcement, Activision allowed members of the media to go hands-on with the title. Nintendo World Report has since published its preview with plenty of the details about the game. Find the information summary below, and the full report here.
– Again, big hook here is vehicles
– Same style of gameplay as previous Skylanders
– 20 figures added to the mix
– 8 are new takes on old characters like Stealth Elf
– 20 vehicles
– Each new figure pairs with a vehicle to make them “supercharged”
– This adds more power to their abilities
– Vehicles are split into land, sea, and air categories
– Land segments feature a racing feel
– Take your race car or motorcycle on long stretches of road, drifting around corners and launching off of huge jumps
– In the sea sections, you’ll be gliding across water in speedboats and hovercrafts
– Also dive down beneath the surface to find secret passages and avoid obstacles
– In the air, fly with jet planes and helicopters in gameplay that seems to resemble Star Fox to an extent
– The vehicle figures have wheels, so you can roll them in real life
– One of the sea toys has a propeller that spins
– Most of the new figures have a physical element to them
– Upgrade vehicles with mods
– These are found in hidden treasure chests throughout the game
– Mods change up their stats and gives them a different look
– One mod for a submarine involves a pool toy add-on named Mr. Squeaks that squeaks in game
– Upgrade your vehicle permanently using gear bits
– Gear bits are in each area
– Straightaway and arenas for the vehicle segments with boss fights and secrets
– They can all be played in two-player co-op, though that takes on a Mario Kart: Double Dash style of multiplayer as one player steers while the other fires weapons
– Same Diablo-lite gameplay as previous Skylanders
– Navigate through different worlds, fight enemies, solve puzzles, power up your Skylanders
– Vicarious Visions is trying to have levels with a central gameplay hook
– Ex: one level has clouds that obscures the world around you; clear those clouds so you can solve puzzles and progress
– Another level: shrink ray that grows and shrinks objects, which opens up other puzzle and combat concepts
– One later stage places you on the back of a dragon that alters the environment as he sways back and forth
– All previous figures work with Skylanders SuperChargers
– That includes last year’s Traps
– Traps only add bonuses like upgraded mod boosts and unique Skystones cards
– New twists on popular mini-games
– Livewire Lock: lock-pick mini-game
– Livewire Lock has players charging up the the little lock gremlin guy
– The card games Skystones comes back as Skystones Overdrive, which adds new cards and gameplay mechanics
– Beenox working on the Wii and 3DS versions
– Wii version is a port of the Wii U game
– 3DS version will be an original version
– Wii U Starter Pack comes with Spitfire, Super Shot Stealth Elf, and the vehicle Hot Streak
