Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (3DS Review) by Carl B.

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Vicarious Visions
System: Nintendo 3DS
Release: October 16, 2011

October 30, 2011, by Carl B. - When Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure was first announced by Activision, fans of the classic Spyro series rejoiced – a new title was finally coming out. As new information for the game poured in, those same fans grew weary to the point of disinterest. It was clear that Skylanders was no Spyro game. Instead, Activision and developer Vicarious Visions created a brand new, toy-based IP that featured a minor cameo by Spyro the dragon. While those fans certainly have a right to be upset over where Activision took this title, the end product of Skylanders is something that was rather surprising: it's actually good.

Skylanders' premise is simple: a force of darkness known as Hektore is threatening to take over an alternate world, so in order to combat him the guardians of that world have called upon the Portal Master. Players in the game are the Portal Master – Skylanders oftentimes breaks the fourth wall – and they're able to summon their toys in the "real world" into the alternate dimension of the game.

The Nintendo 3DS version of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is the closest thing to a Spyro game compared to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, mobile, and PC versions. A central hub world allows players to take on several different themed stages, much like classic Spyro the Dragon on PlayStation. The 3DS version of the game is even a platformer, while all other versions are more action based and lack a jump button.

Level design in Skylanders 3DS is surprisingly varied and fun. Each world in the game features five levels where players have to collect radiance orbs or complete different challenges to obtain crystals that will allow them to access other worlds in the game. Levels, whether they're based in a dark cave, forest, or snow world, often feature branching paths – in order to complete all the missions in one level, players will have to go back multiple times through and take pathways they neglected to travel in previous playthroughs.


The main gimmick in Skylanders is clever and works very well. 37 different toys are available for players to collect and use in game, each one featuring its own play style and special abilities. Unlike the console versions, however, only two toys can be used at one time; the console versions allow players to swap through all their toys at any given moment.

There are several different elements that each of the toys falls into, including magic, water, and fire. Each day will grant a random two elements extra experience at the end of a level, which goes towards gaining levels and unlocking new abilities as well as health and damage bonuses.

One of the best uses of the toys are the ability to save their experience and level on them and use them in other versions of the game, or even let friends use them. The only downside to this is that the toys are essentially expensive DLC. A single toy figure runs at $6.99 while the starter kit (the game, portal, and thee toys) costs a whopping $59.99.


Furthermore, there are several toy figures that unlock additional levels in the game. These levels are already on the game cart, meaning that Activision is charging players more money for something they already paid for.

The Verdict

Sound
11/15 - A simple soundtrack with few memorable tracks.

Graphics
14/20 - Skylanders isn't the best looking 3DS game, and it isn't the worst, either. The use of 3D isn't special.

Appeal
18/25 - Skylanders 3DS won't take long to beat. There are plenty of toys to collect and level up. High cost is certainly detrimental to the experience.

Gameplay
30/40 - Skylanders on 3DS is the closest thing to a true Spyro title out of all versions.

Overall
73/100 - Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is a fun title, but at $59.99 it's hard to recommend it as anything other than a free holiday gift. There are plenty of toys to collect, making it a great item for kids and a great way for Activision to charge gamers extra for content that already exists on the cart. Gamers looking for a true Spyro experience will find the closest thing to that on the 3DS version.