You can stop calling Skylanders 6 by its temporary name as Activision has formally announced this year’s latest entry in the Skylanders franchise is titled Skylanders Imaginators. The announcement comes less than a day after some of the game details leaked online following a preview event a couple weeks ago.
The Skylanders Imaginators release date in North America is October 16th on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Wii U. There will be no 3DS version this year, though don’t rule out a Nintendo NX version in early 2016 when that new console launches. Skylanders Imaginators Dark Editions are also confirmed for all consoles.
In Skylanders Imaginators, players will be able to create their own Skylanders using a variety of customizations picked up during the course of gameplay. Everything from a Skylander’s look to what they say and how they say it will be controlled by the player who creates him or her.
One custom Skylander can then be stored to a new Creation Crystal toy that can be transported to a friend’s house to use that custom Skylander. Each Creation Crystal is elementally aligned and will pulsate light to convey a beating heart.
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- Creation Crystal
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- Master King Pen
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- Golden Queen
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- Tri-Tip
Fronting the Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack is the game, a Portal of Power, two Sensei Skylanders who are either new heroes (Master King Pen) or reformed villains (Golden Queen), and one Crystal (Fire). Sensei Tri-Tip is the only announced standalone figure at this time. Additional game details are as follows:
Create your own Skylander – For the first time, their imaginations to life and create their own Skylanders, called Skylanders Imaginators. With endless creation options of powers, abilities, catchphrases, appearance and much more, kids can build their very own creations out of their imaginations, or use the randomize feature to allow the game to choose parts for them.
Creation Crystal – Skylanders Imaginators introduces a new toy type — a Creation Crystal. This vessel allows players to create and transport their unique Skylanders to consoles at anytime, anywhere! Creation Crystals are elementally aligned. Portal Masters can create one character per Creation Crystal.
Meet the Senseis – The Skylanders franchise continues to offer engaging characters that kids love to discover as they play the game. Skylanders Imaginators will introduce new guest stars to Skylanders called Senseis to fans. Senseis include 20 new characters and 11 former villains. Each Sensei is a master of one of 10 powerful Battle Classes (e.g., Knight, Sorcerer, Brawler and more).
Being the master of these Battle Classes, only Senseis have the ability to unleash Sky Chi – the ultimate Battle Class super move. Sensei Skylanders have a master-to-apprentice relationship with newly created Imaginator Skylanders. This is supported in-game through the Sensei unlocking of unique Imaginator weapons, the increase of Imaginator level caps, providing access to special areas in the game, as well as the unlocking of new Secret Techniques for Imaginators of the same class.
New Storyline and Gameplay – Skylanders Imaginators features an all-new adventure-filled, comedic and charming story with fun new characters, as well as returning franchise favorites. The game delivers a diverse and dynamic story-driven gameplay experience, focused on the magic of sparking imagination, inspiration and excitement of kids as they create their own superheroes – all set within a variety of compelling new environments.
Additionally, Skylanders Imaginators will support local co-op multiplayer. Players can place two Creation Crystals or two toys or a combination of the Crystals and toys on the Portal of Power to maximize the fun!
Returning Core Characters – Skylanders Imaginators also will feature fan-favorite characters who make an appearance in both the storyline of the game — and the upcoming “Skylanders Academy” television series.
Toys For Bob is back in the development chair for Skylanders Imaginators and their involvement as lead developer is immediately evident in the game’s design. The return of villains as playable characters, only this time with corresponding toys, and interactive toy elements are both obviously derived from their work on Skylanders Trap Team.
After the events of Skylanders Trap Team, Eon gave these Villains a choice – either go back to a newly reformed Cloudcracker Prison or become Skylander Senseis, teaching a new generation of Imaginators their formidable battle skills as well as how to stay clear of a life of crime. They accepted the deal but first had to prove themselves by re-arranging all the books in the Academy’s library, a task which took almost two years, testing every ounce of will they had. And their knowledge of the alphabet.
The story of Skylanders Imaginators takes place long ago when the Ancients used a mysterious power known as “Mind Magic” to create everything in Skylands. With it, they conjured into existence anything that they could imagine! However, they soon learned that in the wrong hands, it could be very dangerous, and so they sealed it away so that it could never be misused. After discovering this ancient secret, Kaos has unleashed the power of “Mind Magic” into Skylands once again – and he is using it to create an unstoppable army of Doomlanders, the likes of which have never been seen! Now it’s up to Portal Masters to create Skylanders Imaginators from their own imagination and stop Kaos and his evil Doomlanders before it is too late. And to help train them, Eon is sending the greatest mystic warriors of all time – the Senseis!
