Now that Skylanders Swap Force has been announced and is being demoed at Toy Fair 2013 behind closed doors, I have developed several questions about the game and went on the hunt to get them answered. It’s simply too early for many of them to be addressed; however, Activision producer Chris Wilson was game to entertain a few and drop some cool new bits of information in the process.
One of the glaring omissions in Skylanders Giants were the Adventure Packs. I don’t knock Toys for Bob for their exclusion given how quickly Giants was turned around and how sharp and well constructed the finished product came out. Still, the Adventure Packs were missed as they offered new chapters to play and exclusive characters to collect.
Those of you also missing Adventure Packs will be happy to hear that yes, they are returning for Skylanders Swap Force and will be accompanied by more Battle Packs. It’s too early to get into specifics, but rest assured that Adventure Packs were not forgotten and are being prepared for a triumphant return.
Chris also confirmed that Toys for Bob and Vicarious Visions worked very closely on the Swap Force character design and game. Those of you concerned that Toys for Bob did not develop Swap Force can rest easy that they were involved. Trust me; the game is in good hands at VV as the first gameplay snippets have revealed.
In terms of campaign length, the current plan is for Skylanders Swap Force to take approximately the same amount of time to finish as Skylanders Giants. There will be difficulty levels as well, but it’s too early to discuss them. As far as narrative goes, the story takes place after the events in Giants.
Parents out there concerned that the new jumping mechanic will make the game too hard for kids can allay those fears. “There is collision in the game to help the younger audience,” Chris tells us. “The characters don’t get hurt if they fall off a path, they simply reset back on the path. The game is very forgiving with kids in mind.”
Some of you may have noticed that none of the Skylanders talked during the gameplay footage or trailer. I have confirmed that Skylanders will be talking in Skylanders Swap Force.
Last but not least, Flynn has a new lady pal that he’s riding around with as revealed in the cut-scene (see below from the press conference last week). Her name is Tessa.
To recap:
- Adventure Packs and Battle Packs will be available
- The new character Flynn is with is named Tessa
- Jumping won’t make the game harder for kids
- There will be difficulty levels
- The campaign will be the same length as Giants
- Story takes place after Giants
- Toys for Bob worked very closely with Vicarious Visions on the game
Be sure to check out our Skylanders Swap Force prototype images from Toy Fair 2013 if you haven’t already.
