The First Skylanders game was a major success, so it was no secret that Activision and Toys For Bob were already planning ahead for their next major release which would become Skylanders Giants. This game would not only bring back the toys to life concept that fans have come to expect, but it would also introduce new playable characters including the giant-sized Skylanders characters which are quite huge compared to the size of most Skylanders toys. This game seemed to look promising at giving us similar gameplay while also shaking the formula up a bit which has led to a game that may arguably be better than the first.
After Kaos escapes from his imprisonment on earth, he bumps into an old Arkeyan Conquertron who used to rule Skylands many years ago until the Giant Skylanders put a stop to his Skyland domination. Kaos figures out that once he has an object called the Iron fist of Arkus, he will be able to build his robot army and cause mayhem and destruction throughout the Skylands. With the news traveling to all the Skylands locals, it's up to Captain Flynn, Cali, the Skylanders, the Giants, and their Portal Master (Which is You) to stop Kaos from ever finding the Iron Fist of Arkus before it’s too late.
The story keeps the same childish and cheesy dialogue and tone from the previous game but also turns in a good deal of whimsy and adventure to make the journey even more enticing. There are plenty of creative moments but also some good world-building to further indulge the audience in the world of Skylands even more than before. There are plenty of roadblocks and detours in the journey which keep the players on their toes and each adventurous aspect keeps getting more and more interesting until the end. The characters most players remembered in the first game all return such as Patrick Warburton as the cocky yet funny Flynn and Steven Horvitz doing a downright amazing job as the evil Kaos. you’ll even meet some new friendly faces such as Troy Baker as Brok and Tara Strong as Sarahphina who provide their own voices to this already impressive cast of colorful characters. This story seemed to gather more interest in the first even despite doing the same things as in the last game, but somehow this game managed to push the ideas and characterizations even further to create a fun experience.
If you’re ever worried that you’ll need to buy all new Skylanders to play this sequel you need not worry because any previous Skylanders you have collected from “Spyro’s Adventure” will work in Giants and they play exactly the way they have been played before. In the Giants package, you’ll get three different Skylanders to try out with one of them being a giant-sized Skylanders. There will be new characters never before seen in the previous title that come with their unique abilities, but you can also get series 2 versions of existing Skylanders which will have different upgrades and abilities. Like before, you place your Skylanders on the portal of power to bring them to life and you can choose different paths of upgrades for your selected Skylander. The difference is that the newer Giant characters you collect will deal more damage and will be able to do things that small Skylanders can’t. However, they do move slower and are not as quick to dodge trouble so it's best to plan how to use your Skylanders wisely. “Giants” uses the same techniques as before, but adds just enough new material to keep things interesting.
The Gameplay is just like it was in “Spyro’s Adventure” as you’ll be making your way through interesting terrains, villages, and castles in order to complete a mission. One of the biggest changes to the formula though is that this game includes a difficulty setting which is great for experienced players who are looking for more of a challenge. This game is harder than the last even without the ultra-hard difficulty setting but not to the point where it gets infuriating and frustrating you’ll just be facing tougher enemies and bosses this time around. You’ll be able to do some puzzle-solving and using bounce pads to get to higher areas seeing as you still won’t be able to jump in this game. Collectables are hidden all throughout the levels so look sharp as some of them can be used to give characters new abilities and even customize the hub world which is Flynn’s ship. Speaking of which, there is so much for you to do in the hub world even after finishing the main objective such as playing sky-stones (which is a game you’ll play often throughout your quest) with a dog pirate, spending money on upgrades for Skylander characters, completing heroic challenges and even participating in arena battles in where you have to defeat many enemies in your wake while meeting other criteria. The first game set the groundwork for how a Skylanders game can be played and this game is likewise the same but it experiments more with having new powerful characters and different accommodations that make the experience a pretty good one at that.
The Graphics have surprisingly been upgraded from the last game and look much much better for the most part. The cinematic cutscenes still look rather choppy and restricted in buoyant movements, but they aren’t nearly as lacking as they were in “Spyro’s Adventure”. The in-game graphics though are a much different story as those graphics look sharp and smooth. The character designs for Skylanders and beyond are much more polished especially if you're playing an HD port of this game. The Skylands setting keeps the same amount of visual splendor and it's great to see that the studio at Toys for Bob tried their hardest not to repeat too many levels from the last game and instead go for some more interesting level designs. Some of the highlights include the Wilikin Village which is just a gray and drab two dimesional wooden town but then becomes a colorful site when a switch is turned on. The other is the home of The Oracle which sees you choose any of the two paths you are given and making your way through the strange world the Oracle has laid out for you depending on the path you choose. While the cinematic cutscenes could still use some work, everything else is so on point and sees the series at its most visually dazzling so far.
Lornie Balfe returns to score the music for this game and his welcomed return means we get to hear more of his epic scores for this game. True that famous and legendary composer Hanz Zimmer (The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean) did have a hand in making some of the tunes you hear in the final version but most of the work is Balfe’s and it does not disappoint in the slightest. This music is quite great and never ceases to amaze to make the player have fun during the epic quest.
It’s amazing to think this game was made just a year after the original Skylanders game was released. Usually, when that happens, a game like this would have been rushed or been made in a hurry to capitalize on the success of the original game as quickly as possible. That is thankfully not the case for Skylanders Giants as the makers at Toys For Bob planned ahead in all the right ways while fixing some of the minor issues that may have been present in “Spyro’s Adventure”. Even though the Skylanders series would continue to evolve and grow with each passing installment, this is So far is the best Skylanders game by far that perfects the formula while adding just enough that is new to keep things fresh.
(Final Grade: B+)