The Skylanders series was the first platform to merge toys and video games, and the line of collectibles has only grown in the years since. Central to this is the Traptanium Portal (an update to the Portal of Power used in past games), a specialized NFC reader that registers an NFC chip embedded in the base of every Skylanders toy, unlocking a playable character in the game. Functionally, it's similar to the Disney Infinity.
Set the Skylander toy on the glowing base
View all during the game, and the character appears in the game. Buy more Skylanders toys, and you'll have more characters to use in your adventures; and there are plenty of them. Along with the Trap Team game, there are 48 new Skylanders toys and characters that can be purchased, plus all 175 previous Skylanders toys. Each character is also classified by certain in-game elements: Light, Dark, Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Life, Undead, Magic, and Tech. While the basic storyline of the game can be played with just the characters included in the Starter Pack, there are all sorts of side quests, special actions, and collectible bonuses that can only be activated by characters of the correct element, so you'll need to pick up at least a few other Skylanders to experience the full breadth of the game. New characters can be bought individually, and range in price from $10.99 to $16.99.
This version of the game adds a new twist
to the basic toy-to-game character mechanic with the addition of a second collectible pieces, called Traptanium Crystals. These clear plastic crystals plug into a slot on the Portal of Power, and give you the ability to trap defeated villains—there are 46 in all, including series super-villain Kaos—and then use them as playable characters in the game. Just as there are lots of collectible Skylanders toys, there are lots of different crystal traps (63 in total), and each one has a different look, and is also aligned with a specific element. Each trap contains just one villain at a time, but it saves that information, so you could take your trapped character to a friend's house and use it in their game, or trade with others to get villains you haven't unlocked. New Crystals can be bought singly ($6.99) or in packs of three ($15.99).
Oh, and one small point of irritation: The trapped villains can make noises while trapped—the Traptanium Portal includes a speaker, and the trapped character can speak and make noise (usually complaining about being trapped). It's a fun touch for those playing the game, but for parents of kids playing, it's yet another source of noise, and muting the TV or having your child wear headphones doesn't mute the speaker.
In the Starter Pack, you'll find the game disc and instructions for Skylanders Trap Team, the new Portal of Power, two Skylanders characters, and two Traptanium Crystals. You'll also find stickers of various Skylanders characters, which come with Secret Codes (letting you unlock characters in the companion apps available for iOS and Android), trading cards for the characters you have, detailing powers and abilities, and a poster showing the dozens of characters that can be collected and captured.
Gameplay
Skylanders Trap Team is set in the same Skylanders universe seen in the previous games, a fantasy land of floating islands and goofy characters, with magic thrown into the mix. You'll see villages filled with woodland creatures, characters that are animals, or rocks, or plants, and all manner of little critters and monsters. In Story mode, the main game, you play as one of the Trap Masters, a group of Skylanders trying to recapture the villains who have escaped from Cloudcracker Prison.
The game itself is pretty straightforward, working your way from start to finish of each level while facing swarms of bad guys, with boss characters in each. Beat the level boss, and into the Traptanium Crystal he goes, available for future play. Along the way are all sorts of mini games and challenges, and while they are entertaining, they aren't too difficult—the game is aimed at the 6-and-up crowd, after all.
In addition to the main Story mode, there are two other gameplay modes, the Kaos Doom Challenge and Arena mode. The first is a tower-defense-style mini-game where you build defensive towers and then use your various characters (both Skylanders and villains). The second, Arena mode, is a battle arena where you'll select one character to play as, and face off against bad guys in a limited section of a game level. Winning these games will also give you gold and unlock collectibles in the game.
Conclusion
While Skylanders Trap Team will definitely appeal to anyone who has played the Skylanders games in the past (especially those who have collected any of the dozens of older character toys), there is plenty for newcomers to enjoy. The characters are fun, the crystal traps add an interesting tag-team aspect to the game, and the new toys will give collectors a whole new list of things to pursue both in and out of the game. It doesn't have the same sort of free-play options that you'll get with Disney Infinity 2.0, but the combination of toys, games, and collectibles will definitely have kids excited.
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