Skylanders: SuperChargers & Skylanders: SuperChargers Racing Review

When you hear the name "Skylanders," you probably think of a game that requires toys to unlock characters, which makes sense, given that the Skylanders series popularized that concept. Likely, you see this series as a cash-grab franchise designed to trick kids into buying a bunch of toys, and while I can't deny that the toys-to-life concept isn't built around greed, I can at least say that Skylanders deserves more credit than it probably gets. Yes, it is true that you have to buy nearly all of the other characters separately from the game, but you don't need more than what the start packs give you to make it all the way though the games, and every Skylander has enough love and care put into their designs to where no two Skylanders are exactly the same. This is an impressive feat, considering that there currently exist over 270 unique Skylanders figures.

In my personal experience with the series, I could base my character selections entirely off of who I thought looked cool, and they always had a cool movesets to go with them. Heck, even some I didn't think looked cool turned out to have cool movesets too once I looked them up. Because of this, I would encourage anyone who is even slightly interested in trying the series to find at least one Skylander who looks cool and find out what their moves and upgrades are. Sometimes all it takes is finding a single character to enjoy before you start enjoying the game itself. The Skylander who got me into the series was Ninjini, who I played with back when Swap Force was the newest game in the series. I tried a couple of Skylanders before her but didn't feel hooked, and then I, for whatever reason, gave the game another chance and played as Ninjini. Something about her moveset really struck a chord with me, and I started to enjoy the game more. I went on to amass a collection containing 68 Skylanders, which I add to whenever I can.

While I have yet to play much of the first two games in the series, I have finished every Skylanders game since the third installment, Swap Force. For reference, there are currently six Skylanders games, so that means I've played the four most recent ones; Swap Force, Trap Team, SuperChargers, and Imaginators. Out of those four, SuperChargers remains my favorite. I would argue that this is where the series was at its best, and where the series' more negative aspects were at their most negligible.

Before we talk about SuperChargers specifically, we need to go into detail about what makes a Skylanders game exactly that. First and most obviously, each playable character comes as a physical figure that must be placed on a "portal" to appear in the game. This does, in fact, mean that every character must be purchased separately from the game; however, as previously mentioned, you never need more than what the start kit gives you to beat the game, so you really only have to buy a character if you see one you want or are invested in the game enough to want to see all you can of it. Most starter kits, including that for SuperChargers, includes at least two Skylanders, so you won't even need more than what the starter kit has if you want to play co-op.

Each Skylander comes with their own set of attacks, powers, and skills. Ninjini, for example, attacks with her two swords, throw magic spheres, and can retreat into her bottle to fire rockets. No two Skylanders are exactly the same, and even where there's overlap, there is enough remaining distinction to separate those two Skylanders from one another. Scorp and Blast Zone, for example, both lob bombs as their main attacks, but those bombs are powered up in different ways, and their other abilities are completely different - not to mention, Blast Zone is a Swap Force character, while Scorp is just a regular Skylander, but that's besides the point. In addition, each Skylander has an upgrade tree, which has a somewhat particular order of access: usually, there'll be a few upgrades before a two-way split in the tree, followed by a few more. You must acquire the first set of upgrades before then selecting one of the two branches, which specialize in one of the Skylander's particular moves. Once you pick one path, you can't switch without resetting that Skylander - with one exception that I'll talk about later. After that branch, the upgrade tree becomes one path again, giving you a small few more upgrades. If you've ever obtained a figure variant of a Skylander, this is where that variant would have an additional upgrade. Pretty neat that variants are more than just reprints, huh?

Splat

Bone Bash Roller Brawl

Hammer Slam Bowser

Splatter Splasher

Tomb Buggy

Clown Cruiser

Now begs the question: why would the game make you need more? Well, in previous games, additional Skylanders would unlock extra, completely optional segments of a level, which could range from platforming segments, to puzzles, to battles, and any mix of the like. In most games, a Skylander would unlock a gate based on their element; you'd need a Fire element Skylander to open a fire gate, et cetera. Sometimes, there will be ability-based requirements, like how there are certain things only Giants can do. For SuperChargers, figure requirements boil down to three traits: A SuperCharger Skylander, a Vehicle type, and a Vehicle element. SuperCharger Skylanders allow you to Supercharge a vehicle, granting it new stats, and provide access to Supercharged portals. Vehicles themselves come in three types: Land, Sky, and Sea. Throughout a given level, there will be parts that ask for a particular vehicle type to grant access to that part of the level. These segments play slightly differently from normal gameplay, and either focus on the transportation aspect of the vehicle - driving at high speeds, diving underwater, et cetera - or take the usual gameplay and center it around that vehicle. Lastly, there are Elemental Vehicle segments, which take the form of elemental gates that lead to minigames of sorts that don't bring much to the table in terms of new gameplay or rewards. In fact, there is nothing past these points that you can't find anywhere else in the game, so they're not worth worrying about.

This is one reason why SuperChargers is my favorite of the series: to get 100% completion, you only need a single SuperCharger Skylander and one vehicle of each type. If you're like me and you also buy SuperChargers Racing in addition to the standard SuperChargers game, you'll have a Sky and a Land vehicle, so all you'll need is a Sea vehicle and you'll be able to get 100% in both games. This is a refreshing contrast to the past two games - Swap Force and Trap Team - which required entire sets of new Skylanders for 100%. Now, this isn't to say that any Skylanders game - SuperChargers included - ever makes your past figures completely irrelevant. You will always be able to use your past figures in newer games, but the focus will always be on the new figures.

You may be wondering, "What exactly does 100% in SuperChargers mean?" Only a couple of things. First, it means getting all three starts on a stage, or in other words, clear each vehicle segment. Each stage has at least one Land vehicle, Air vehicle, and Sky vehicle segment, and clearing each one will grant you its respective star. 100% also means finding every chest in each stage. Some chests are static, and will always contain a set reward, while others are prize-wheel chests that randomize their rewards each time. These chests can contain anything from Gold for Skylander upgrades, to experience drops, equipable hats and accessories, Gearbits for vehicle upgrades, or Portal Master experience that unlocks special upgrades.

While I can't confirm whether or not your Portal Master level is tied to 100% completion, there are rewards that make it worth getting as high as possible. While a lot of them can be rather throw away, some can be pretty good. One in particular is worth the work to obtain it on its own. Of course, if you'd rather not know what it is, skip this paragraph. At one of the last few Portal Master levels, you can obtain an upgrade that allows you to freely switch between a Skylander's two upgrade three paths anytime you're at an upgrade station. This is an absolute godsend if you're as invested in the game as I am, since you no longer have to waist time and Gold on resetting and re-upgrading your Skylanders if you want to try out another upgrade path. No other Skylanders game - as far as I'm aware - has ever had anything like this, which is yet another reason why SuperChargers is my favorite game in the series.

Another thing I love about SuperChargers is the vehicle modding. Each vehicle has three categories of parts that can be swapped out, two being performance mods and the third simply being the horn. You'll start off with one part in each category, and you'll obtain a special performance mod in both categories when you play that vehicle with its respective driver. The rest of the parts are obtained completely randomly from Parts Chests found during any given vehicle segment. While there is no way to control what part you get, you thankfully can not obtain duplicates - even if you don't own the vehicle that the part is for - so you can acquire them all without too much grinding.

Here's where I'd like to switch gears and talk about SuperChargers Racing. One may assume that the game is simply a Wii/3DS port of the same game that's on Wii U, Xbox, and PS3/4, but that's not the case. SuperChargers Racing is, as the title indicates, a version of SuperChargers that focuses on the racing aspect of the game. This is why I wanted to cover both games in one review; I knew I couldn't talk about one without comparing it to the other. You see, while SuperChargers does feature a racing mode, SuperChargers Racing is entirely that: racing (well, sort of). Contrary to what you might expect, the racing in these two games is not completely identical. While both games' racing follows the basic Mario Kart-style party racer formula - use items, shortcuts, and boost pads to out-speed your opponents - SuperChargers and SuperChargers racing have two additional mechanics: vehicle skills and weapons.

This is the big difference between the two games' racing; while SuperChargers gives each vehicle two weapons and one ability, SuperChargers Racing gives each vehicle one weapon but two abilities. SuperChargers will give a vehicle both of the weapons it could use during the adventure mode, and give Land vehicles the ability to drift for bonus boosts, Sea vehicles gain the ability to dive under the surface of water to essentially switch between two sides of the same track, and Sky vehicles gain the ability to aileron roll through certain hazards to open up new paths. In SuperChargers Racing, each vehicle only has its primary weapon, but Land vehicles can also jump over hazards, Sea vehicles can spin in mid-air to gain boosts, and Sky vehicles can use afterburners to sacrifice maneuverability for speed. Personally, I prefer having two abilities over two weapons, so I always go to SuperChargers Racing when I want to race.

Now, I may need to clarify; weapons are not obtained from item boxes, but are something that each vehicle has ready at any given moment. Primary weapons have a semi-automatic aim to them, and once someone is in your sights, you can fire at them to chip away at their health. Secondary weapons are often more melee-oriented and require the driver to get in close range of another racer to damage them. When someone runs out of health, they spin out for a moment before they resume racing. The drawback to weapons is that they have limited ammo that must be refilled before either one can be used. This mechanic, in tandem with items and shortcuts, make it really easy to get to - and stay in - first place. Honestly, that's by one complaint with SuperChargers Racing: even on the hardest setting, the game can be rather easy. The game is still fun regardless, but it can get a little unexciting at times because of this.

In addition to the racing mechanics differing, vehicle mods also work differently in SuperChargers Racing. Rather than selecting one of four mods for two parts of the vehicle, you're given the option between one of four particular builds for a vehicle: the standard build with no stat boosts; a build unlocked from the game's "adventure" mode (more on that in a moment); a build unlocked from leveling up the vehicle; and the Supercharged build that's only accessible by playing as the appropriate driver. When selecting an event in SuperChargers Racing, you'll first pick your driver, then your vehicle, then your mods. Essentially, you're customizing your stats through these three selections. Unfortunately, if your driver is not a SuperCharger, you will not have driver stats and you won't be able to choose a mod, so you miss out on a lot of stats by doing so. Though, the upside to this is that you can make the game more challenging, but the game is admittedly less fun when your stats are held back.

The last major difference between SuperChargers and SuperChargers Racing is their adventure modes. While the former has traditional Skylanders gameplay during its adventure mode, the latter is purely event-to-event on a level select screen. That said, it's not the full truth to say that SuperChagers Racing is nothing but racing; there are a bunch of other events to break up all of the racing. These events share the same tracks as races, but they have differing goals, which can be anything from defeating enemies, to gathering sheep, or even boss fights. While they're all fun, these modes still suffer from the problem of being easy even at their hardest. Personally, I don't consider this a major issue, but I know that this can be disappointing for some people, so I thought it was worth mentioning.

SuperChargers Racing also has different requirements for 100% than SuperChargers. Elemental gates actually block some content in SuperChargers Racing. For the most part, all they block is some side events and extra vehicle mods, so you won't be missing out on anything major like tracks or new event types. However, there is much more content locked behind three Trophies that can only be obtained from special character packs. These Trophies must be scanned into the game like Skylanders are, and each one will unlock a new Tour map and a set of Villain characters to race as. Each Tour includes two new tracks, mirror races on previous tracks, and a special one-on-one race against a Villain. I may be biased in saying this, since my favorite Land track is from one of these Tours, but I think these Trophies are worth buying. This is especially the case if you prefer the two weapon one ability style of racing, since SuperChargers only has one Land, Sea, and Sky track without the Trophies. Both games have really pleasant track designs that ooze Skylander's usual charm, so the tracks make the Trophies worth it on their own.

Whether you're a series fan or just starting off, it's hard to go wrong with SuperChargers and SuperChargers Racing. Both games are very enjoyable, and are epitomes of how good the series can be. Both Skylanders: SuperChargers and Skylanders: SuperChargers Racing get a 5 out of 5. The former is a great all-around game, while the latter is worth a look if you enjoy kart racers. Really, you should only buy as much as you want to buy for either game; the starter kits give you enough to get a feel for the games, and if you like them, then certainly get whatever other Skylanders you may want, but if you don't, then you've not lost out on any more money than you would've for any other game.

Image Sources:

http://skylanders.wikia.com/wiki/Skylanders:_SuperChargers

http://skylanderscharacterlist.com/superchargers-figures/

http://skylanders.wikia.com/wiki/Skylanders:_SuperChargers_Racing