While it is a blast for any age, it is the most demanding game I've played...without a doubt.
In this day and age, it is normal for games to lure you into buying goodies but this is just devilish lol. On one hand I respect the marketing strategy, on the other hand I feel for the poor parents&kids getting hooked to Skylanders Imaginators because it is not an affordable addiction. Most games' digital goodies are cheap, a couple dollars here or a few dollars there. The difference between those games and Skylanders is this: physical toys that you scan into the game, costing anywhere from $15-50 or more. Not to mention, they aren't the easiest to find&obtain. If you're like me, you figure you can get through a game without buying extra unnecessary goodies. However, in Skylanders, they made it as necessary as possible to buy these toys. To prove a point...I've already bought one extra toy on the first day of playing, despite my cheapskate personality. With the standard starter pack, you will have 3 Skylanders(in-game & in real life). One water hero, one earth hero and one custom hero. The reason you are tempted into buying these toys is because there are 10 classes and 11 elements, throughout the game there are many shrines that require combinations of these class/elements. Meaning you will need to buy a toy if you wish to use this shrine. For example, if there's a fire shrine I will need to first buy a Fire Skylander toy in order to play that Fire Skylander hero so that I can use the shrine. Same goes for class(ninja, swashbuckler, sentinel etc). Every area in the game also recommends which Skylander Element to use. If the game tells me to use a Mechanical Skylander, well I can't do that until I go buy a Mechanical Skylander toy at the store lol. So, now add 300+ toys. It's no cheap task. I'd like to add, there are no digital purchases available. You must buy toys from a retailer or online merchant. If it were my way, these toys would be sold at an affordable price from the manufacturer on an official website...but its not that easy. As a parent, you might be bidding on your kid's favorite Skylander on eBay...or making a trip to Walmart with your fingers crossed. Regardless of everything I said, this can be quite the positive experience as well. Not only will it be endless entertainment for your kid, but also they will surely look forward to their next Skylander. Trading/sharing toys can make new friends at school or bring siblings/relatives together. It's a great gift idea too. Using the Skylanders phone app, there are options to print a toy or card of their customized Skylander. This can be pricey but very cool to bring your imagination to life. That said, if you are tight on money or your kid can be demanding...you may want to look at other games. I'd rather drop $15 on a new digital game rather than a toy.
Oops...Let's talk about THE GAME. Skylanders Imaginators is the ideal RPG for any age. Countless armor sets, weapons, gear, monsters and bosses...hardly a stale moment. The game-play is incredibly fun, easy to pick up, fast/slow paced depending on your preference. The bosses actually require strategy, which most adult games are lacking these days. Huge amounts of heroes, all with different weapon types/abilities/talent trees. There are puzzles, mini games, hidden treasures. Many entertaining cutscenes and likeable characters. Smooth frame-rate, admirable graphics and various scenery. Definitely 5 stars in the gameplay department. There are some downsides to the game, I'd prefer the camera to be adjustable with the right joystick, instead the right joystick doesn't do anything. Of course, the lack of free Skylanders. I wish Digital Skylanders existed, I'd rather save some money and avoid toys. Who knows, maybe it would be a respectable addition since sharing toys wouldn't happen as much. Lastly, I'd like to see one of every class/element on the Starter edition, that would be an honorable thing to do. No parent/kid should feel it necessary to shell out big bucks in order to be thorough with a game.
All in all, I'm an adult gamer and I've had a great time playing Skylanders Imaginators on my Nintendo Switch. I should've done research before buying it, I was looking for a game I could dedicate to Handheld mode. Unfortunately, I don't think that is Skylanders as I'd prefer not to carry toys around- in order to scan and play. Nevertheless, I'd recommend it if you aren't a casual player. Hope this helped, good luck!
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