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Preview: Skylanders: Trap Team

The Skylanders juggernaut keeps marching on with the latest in the series, Trap Team.

Due for release 2 October, Stevivor attended a very special preview event for the game at the Melbourne Zoo. We got hands on time with the game as well as getting to meet the one and only Spyro in the flesh.

Skylanders is the original ‘physical toys used in-game’ game. Developer Toys for Bob has worked hard to ensure that each iteration doesn’t rest on its laurels and stands apart from the game that came before. Giants introduced giant toys who were much larger and stronger than their standard counterparts. Swap Force introduced toys who could have their tops and bottoms swapped to create new combinations. Now, with Trap Team, players are able to trap enemies and use them to fight for good.

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The new Traptanium Portal allows players to place a figurine as well as including a new slot for the Trap figures. The cross-shaped Traps slot into the Portal and by using the new Trap Master Skylanders, players can trap enemies and use them as playable characters. The first enemy I trapped was Sheep Creep. At first he appeared to be a regular sheep until he pulled out two massive cannons and started firing on my Trap Master. With Skylanders’ simple melee combo and shooting mechanics I was able to quickly reduce Sheep Creep’s health down until he was weak enough to trap (think Pokémon).

Once he was trapped, Sheep Creep was mine to control. By hitting L2 on the PS4 controller I could switch between my Trap Master and Sheep Creep any time. Surprisingly, I found that Sheep Creep was more powerful than my Trap Master, although he seemed to take damage more easily. It seems as though in combat situations players will need to strategically use their trapped enemies and Trap Masters to come be victorious. There also appeared to be a time limit for using the trapped enemies, so both Trap Masters and trapped enemies will need to be used in concert.

I was playing the PlayStation 4 build and enough can’t be said about just how pretty a game Trap Team is. Despite being the most cross-gen game ever (it’s even coming out on Wii!) everything was bright and crisp. Characters moved with fluidity and the animated cutscenes were of a high enough quality to keep kids entertained as an after school cartoon. It would be easy to write off Skylanders as a grab for cash, but there’s so much care and attention paid to making a fun game that both looks and plays well that it would be wrong to say so.

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Gameplay is a mixture of platforming, third person shooting(ish) and melee combat. It’s gaming at its most simple — being aimed at kids and all — but that doesn’t make it any less fun. With a full regiment of Trap Masters, trapped enemies and other Skylanders figurines there’s a whole lot of content in Trap Team to explore and even with the basic starter set you’ll be set for a good many hours.

I may have only had an hour with Trap Team, but it certainly piqued my interest. Platforming adventure games are few and far between in this day and age of gaming and Trap Team is an excellent addition to both the franchise and genre. It looks good, is fun to play and adds something to the series while remaining true to what’s come before. Fans are going to lap it up and newbies (like me) are in for a lot of fun.

Skylanders: Trap Team will be available 2 October for Android, iOS, 3DS, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.


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DeltaPhoenix08