A new Skylanders game will soon be upon us! Skylanders: Trap Team will release on October 5th for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, WiiU, Wii, and 3DS.
Skylanders is a billion dollar franchise so a new entry will be coming every year for the foreseeable future. Each new title so far has brought with it a new spin on the “toys coming to life” mechanic. First we had Giants, then we had the Swap Force. This time… we get the bad guys.
Trap Team allows players to take command of the Trap Masters, a new kind of Skylander, that can help locate Traptanium zones. They also help the player capture enemy bosses inside crystals. Once trapped they become paragon monsters that can be used by the players. There are forty different monsters in Trap Team that can be captured and collected (including Kaos himself)!
What parents need to buy:
1. A new Starter Pack – The crystal trapping mechanic requires a brand new portal. The other portals you have been using so far can be safely retired. The new one will come with the Starter Pack.
2. Crystals – In order to capture a monster you will need the crystal that matches the corresponding element. Activision and Toys for Bob have made it clear to other outlets that they will not be selling these crystals in blind packs. This means we will be buying them separately for our kids. They haven’t given any word on pricing yet.
3. Trap Masters – These are the new gimmick Skylanders. They are slightly taller than Swap Force characters and have HUGE crystal weapons. One of them (Snap Shot) comes with the Starter Pack.
4. Skylanders – There are, of course, going to be a new set of core Skylanders to collect and play with. Food Fight, for example, comes with the Starter Pack.
What parents need to know:
1. ALL of the original Skylanders that we have purchased for the first three games will be playable in Trap Team. (The new Skylanders, however, will not work with the old games.)
2. The retail starter pack will include a “Traptanium Portal,” two crystal traps, Trap Master Snap Shot, and Food Fight.
3. It is releasing for just about every platform known to man, but the 3DS version will actually be a different game.
Make sure to keep your eyes on our main page for more Skylanders: Trap Team information as it is released! How excited are you and your kids? Sound off in the comments!
About The Author
So far, I’ve not dove into the Skylanders/Disney Infinity pool with my kids. It scares me like a 5 year old at the bottom of the Big Slide because I know I’ll end up spending an ungodly amount of money.
Are the games (and in particular, the fun kids get out of them) worth it? Also, with an E10 rating, is Skylanders appropriate for younger kids under 10?
Last question, if you have the time, would you recommend Skylanders or Disney Infinity if someone were going to buy into just one?
If you have time for the question, thanks. If not, thanks still 🙂
B
Brandon!
We always have time to answer our readers’ questions!
You asked three questions. I’ll tackle them one at a time.
First: Yes, they are worth it. My family owns them both and we enjoy them both. The games are expensive when you include the toys, but the costs aren’t insurmountable if you pay attention to sales. Also, I have found that a lot of reward gifts end up being around the cost of a figure anyways. This ensures that the purchase is worth double (both a toy AND as a new character in the game).
Second: The E10+ rating is based purely on the combat. Frankly, if you let your children watch any action oriented cartoons on television, then these games are fine.
Third: They are fundamentally different games so it is hard to recommend one over the other blindly. *I* personally enjoy Skylanders better because it is a straightforward action adventure game at its core. Disney Infinity, on the other hand, has different game styles with each play-set that you purchase.
I talked about some of my other opinions here:
https://engagedfamilygaming.com/parent-resources/decisions-decisions-skylanders-swap-force-vs-disney-infinity/
Thank you for reading and let us know if you have more questions!