Activision officially announced the latest entry in their popular Skylanders franchise earlier today revealing the game to be the rumored Skylanders Superchargers, a game that has a lot of focus of vehicles. Activision revealed a decent amount during the announcement but thanks to Game Informer we now have even more details on the game, this is thanks to a preview by Game Informer which you can read in full here, alternatively you can read a full roundup of all the big details below:
– new portal has a wider surface for the increased size of the vehicles
– new portal features a slot for the traps from last year’s Skylanders: Trap Team
– new portal does not have voice or light functionality
– traps themselves give you special ammo, and unlock a Skystone of that specific villain [in the trap]
– 20 new figures and 20 vehicles
– possibility of a legacy line along the lines of Eon’s Elite
– all 20 of the new characters have a signature car
– Spitfire rides in Hot Streak; Dive-Clops rides in Dive Bomber; Jet-Vac rides in Jet Stream
– each car, submarine, and airship is equipped with a playable function
– Hot Streak’s wheels spin like any Hot Wheels toy
– aircraft and submarines are equipped with moving parts
– any character can ride in any vehicle
– new vehicle-based animations for all of the characters
– a vehicle won’t appear in the world until a player enters a portal leading to a vehicle sequence
– portals are clearly marked with the vehicle type needed (land, air, or sea)
– some vehicle portals are placed in the middle of a level’s critical path and are mandatory
– other vehicle portals are placed along the side of paths, where secrets and bonuses await
– on critical-path missions, only land-based vehicles are used
– during a vehicle sequence, the character is locked into the driver’s seat and cannot run on foot
– follow a linear path where the camera is positioned behind the vehicle
– tracks have jumps and obstacles
-“Gearbits” are a new form of currency used to upgrade the specific parts on the vehicle
– Gearbits are often positioned in places that help the player navigate obstacles, such as a trail leading up to a ramp
– other driving sections include an arena that looks like a skate park, with its walls doubling as half-pipes
– Hot Streak’s car is equipped with a Flamethrower and lock-on technology
– avoid/destroy enemies in the arena and ring a set of bells to open the arena exit
– when a pilot hops into his or her signature car, the duo becomes SuperCharged, earning a damage boost and other perk
– SuperCharged effect is shown visually through a pulsating energy being given off by the vehicle
– if you finish a vehicle section SuperCharged, the character will still have a damage boost for part of the next on-foot section
– in flight sections, enemies can be locked onto and debris that can be avoided with a quick barrel roll
– one flight mission is in the Cloud Kingdom stage
– this mission uses Stormblade, a bird-like Skylander, and her craft, the Sky Slicer
– fight off an armada of transport ships
– Sky Slicer is equipped with feather projectiles and secondary homing missiles that can lock-on to numerous targets at once
– there is also a submarine section in Cloud Kingdom
– this involves using the Dive Bomber, owned by Dive-Clops
– follow a linear path and have the sub hit jumps to catch air and avoid hazards
– sub is equipped with the ability to submerge beneath the water’s surface
– this portion ends with a battle against rival boats and subs
– use sonar pings to lock-on to these targets
– deactivate a storm-sequencer that is threatening the inhabitants of Cloud Kingdom
– other sub missions include full-on diving
– there are different upgradeable parts for each of the 20 vehicles
– Hot Streak can upgrade the engine and tires
– other cars could offer defensive body and suspension upgrades
– earn instant mods hidden in stages and at the end of specific vehicle sequences
– some returning characters have superhero-like guises that open up a new arsenal of moves
– Super-Shot Stealth Elf has a new green/yellow outfit, is equipped with a rail gun and poisonous/stealth attacks
– she drops her gun, turns invisible, and sneaks up on enemies
– Jet-Vac now goes by Hurricane Jet-Vac
– he can use a hurricane hover attack, narrow the distance to his attackers using a dash kick, and can use his vacuum gun
– Trigger Happy is now wearing red and white gloves and has a new flamethrower gun
– he has been renamed Double Dare Trigger Happy
– Kaos returns as the villain and has a new weapon, the Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction,
– this weapon is capable of eating the sky and everything contained within it
– over 40 minutes of cinematics
– collectible hats, collectible Skystone cards, lock-picking minigames, and laser and block puzzles all return
– same cooperative experience for the on-foot sequences
– does not allow for two vehicles to be onscreen at the same time
– roughly 50 percent of the game is dedicated to vehicle
– level cap has not been increased beyond 2
– digital version of Skylanders: SuperChargers for all systems for people who don’t want to purchase another portal
– download SuperChargers and unlock digital “Instant” versions of Spitfire and Hotstreak for use in the game
– no other characters or vehicles are planned for the Instant line
