Here’s A Bunch Of New Details For Skylanders Superchargers

The strong rumours were swirling around for a while and finally Skylanders Superchargers was officially unveiled today, and with it came a whole load of details about the game. The Skylanders series had made $3 billion for Activision so far, and from the look of the details it looks like this next instalment will continue the popularity. Take a look at them for yourself:

• 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.