Can I Mom? Please! – Skylanders Swap Force

Ever overheard a kid in a shop begging for a toy? Most of us have—and more often than not, it sounds like they’re going to get it too. But since the release of Skylanders a few years ago, I’ve been hearing it more frequently, not just from my own son but in game stores all over. The funny part? It’s not just “I want this one!”—now it’s more like, “Whoa! This one has the ‘X’ feature!” or “This is super rare!” It’s hilarious (and oddly impressive) hearing these kinds of collector-style comments from kids under ten.

I’ll admit, I was pretty sceptical about the whole Skylanders craze at first. It all seemed like a shallow, gimmicky fad designed to milk parents dry. But over the years, that impression has changed—especially with the series’ steady evolution. Now, with the fourth instalment out and still flying off shelves, Skylanders has proven it’s more than just a cash grab. Of course, that also means over 50 new figures dropped on day one alone!

I never actually played the original game myself, but I watched my sister’s kids play it a lot, and honestly, it didn’t leave a great first impression. The visuals looked pixelated, the environments were dark and uninspired, and it just didn’t seem all that exciting. But wow, how things have changed since then.

I picked up my first Skylanders game a couple of months ago, mainly because of the price. The PS4 version was going for just 25 euros—that’s the full package with three figurines, the portal, and everything included. An absolute steal!

Initially, I got it with the intention of playing it together with my son, but after giving it a try, I have to admit… I’ve been playing it quite a bit on my own, too. The story, graphics, and gameplay are absolutely top-notch, especially if you’re a fan of classic platformers like Spyro the Dragon or Crash Bandicoot.

The CGI cutscenes are a noticeable step up from the usual compressed fare you see in similar games, and the audio quality is just as impressive. What really surprised me, though, was that the game includes full localisation—voiceovers and all, which might be a first for the series. Both the Norwegian and English voice casts are excellent, bringing real personality to the characters.

Time got the better of me, so I only managed to snap a few screenshots and record a quick video before putting this post together—but if you’d like to see more, just let me know and I’ll gladly update with additional content later on.

That said, the screenshots speak for themselves. Skylanders: Swap Force is bright, colourful, and absolutely gorgeous to look at. Even though I only captured footage from one level, the variation in design is clear—and the full game offers plenty of visual and gameplay diversity.

We currently have over 50 figurines in our collection, and the variety in both appearance and abilities is impressive. It’s amazing how much the gameplay can shift depending on which character you’re using—some combos make things easier, others more of a challenge.

Swap Force also supports figures from the previous Giants and Spyro’s Adventure games, which means there are over 300 possible combinations—assuming you’re willing (and able) to collect them all!

How did I end up with so many Skylanders figurines? Funny story—I never actually planned on collecting a lot of them. But a colleague at work sold me his younger brother’s entire collection—around 30 to 35 figures—and of course, I couldn’t resist picking up a few more on my own after that. So yeah, I’m pretty well stocked now!

Unfortunately, Skylanders doesn’t offer online co-op, which is a bit of a letdown. However, it does seem to support Share Play on the PS4—so that’s a small win. Time to test that out ASAP!