The underlying mechanics behind
Skylanders: Battlegrounds are incredibly easy to grasp, especially if you’ve played other iOS strategy games like
Borderlands Legends.
While on the overworld map, tapping a grid space moves your team of two Skylanders to the desired spot. At the same time, every enemy on the map will also move to a new spot. Some follow specific patterns while others follow a more randomized movement. It is possible to avoid some combat by tracking enemy movement, though you’re also losing out on experience and gold by skipping combat. Even with the Platinum Chest in play, you want to get into as many battles as you can, if only to start the money and experience pipes flowing.
In battle, movement isn’t much different. Tap on a Skylander and then a target for it to attack. You can also move it around the map by tapping on blank parts of the map. Battles are as active or passive as you want. You can stand your Skylanders in the middle of the map and take all damage, or you can move around. Standing your ground works in earlier levels, though when kamikaze and brute trolls start showing up, you’ll want to move around more unless you want to keep tagging in new Skylanders.
Skylanders level as a group, though individual skills and their associated upgrades still need to be purchased. The amount of gold generated with the Platinum Chest throws ability upgrades out of whack, though only to the extent you can instantly upgrade abilities to the max. You still need to earn gems to unlock new slots, purchase new abilities, or buy new Skylanders (if you haven’t imported them), so there is still some choice around.
Skylanders: Battlegrounds is a cool game, especially for Skylanders fans in search of another way to play with their collection. As for which version to get, the decision is completely up to you. The Bluetooth portal is great and, for better or worse, does add something to the experience. It isn’t a necessity, however. After the last update, web codes work, so you can still import your collection that way. Either way, it is good fun.
