Features

Skylanders is back, but this year, it's bringing the big guns, well, cars. Big cars.

Skylanders: Superchargers is launching later this year, and we here at GAME sat down with Guha Bala, co-studio head at Vicarious Visions – the guys and girls behind this year's game – to find out what exactly Superchargers is bringing to the series.

GAME: So, first things first, can you give us a quick introduction to who you are and your role within Vicarious Visions?

Bala: Sure. My name's Guha Bala, I'm the president and co-studio founder of Vicarious Visions and we're creating the latest iteration of Skyanders, Skylanders: Superchargers.

GAME: Cool! What kind of cool, new features does Skylanders: Superchargers bring to the series?

Bala: So, with every new Skylanders game we want to bring something very new and very fresh to both the way the game is played, as well as the toys that you can play with. With SuperChargers, for the very first time, we're introducing vehicles in to Skylands.

SuperChargers is an epic vehicle adventure, where you get seamless integration of on foot action, with all your favourite characters and the new SuperCharger Skylanders, mixed in with adventures on land with cars, motorbikes, drag racers and tanks, in the sea with subs, hover crafts, speed boats and then in the sky with jet planes, fighters, and spacecraft.

We're fundamentally changing the way Skylanders is played, as well as introducing a brand new range of toys for our audience to play with.

GAME: It all sounds amazing, and the look of the vehicles is really unique and cool. How did you come to the decision to introduce vehicles in to Skylanders?

Bala: Each year, we look at how we can make the series feel fresh and at the same time change the way the games can be played. It felt very natural to include vehicles, and it may of even come from a suggestion made to us previously!

What felt novel to us, however, was how we've been able to include vehicles but keep the feel of an epic adventure and make it seamlessly transition between on foot and vehicle gameplay. What makes this special, is that we are able to give you these heightened, vehicle experiences and amazing open-top fantasies.

GAME: You're changing the game, so to speak, this year with the introduction of the Digital Portal Owner's Pack, meaning customers don't have to purchase a brand new portal again. Can you go in to a bit more detail on this?

Bala: For us, we want to make sure that as many of our existing Skylanders fans can come and enjoy Skylanders: Superchargers. So for those fans, we're offering the Digital Portal Owner's Pack, for all the easily-connected consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation.

In a similar fashion as last year's tablet version, you'll be able to download the Digital Portal Owner's Pack and have instant access to digital versions of Hot Streak and Spitfire, a Supercharger character and vehicle, as well as the ability to use their existing Skylander's characters. The only thing left to do to broaden the experience, is to go out and buy the new Superchargers characters and vehicles.

GAME: Superchargers features quite a lot of customising and editing when it comes to the vehicle gameplay. How did you manage to develop these ideas, yet retain a game that is still 100% playable by your target audience of 6 to 12 year olds?

Bala: At its core, Skylanders is still an experience for 6 to 12 year olds. Now, that span is huge. A 6 year old gamer is very different to a 12 year old gamer. So, we want this game to be ‘easy to play, hard to master'. A child can pick it up, enjoy the on foot action, get in to the vehicles, have a fantastic time, and get loads of brilliant value out of the characters.

A more sophisticated gamer can have the exact same experience, but also delve in to the modding aspect of the vehicle gameplay. Even then, the mods are incredible simple to grasp. Hit the down directional button, you'll get one mod type, hit left and you'll get another type. Everything is done as a pick-up-and-play, ‘it just works' style.

GAME: As you probably know, we have a Skylanders Club here at GAME, filled with hundreds of passionate Skylanders fans. They want to know, how do you come up with all the names for your characters?

Bala: Skylander naming is one of the most fun aspects of this job. We go through a lot of bloopers before settling on names, and we have to go through a list to make sure we haven't used them before. We look at what's fun too, obviously.

When we started, we said ‘coming up with 32 names is going to be difficult' and now, we're on 300+ names and it's become a lot easier.

GAME: You've developed a real knack for it, huh?

Bala: Absolutely, yep!

GAME: Final question! Out of the entire library of Skylander characters, who would you place as your tip-top favourite?

Bala: You know, I have one. In a way, we design Skylanders so they have a bit of us in all of them. Stealth Elf has got to be mine. That's because, I have a 9 year old daughter who's first console game was Spyro's Adventure, as a 6 year old. When she was playing, she'd dress up as Stealth Elf and it quickly became her favourite, and she keeps coming back to her with each and every game. So Stealth Elf has a very special place in my heart.

GAME: Good choice. Well, thanks for your time Guha, we're looking forward to the launch of Skylanders: Superchargers, it looks like it's going to change the game forever!

Bala: And hopefully in a good way! Thank you!