Skylanders Imaginators

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 49 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 49
  3. Negative: 0 out of 49
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  1. games(TM)
    Dec 18, 2016
    70
    A whimsical evolution of the beat-'em-up. [Issue#181, p.83]
  2. GameCrate
    Nov 2, 2016
    70
    Skylanders Imaginations is built for the long haul with great replay value, which may be one more reason for the series to take a year off.
  3. Yahoo!
    Oct 24, 2016
    70
    It struggles to get out of its own way, featuring perhaps its most complicated buy-in system yet. Creativity knows no bounds, but your checkbook certainly does.
  5. Push Square
    Oct 20, 2016
    70
    The overall experience at the centre of all Skylanders: Imaginators' toys and loot chests is so charming and feature-rich that kids will enjoy it and adults won't begrudge playing it alongside them.
  6. GameSpot
    Oct 12, 2016
    70
    With Imaginators, the Skylanders series isn't pushing any gaming boundaries, but at least it has character.
  7. Games.cz
    Jan 4, 2017
    60
    Compared to the last year installment the Skylanders Imaginators is a cautious step toward the inevitable change. But the game itself rather stagnates due to the repetition of the same tricks.
  8. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Dec 12, 2016
    60
    Compared to last year sequel Skylanders Imaginators are a cautious step towards the inevitable change of the game foundations. The game stagnates and repeats the same tricks. [Issue #269]
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  9. Shacknews
    Oct 24, 2016
    60
    For all its focus on customization, Skylanders Imaginators feels fairly paint-by-number. It makes some smart improvements, and its creation gimmick is oddly addictive despite some of its design drawbacks. Even so, this is the sixth entry in a long-running series, and it's showing its age.
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  1. Kotaku
    Oct 18, 2016
    After a dozen hours romping around the Skylands with Faemily, Seamusbot, Archer Rex, Bird Kirkilton and Dadcat Robot, it feels like I’ve made the game my own. This is my Skylanders.

Awards & Rankings

71
#71 Best PS4 Game of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 46
  3. Negative: 16 out of 46
  1. Memborg01
    Oct 17, 2016
    9
    Best entry since Swap Force. I have had some problems with the game design and sloppy coding of Trap Team which made me decide not to buyBest entry since Swap Force. I have had some problems with the game design and sloppy coding of Trap Team which made me decide not to buy Superchargers.

    Now I decided to return and try out Imaginators and overall it is great.

    The in a short review: If you know the Skylanders games, the levels will of course be different but not much out of the ordinary. They are well designed and the story feels more compelling than previously. Creation works great, The M.A.P. is a welcome feature and overall this is a game worth buying.

    In more details

    The story and cutscenes integrate really well into the game, making the basic characters (Spyro, Stealth Elf, etc.) a more integral part of the storytelling which works great. The story and cutscenes gets my attention a lot more than previous entries.
    Also Kaos, while still sort of an unintelligent villain, feels like he is a lot more of a threat this time. I can take him a lot more serious which does a lot for the overall feel af the game. Having a good villain means a lot.

    I will not go so much into creating your own character. Its an incredible feature which has already got its attention. There is tons of loot to unlock and you can expect that it may be a bit of a grind fest.

    What I will like to mention is the M.A.P. which is the world map that has tons of things to unlock. It feels vast, and there are lots of things and places to explore.
    The M.A.P. serves as the level selection but there are also elemental gates, ambushes where you will enter a combat area, and lots of hidden treasures and places.
    The M.A.P. feature is very welcome and a feature that I have missed since I played my first Skylanders game (I came in at Swap Force).

    The levels are not out of the ordinary, but this time they do not lock things away so you have to buy new characters. Instead there are things on the map you can unlock by having more characters and also in the creation part.
    I have really enjoyed every level so far and I will enjoy the rest, I am sure.

    The only thing that may seem a bit out of place is that you can buy Mystery Chests, for real money, that will give you in game gear. There is no need for buying these since all can be unlocked in game. The digital Mystery Chests are the same as the blind bagged chests except you can choose what kind of chest you get.

    Overall Skylanders Imaginators is the best Skylanders game to the date. My favorite part, besides creating your own character, is the M.A.P. and the fact that there is more to do and explore after completing the game. That is to me a winning factor    … Full Review »
  2. EasyGamerBoi
    Jun 10, 2021
    6
    I have a LONG history with Skylanders, I’ve been playing since the first one came out and have been smitten ever since. Eventually collectingI have a LONG history with Skylanders, I’ve been playing since the first one came out and have been smitten ever since. Eventually collecting every toy got to be a bit much on my adult wallet so I took a break for a few years after Superchargers came out, so I never got to play this last Skylander game. But with the lovely benefit of pandemic unemployment money last year when everything was shut down, I finally completed my Imaginators collection, leaving me with every skylander that has come out! So after 5 years, is the game any good or is there a reason there hasn’t been another one since? Well... yes and no. Imaginators is a decent enough game, I know it got a lot of flack for the microtransactions (it was only a matter of time with this series) but I never felt the need to pay anything extra since you unlock so much stuff throughout the course of the game. For as much fun as the Imaginators & other new skylanders are to play, you can tell very early on there is MAJOR franchise fatigue going on. As with any yearly franchise, this was the 6th skylander game to come out in a row & you can tell the yearly releases have taken a toll on the quality of this entry. Right away the graphics & character models don’t really look that great & I played this on a PS4! The physical toys can look better at times. The moment to moment gameplay doesn’t feel as good as it used to either, maybe it was my younger brain thinking it was all these years, but after replaying the rest of the series a lil over a year ago, it’s definitely a problem I noticed growing with most of the sequels & seems to have reached its boiling point with Imaginators. Even the jumping doesn’t feel all that good and with some precise jumps needed in certain levels, it can get annoying. I’m tempted to say this is probably the longest and toughest skylander game of them all, don’t get me wrong the game is still very easy, but compared to the rest of the series, I actually lost a couple of skylanders in some fights lol. Also, right before the end of the game there’s this EIGHT MISSION FETCH QUEST for absolutely no reason other than padding this long Skylander game out even more. It was incredibly frustrating even though each of the missions are fairly quick, some of them take place in the exact same map with minor differences. Doing the same mission 3 times for the same goal is beyond tedious & I don’t see why this part of the game wasn’t just another level. Easily among the worst sections in any skylander game, maybe even the worst. Imaginators does things right though, the humor is surprisingly on point for a kids game, although not EVERY conversation has to end with a joke guys. Kaos is still an endearing villain even though his goals remain the same, Invader Zim’s voice will always be music to my ears! It’s a shame this ended up being the last Skylander game since it just kinda... ends abruptly. The final cutscene ends and you’re thrown back into the game, no credits or fanfare or anything lol. A rushed feeling is all over this game & some of the sequels before it and it’s at the point where it can’t be ignored. Skylanders also brought Crash Bandicoot out of retirement for this game and.. it’s ok? Maybe they just put him and Neo Cortex in as a nod to the remake of the original Crash trilogy they were working on at the time, but I guess we can thank the people behind Skylanders for bringing Spyro & Crash to their well deserved renaissance that they’re experiencing today. The game has its moments & I LOVED creating my own Imaginators, but can’t recommend it for much else, especially as a huge fan who’s played all the other games, watched the surprisingly fantastic Netflix show & thought SWAP Force was the weakest entry, Imaginators may have tied it for that title. Maybe in a decade or two when the inevitable revival of the Toys to Life genre comes, we can get a truly amazing send off or even a new start for Skylanders. Just please stop making game releases an annual thing lol. It never ends well.… Full Review »
  3. lokilaufeypurr
    Oct 17, 2016
    9
    I am going to start this review saying I have played all of the Skylanders games except for Superchargers which I skipped since I didnt want aI am going to start this review saying I have played all of the Skylanders games except for Superchargers which I skipped since I didnt want a game based on racing. I liked Skylanders simply for its simple yet addicting platforming. So when Imaginators was announced I was thrilled it went back to the same tried and true platformer it is.

    If you have played Skylanders before, expect about the same. There is an increase in mini games, which I personally added a more fun lighthearted break up to the similar story we have all seen before.

    The Imaginators is a great but not crucial part to the series. I personally love character creation and fell in love with creating my character. the only down side of the creation is that the class you picked is locked to the crystal, you CANNOT reset the class. Beware buying crystals....they are missing the foil from the bottom so you can use the crystals in box.....Throughout the game you unlock armor sets that both are cosmetic and have some boosts not unlike how hats were throughout the game series. Now, micro transactions ARE available in game via your respective store. but you do NOT need to buy them in order to complete the game or boost your character. you get a ton of loot boxes in game that unlock a multitude of items. do not ignore the mini games, they do give you these loot boxes as well. I will reference a previous review saying Imaginators are weak and useless without the gear. That is not the case. Some classes are harder to get used to than others, and i think that is the difficulty factor that can lead to people thinking they are useless and underpowered. even without gear my magic bird ninja wiped the board with enemies. Within an hour of playing the game I was getting epic and ultimate gear which provide some decent boosts to the characters as well.

    Like all skylanders games there are various difficulty levels, and areas locked behind sensi's which may lead you to purchase more sensei's if you are a completionist. if you are not I think you will be satisfied with what Imaginators brings to the table. Its a nice twist to the old system that provides some hours of amusement for those addicted to creating characters.

    So in the end, it's the same Skylanders we have all come to know and love. Yes you can buy all the crystals and figures and adventure packs. Do you need to, to enjoy the game? No. Just playing with the starter pack for about six hours yesterday was a blast while I wait for my sensei's to come in today. Definitely a good time, especially if you are familiar with previous installments of the game. So give it a shot!    … Full Review »
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