Skylanders Swap Force

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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  1. Gaming Nexus
    Feb 18, 2014
    88
    The swappable characters add a nice new mechanic and jumping is finally in. The PlayStation 4 version looks solid with better textures and resolution. It's fun for the whole family, but can be an expensive investment if your kid wants to unlock every level in the game.
  2. TotalPlayStation
    Nov 18, 2013
    85
    A surprising step forward for a series we didn't expect to evolve, Skylanders: Swap Force adds a few new twists the liven things up. Yes, it's all in service of selling toys but that doesn't detract from a decent game.
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Mar 3, 2014
    80
    Looks marginally better than the PS3 version. That's about it. [February 2014, p83]
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  5. Armchair Empire
    Dec 30, 2013
    80
    A great and humorous story, colourful environments, deep campaign and swappable characters make this a great game you shouldn't miss.
  6. Worth Playing
    Nov 27, 2013
    80
    Skylanders: Swap Force is the best kid-friendly game available on the PS4.
  7. Play UK
    Dec 19, 2013
    77
    We expect a little bit more from a next-gen game. [Issue#238, p.72]
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  8. Push Square
    Dec 6, 2013
    60
    Sadly, the slow pacing, repetitive combat, and awkward jump mechanics let the gameplay down in places, and prevent it from reaching its full potential.

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best PS4 Game of 2013
27
#27 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2013
26
#26 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2013

User Reviews

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User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 57
  3. Negative: 19 out of 57
  1. ND-Bringer
    Jul 7, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Skylanders Swap Force is frowned upon by most as being the second weakest game in the acclaimed toys to life series. One of my favorite games to play as a kid, but only due to the fact that it was the first Skylanders game I ever completed. With the first game lacking an easy mode and my zombi-phobia acting up in the Cadaverous Crypt, I turned to Swap Force on my birthday hoping to experience the enjoyable gameplay under a new light. And after all these years reflecting the series as a whole I have to say, Bring back the zombies! No matter how I look at it, Swap Force always felt like a less-generic version of Imaginators. In fact if you take some random Swap Force figure parts and add a magical hat, that realization becomes haunting. If I were to describe the game as a whole, spoilers and all...it would sound something like this. Greetings Portal Master! Welcome to the world of cartoon-sludge Skylands.… Full Review »
  2. FreedomFighters
    Feb 25, 2018
    9
    After two years of letting Toys For Bob handle the development of the "Skylanders" franchise, Activision decided to hand off the developmentAfter two years of letting Toys For Bob handle the development of the "Skylanders" franchise, Activision decided to hand off the development of the threequel, "Skylanders: Swap Force," to Vicarious Visions. How did they handle the transition? Wonderfully, and in my eyes, they managed to create what might actually be the best game in the Skylanders series.
    There's a lot going for this game: it's beautiful, it's well-written, it's funny, it's charming, the characters are great, it's fun to play, the platforming is improved (YOU CAN JUMP NOW!!!) and the fun RPG-like elements are still there, and the level design is pretty great! And considering that the game is much longer and beefier than the pretty short "Giants," it's essentially everything you could want out of a "Skylanders" game!
    Well...almost. After "Giants" introduced Skystones, which was a pretty fun part of the game, "Swap Force" decided to take it out, which kinda sucks. It's not a big deal, but it's kinda sad. What IS a big deal is how much more you'll be paying this time around. There are now quite a few more figures available, and on top of that, this time around you will need QUITE A FEW new characters if you want to complete the game fully. Not only that, but there's no Portal Owner's Pack for this entry, because apparently the old portal can't detect the new "Swap Force" Skylanders' top-halves. Kinda strange, in my eyes, but whatever you say, Activision. So basically, you'll need to pay a bit more from the jump this time around to get what is essentially the same portal (just slimmer and lighter).
    "Skylanders: Swap Force" marks the point in the series where the cash-grabbing started to become a bit more cynical. Even so, it also marks the apex of the series (Giants is my personal favorite, but this one is the most all-around well-made and most polished), and it's definitely a game that comes highly recommend (so long as your wallet is ready).
    Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"    … Full Review »
  3. Arthainius
    May 19, 2015
    7
    TIP : Buy these franchises a year behind their release. Ive just moved my son into the skylanders swapforce from giants and it has worked outTIP : Buy these franchises a year behind their release. Ive just moved my son into the skylanders swapforce from giants and it has worked out amazingly for us but I know its not the case for many people who have this game. We paid 15 bucks for starter pack and 15 for 4 used skylanders that all looked brand new at Game Stop. By doing this he was able to unlock almost all the content in game without need for more money spent. In truth it will be about 60 total by the time he has everything he needs but that's how much a new game cost anyway. Except he didn't get just a disc he now has 7 new action figures tons of stickers and a poster. The game is very fun dungeon crawler style game. Also has an arena mode which has been very very fun. Like if these games were not marketed the way they were you would see competitive PvP grow in this game. Go to your local gamestop find someone who knows about the game and how to make it chapest set up possible and you wont be disappointed with this game. The same set up we got for 30 apparently was around 110 total when this came out in 2013… Full Review »
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