At Gamescom 2018, we were able to take a closer look at the new mobile strategy MMO Skylanders: Ring of Heroes. The latest game in the Skylanders series focuses on smartphones and loot boxes instead of toy figures.
For many players, the term Skylanders primarily means colorful monster game figures that stand in some corners of electronics stores. With these figures, Skylanders was extremely successful in 2011. The first game in the series was released at that time on all common consoles and had a unique concept called “Toys to Life”.
What is Toys to Life? In Skylanders, you fight with cute monsters (the Skylanders) against other creatures. To get a monster, you had to buy the corresponding figure in real life and could load it into the game using the appropriate hardware and then use it virtually.
This “Toys to Life” concept was particularly well received by kids at the time, and sales boomed. However, by now the concept has worn out, and the last main series game was released in 2016. Something new is needed.
Smartphone instead of toy figures
Skylanders becomes a mobile game: With the new series installment Skylanders: Ring of Heroes, the series takes a different direction. There will be no more figures. Instead, you play on your smartphone and collect your monsters in the game.
Pretty graphics on touchscreens: Everything looks good on the screens of smartphones and tablets, and the effects are colorful and vibrant.
By the way, Ring of Heroes is developed by the studio Com2Us, which has already developed the immensely successful mobile game Summoners War.
Loot boxes replace toys: If you want a new creature, you have to collect the right soul stones. Depending on which beast you want, you need different stones. The gems can be obtained for certain achievements in the game or through RNG loot boxes.
However, the developers assure that they do not want to operate a pay-to-win system and that it is also possible to collect sufficient monsters without spending real money.
In total, there are currently 62 Skylanders and 20 support creatures. The developers intend to bring more creatures into the game after the release.
Figures are useless: However, anyone who hoped to use their old Skylanders figures in Ring of Heroes will be disappointed. The figures have no function anymore in the mobile game.
Complex mobile gameplay
How does Skylanders: Ring of Heroes play? The game is basically a hero grinder similar to Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. This means that you assemble a team of three monsters and add lesser monsters (villains) as support.
Your monsters then attack the enemy team on a static battlefield. The game principle is fundamentally turn-based but not in the classical sense.
Cooldowns determine order: You can have your monsters perform various actions that have different cooldowns. Additionally, each monster builds up mana over time, which can be used for special actions.
Depending on what commands you give your monsters, they will come up more or less often. The result is a colorful, dynamic action spectacle, where something is always happening.
PvP is also available: In addition to PvP and coop battles against AI monster teams, you can play Skylanders Ring of Heroes in PvP:
- Asynchronous: You compete against a team of another player who is not online. Instead, you try to beat their pre-made team, with the AI taking control of the enemy
- Synchronous: Here you compete in real-time against another player and fight for victory. Here you’ll receive better rewards than in asynchronous PvP
The Monster Workshop
Your Skylanders can be optimized: When you get a Skylander, it has a set of complex strengths and weaknesses as well as multiple skills. You can further optimize the creature and equip it with gear and runes.
This way, you can optimize your favorite monster according to your playstyle and further enhance it. Particularly successful monsters can be further upgraded and finally even “awakened”, which provides a new skin along with changed stats and skills.
Release and hardware
When will Skylanders: Ring of Heroes be released? The game will be released as a free-to-play title in October for iOS and Android devices.
What hardware do I need? The hardware requirements are moderate. During the Gamescom presentation, Skylanders: Ring of Heroes ran with lower graphics settings even on an old iPhone 6s from 2015.
Who is the game suitable for? Skylanders: Ring of Heroes is said by the developers to be particularly interesting for fans of the previous games. However, newcomers should also find it easy to navigate. The game is also intended to satisfy both casual players and hardcore gamers.
