Toy Fair 2014: Skylanders Swap Force Year Two

With lots of new figures on display and a continuation of Swap Force for the new year, the Skylanders exhibit at Toy Fair proved Activision has another exciting year planned for their smash hit franchise.

Activision continues on with their gaming juggernaut: Skylanders. Introduced were new characters and redecoed core Skylanders in Easter-themed, egg-shaped packaging. In addition, three new Swap Force characters were shown off, expanding upon the part-swapping feature of their predecessors. I was expecting some big news from the folks at Activision, but the biggest surprise came when there was no surprise.

Joking their Swap Force peers are Freeze Blade, Doom Stone, and my favorite, the bear trap-carrying Trap Shadow. The deco and style of these characters are more dynamic and colorful than ever before. You can figure out their personality and coolness factor right from the sculpt, and like before, everyone will have a favorite. We were also introduced to three new core characters: Springtime Trigger Happy (riding on a pastel Easter Egg-colored bomb), Fryno, and a rebellious aquatic princess named Punk Shock.

More LightCore figures are coming as well to pad the line with fresh product throughout the year. Normally, this is because the rollout is spaced out in anticipation of the sequel. Activision has captivated fans year in and year out with each installment in the series, and I was really anticipating a sneak peak of the next Skylanders game. But what we were told is that though another chapter to the series is inevitable, it’s not this year. At least there was nothing to report.

It was quite a bummer that Skylanders 4 is a ways away. I was really itching to see what new game mechanic would be in store. Maybe they just need more time. At least we have plenty of new Skylanders remaining to tide us over until the fourth game arrives, portals and all. As they say –and it certainly applies here — good things come to those who wait.