In late 2014, rumors swirled around the idea that Nintendo and Disney were in negotiations for some type of collaboration, one that many of us thought would be cross compatibility between the hard to find Amiibo figures and the house of mouse’s own Toys To Life franchise, Disney Infinity. As it was revealed at E3, they were definitely in talks with someone, but Activision’s Skylanders: Superchargers ended up as the home for Nintendo’s guest stars. Featuring Skylanders themed versions of Donkey Kong, Bowser, and their own vehicles, we were able to see them in action on the show floor, with some surprising new abilities for hardcore fans of all things Ninty.
Starting with Turbo Charge Donkey Kong, the iconic ape heads into Skylands with a snazzy, new jumpsuit to go with his trademark tie. Featured as a Life Element Skylander, not only using his brute strength to defeat Kaos’ evil forces, but DK also digs deep into his old bag of tricks when fighting off enemies. This includes throwing oversized barrels at enemies, attacking them with girders ripped straight out of the 80’s, and a Donkey Kong Country inspired barrel that launches him into the sky, (and on top of his helpless foes.) His vehicle, the Barrel Blaster, gives the Skylanders their own over-sized motorcycle to cruise along with. When DK uses it himself however, he Supercharches it and provides some powerful upgrades, which includes an appearance from Diddy Kong, who pops up out of the side car! Needless to say, it’s clear that Donkey’s portrayal goes above and beyond the levels of fanservice we would have expected, so much more appealing to own!
Not to be outdone, Hammer Slam Bowser arrives with his own special abilities, both new and old. As the name implies, the king of the Koopas comes equipped with his own golden hammer, which he uses to smash enemies with his standard attacks. As you would probably expect, Bowser serves as a fire element Skylander, with his fire breath in tow. When he wants to leave the action to his minions, he can call upon his Koopa Troopas to walk in a straight line. If this works as well as it does against Mario, Bowser can mimic his rival by jumping on his own minions and knocking their shells into enemies. If you want to get morbid with it, burning them with his fire breath turns them into Dry Bones. That’s not to say that the villain can’t take care of himself, especially when his new form comes into play. As Magma Bowser, the already imposing figure grows larger, spews lava, and somehow manages to become even more imposing than he already is. Throw in his Clown Cluster plane that’s designed around his trademark Koopa Clown Car, and you have a fearsome ally on both the land and in the skies. When Supercharged, the clown design gets replaced with something closer to his likeness, taking the form of the king’s flying fortress.
Sounds awesome, right? The only catch is that these two WILL NOT be sold individually to help avoid confusion with the other versions, since they’ll only work on Nintendo platforms. If you want Donkey Kong, you’ll have to pick up the Wii U starter pack. For Bowser, the 3DS version will be the version for you. While understandable, this is still disappointing for those who don’t typically buy the Wii U version. Traditionally, portable Skylanders games have been drastically different from their console counterparts, so picking that copy up isn’t so bad. For someone like me who owns the home versions on other consoles however, it makes things a lot more complicated to say the least. It’s safe to say that boosting sales of the Nintendo versions is the goal though, so mission accomplished? Oh, and why do they both come with Stealth Elf? I foresee a ton of trade ins in her future.
Either way, both characters are worth doing what you have to to get them. Aside from their new designs and amazing in game abilities, twisting their base switches between Skylander and Amiibo modes, allowing them to function as both. But most importantly, is this enough to sway you? Give us your thoughts on this new collaboration, and look out for a full preview of Skylanders: Superchargers in the coming days.