Skylanders Imaginators_King Pen 4.jpg

Last year the de-facto version of Skylanders Superchargers was on the Wii U and 3DS, no where else could you access the full set of characters - including crossover amiibo Skylanders for Bowser and Donkey Kong.

At an event in London, Activision has just unveiled this year's game, dubbed Skylanders Imaginators. There's no news (so far) of any further amiibo collaborations but we have confirmation that the new instalment will support the existing Nintendo Skylanders.

Along with supporting all the existing figures, the innovation this year is that players can create their own Skylanders using a comprehensive designer tool. This not only lets you select the different body, leg, arm and head parts but also scale, colour and animate each one.

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To create a Skylander you need a Creation Crystal on the portal. This is a unique NFC toy that includes a glowing element much like the previous Light-Core Skylanders. All your choices, upgrades and experience for your custom character are then saved onto this toy.

Along with the user-created characters are a series of 20 "Sensei" Skylanders. These are grouped into elements and a unique Sensei sub-class that grants access to special chest containing more parts to add to your character.

Along with these special pieces there are more widely available parts dotted around in chests throughout each level that can be accessed by any Skylander. As you progress through the main story campaign you will accrue more and more parts and will be able to craft a wider range of character designs.

It is likely there will be sets of parts that go together and create more thematic or styled Skylander creations, in the same way as collecting sets of furniture in Animal Crossing works. It remains to be seen if particular designs benefit from special buffs or abilities.

Although we currently have images for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Starter Packs, those for Wii U have not been sighted. You could speculate that this means a further collaboration with Nintendo on Amiibo Skylanders is likely, and will be revealed at this year's E3 - as the previous Skylander amiibo were. Nothing official has been confirmed on that front currently.

There's also been no mention of the Wii version - perhaps this is the year Activision will finally leave that system behind - although that seems unlikely if a Nintendo collaboration does indeed take place.

What was shown at the reveal event was how players could earn upgrade abilities for their created Skylanders. These upgrade path enhancements offer a way to develop the character and their attacks as the game progresses.

Another nice touch is the continued inclusion of the kart racing game from Superchargers. This extends the use of the Nintendo vehicles from last year's game. Again, there's no confirmation if the courses will be updated in this latest iteration, but it has to be likely.

Skylanders Imaginators Wii U Starter Pack - includes two Senseis, one Creation Crystal, Portal of Power and the game - will be available October 16th in North America and October 14th in EU.