Skylanders: Giants is a 2012 toys-to-life action role-playing game in the Skylanders series. It is a sequel to the 2011 game Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. As the title suggests, the game includes larger Skylanders called "Giants," along with new gameplay features. Sixteen new Skylanders were added, eight of whom are Giants: Bouncer, Crusher, Eye-Brawl, Hot Head, Ninjini, Swarm, Thumpback, and Tree Rex.

The game was released in October 2012 for Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. It was also released for Wii U as a launch title in North America, Europe, and Australia. It was the last Skylanders game owned by Vivendi before Activision became an independent company in 2013.

Gameplay

Skylanders: Giants continues the concept from the first game, which combines physical toy figures with a video game world. The game adds over 40 new toy figures, some of which are more than two times bigger than the original Skylanders figures in both real life and the game. Players connect a physical toy to the video game console using a "Portal of Power," which creates a matching character in the game. Figures from the first game can be used in Giants, but new "Series 2" versions are also available. These Series 2 figures have stronger abilities than the original ones. If Series 2 figures are used in the first game, they function as their own Series 1 versions. A new set of figurines called "LightCore" was introduced. These figures glow when placed on the Portal of Power and have a flash bomb attack in the game. The game includes an improved "Battle Mode" for two-player competition, with more locations, gameplay choices, and a wider variety of different versions of Skylanders characters.

Plot

10,000 years ago, the Arkeyan Empire, which was made up of robots, controlled the Skylands. The Giants, the first Skylanders who were larger than other Skylanders, fought back and defeated the robot king who held the Arkeyan power source, the Iron Fist of Arkus. This victory stopped all the robots from working, but the Giants were suddenly sent to Earth by the Fist. There, they turned into toys because they no longer had magic. Over time, people forgot about them and began to think they were just stories.

In the present day, after the events of the first Skylanders game, Kaos, who had been shrunk and placed in a toy store on Earth, finds a Portal of Power and returns to the Skylands. The Skylanders board Captain Flynn’s ship, the Dread-Yacht, after learning that something important is happening in the Skylands. They meet Ermit, a hermit, who tells them that Kaos has returned and accidentally awakened an ancient Arkeyan robot called the Conquertron, which now follows Kaos as its leader. The Skylanders are searching for the Lost City of Arkus, where the Iron Fist is located. Ermit also tells them he has a giant robot of his own. During their journey, the Skylanders meet a "machine ghost," which is actually the spirit of Ermit’s robot, before it is reactivated.

Even though the Skylanders try their best, Kaos reaches the Iron Fist of Arkus first and turns into a large Arkeyan robot, preparing to conquer the Skylands with the reactivated Arkeyans. The Skylanders learn that Kaos can only be stopped if the Iron Fist is removed from him. With help from Ermit and the Machine Ghost, the Skylanders take the Iron Fist away, defeating Kaos and returning him to his normal size. The Arkeyan Conquertron carries Glumshanks and Kaos out of the collapsing city before it stops working completely.

After the story ends, a post-credits scene shows Kaos and Glumshanks entering Kaos’ Kastle, where they meet Kaos’s mother, who is only seen in shadow. If players complete Nightmare Mode, they see a scene where Chompies dance and celebrate around the deactivated Iron Fist of Arkus.

3DS Plot

Long ago, the feared pirate Captain Freightbeard terrorized the Skylands. He was locked away in the Chest of Exile, with his sword used as a lock. Later, he returns to find the chest and cause chaos again. The Skylanders, the Giants, Hugo, Flynn, and Cali must find the Chest. They must follow clues to reach it before Captain Freightbeard.

Starter Packs

The Starter Pack includes the following items:

• Skylanders Giants disc
• Poster showing all the Skylanders from Skylanders Giants
• Portal of Power
• Three trading cards
• Three stickers and codes
• Three Skylanders figures: Tree Rex (Giant – Life), Cynder (Series 2 – Undead), and Jet-Vac (Air)

The 3DS Starter Pack includes the portal, a 3DS game card, and a Punch Pop Fizz figure instead of Jet-Vac.

Reception

Skylanders: Giants received mostly positive reviews on most platforms, according to Metacritic, a review site. However, the Nintendo 3DS version received some good and some not-so-good reviews. Overall, the game’s reviews were slightly lower than those for the previous game in the series, with the Nintendo 3DS version having the lowest Metacritic score in the series.

IGN gave the game an 8 out of 10 score, calling it "a more polished but standard sequel that is fun to play." PlayStation Lifestyle gave the game a 70 out of 100 score, stating that it is "fun for children, similar to collecting Pokémon cards or playing dungeon crawlers."

At the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences honored Skylanders: Giants with the "Family Game of the Year" award.

Skylanders: Giants made over $195 million in sales in the United States in 2012. In the first two weeks after its release, 500,000 Starter Packs and Portal Owner Packs were sold in the United States and Europe. A few months after its release, Activision reported that the Skylanders franchise had made over $1 billion in sales worldwide, just 15 months after the first game in the series was released.