History VideoGame / Skylanders

-->'''Machine Ghost:''' "...And let's just hope (Kaos) doesn't know (the Fist of Arkus) has [[EyeBeams eye lasers]]."
-->'''Ermit:''' "Oh... well he probably does NOW!"
-->'''Machine Ghost:''' "Oops... my mistake."

* DemotedToExtra: Spyro used to have his own [[VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon video game franchise]], including two trilogies, and at worst had to share the spotlight with Cynder at the end of ''TheLegendOfSpyro''. With the initial ''Skylanders'' he still had top billing, was included with every copy of the game, and had three variations of his toy to boot, but he and Cynder were joined by 30 other guys. As of ''Skylanders: Giants'', he no longer appears in the title, being upstaged by the Giants, and his new toy is not included with copies of the game.
** By extension, Cynder gets it too, but with ''Giants'', she gets a little back when her toy is one of the pack-ins.

* FieldPowerEffect: Unusually, there doesn't seem to be a flat ElementalRockPaperScissors mechanic, at least in the story mode; rather each area has a specific type that gets an attack boost. In ''Giants'', areas behind elemental gates also provide free HP regeneration for that element.

* FollowTheMoney

* HoldingOutForAHero: Surprisingly subverted in ''Spyro's Adventure''. Instead of sitting around and letting the player save the day, the Mabu villagers from the first chapter go out and form their own military to help fight Kaos' army. They actually help a surprising amount, locating several of the components of the Core of Light themselves (though actually retrieving it is, naturally, left to you).

* InescapableAmbush: There are many times where the first thing you do upon entering a room is fight off a wave or two of Mooks to unlock a nearby gate. Hidden elemental zones in ''Giants'' even have rooms where you are ambushed by {{Evil|Knockoff}} Skylanders, sometimes two or three at once.

* NoOntologicalInertia: What happened to Kaos' Hydra after the battle? You didn't land a single blow on it during the fight....

** "Series 2" figures; they're the same in stats and appearance as the original characters (and still compatible with the first game) but they can purchase an exclusive "Wow Pow" ability and can switch between their two upgrade paths at any time.
** "[=LightCore=]" Skylanders, whose toys light up while on the portal and release a damaging blast of light when summoned in-game.

* TooDumbToLive: The trolls. Apparently, their leaders actually have to tell the soldiers not to ''juggle live grenades'' in the middle of a battle, among other equally insane things.

* TheUnfought: Captain Dreadbeard and Vathek from the Adventure Pack levels aren't actually fought. Dreadbeard has to be beaten in a card game and Vathek sends a large swarm of minions to fight you. [[spoiler:When he tries to take care of you personally, Flavius takes the throne while he's concentrating on you and turns him to stone with the throne's power.]] Out of the three bonus-level-exclusive {{Big Bad}}s, only Occulous of Draklight Crypt is actually fought in the console version (you do get to fight Vathek in a proper boss fight on the 3DS version).

* TemptingFate: Occurs a few times in ''Giants''. For example:
** After rescuing Ermit, Flynn comments that their ship will be okay just as long as, say, they don't get hit by lightning ... (ZOT!) "Whoa! Now what are the odds of that!?"
** During the final battle against Kaos:
-->'''Machine Ghost:''' "...And let's just hope (Kaos) doesn't know (the Fist of Arkus) has [[EyeBeams eye lasers]]."
-->'''Ermit:''' "Oh... well he probably does NOW!"
-->'''Machine Ghost:''' "Oops... my mistake."

** AllegedlyFreeGame: Averted by ''Cloud Patrol''. [=iOS=] apps can be notorious for microtransactions, but everything in ''Cloud Patrol'' can be unlocked with in-game currency; and while you can buy that currency with real money the game also gives it to you at a pretty good rate so it's hardly necessary. Same deal for ''Lost Islands''.
* MonsterArena: After completing Level 3 in ''Giants'', Brock allows you access to arena challenges where you fight monsters (under various rules) for cash and prizes, including monsters that you haven't encountered in the story levels yet. You can repeat the challenges as often as you wish, but the rewards are reduced by half after completing a challenge the first time.

* SecretLevel: Four levels unlocked with their own toys: Pirate Seas, Darklight Crypt, Empire of Ice, and Dragon's Peak. These tend to be based on gimmicks; Pirate Seas is broken up by Concentration-style card games, Darklight Crypt features DualWorldGameplay, Empire of Ice is a SlippySlideyIceWorld and Dragon's Peak is partly an UnexpectedShmupLevel.
** SecretCharacter: The characters bundled with these levels (Terrafin, Ghost Roaster, Slam-Bam, and Sunburn respectively) have their Soul Gems hidden in the levels they come with. So you can only watch their demo videos after you already have the package that includes them.
*** Even moreso the "Sidekicks", AssistCharacter mini-versions of regular Skylanders (Whisper Elf, Gill Runt, Trigger Snappy, and Terrabyte). Most toys (beyond the main Skylander list and those available at release) were spoiled fairly quickly, either [[AllThereInTheManual in the strategy guide]] or by the 3DS game's InterfaceSpoiler. The Sidekicks' existence wasn't known until ''months'' later, shortly before the promotion that would make them available.

** Every level has an AlliterativeName: Perilous Pastures, Treetop Terrace, Cadaverous Crypt, and so on.
** In ''Giants'', even Charms ("Clever Clover", "Bright Blade") and DifficultyLevels ("Chompy Cuddler", "Heavy Hitter") have alliterative names.

* DeadpanSnarker: Glumshanks, Kaos' goblin sidekick. See IncrediblyLamePun as well.

* DismantledMacGuffin: The Core of Light in ''Spyro's Adventure''. Nearly every level has you retrieving an Eternal Elemental Source or some other component of it.

* FieldPowerEffect: Unusually, there doesn't seem to be a flat ElementalRockPaperScissors mechanic; rather each area has a specific type that gets an attack boost (and, in ''Giants'', free HP regeneration).

** In ''Giants'', the Arkeyan King ruled his empire with an iron fist. No, really, it's a huge fist made of iron. The strategy guide even lampshades it; saying that it happened because the Arkeyans were LiteralMinded: they heard people say they ruled with an iron fist, so they figured they should make an iron fist to rule with.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters - Over 30 playable characters to choose from in ''Spyro's Adventure''; while ''Giants'' brings it close to 50. And neither of those numbers include special variants.
** [[MerchandiseDriven Most heroes]] [[BribingYourWayToVictory sold separately.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:This is how one of Kaos's attacks is revealed during the final boss of ''Giants''.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Machine Ghost:''' "...And let's just hope (Kaos) doesn't know (the Fist of Arkus) has eye lasers."]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Ermit:''' "Oh... well he probably does NOW!"]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Machine Ghost:''' "Oops... my mistake."]]

* TheStinger[=/=]SequelHook: Used in ''Giants'', when Kaos retreats to his family home (that you raided earlier in the story):

* TheUnfought: Captain Dreadbeard and Vathek from the Adventure Pack levels aren't actually fought. Dreadbeard has to be beaten in a card game and Vathek sends a large swarm of minions to fight you. [[spoiler:When he tries to take care of you personally, Flavius takes the throne while he's concentrating on you and turns him to stone with its power.]] Out of the three bonus level exclusive {{Big Bad}}s, only Occulous is actually fought, though you do get to fight Vathek in a proper boss fight on the 3DS version.

** In ''Giants'', Jet-Vac even gets an achievement for vaccuuming up the harmless birds that populate various levels.

* YouBreakItYouProfit: In ''Skylanders: Universe'', breaking respawning crates, bottles and such not only gives you coins, but also gives your Skylander [=EXP=]. The main games also features RewardingVandalism as well, though in a lesser quantity.

* EasyModeMockery: In the sequel, "Easy" mode is given the flattering title of "Chompy Cuddler."

* ExcitedEpisodeTitle: Two chapters in ''Giants'' - Chapters 10 ("Aerial Attack!"} and 16 {"Bringing Order to Kaos!"}.

** The 3DS version plays a lot like the original Spyro games, and some have even compared it to the classic ''CrashBandicoot'' games.

** In ''Giants'', the Arkeyan King ruled his empire with an "iron fist". No, really, it's a huge fist made of iron.

* OurGiantsAreBigger: The new feature of ''Giants''.

* ElementalPowers: Every Skylander is classified under one of eight elements -- [[PlayingWithFire Fire]], [[MakingASplash Water]], [[BlowYouAway Air]], [[DishingOutDirt Earth]], Life ([[GreenThumb nature]]), [[CastingAShadow Undead]], [[FunctionalMagic Magic]], or [[ClockPunk Tech]]. But not every Skylander posesses an attack or ability matching their element -- for example, Spyro (Magic) wields fire breath, while Sonic Boom (Air) has no wind-based attacks whatsoever. See the [[Characters/SkylandersSpyrosAdventure Skylander character sheet]] for details.

* NonlethalBottomlessPits: Generally averted, as the Skylanders can't actually fall off of any platforms into a BottomlessPit in the first place. However, a few elemental bonus areas and the battle arenas in ''Giants'' do have them.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: The background stories of most of the Skylanders include quite a few.

** Character data is saved to the toys, so any progress you made in one game carries over into others. (To a point, anyway; the 3DS game only looks at levels and ignores other stats; and ''Spyro's Adventure'' doesn't recognize additions from ''Giants''.)
** ''Skylanders: Giants'' advertises that ''every'' figurine produced for the first game -- including the "Adventure Pack"-exclusive level and item figures -- are just as compatible with the sequel as the first game. It goes in reverse, too, as ''Giants'' toys can be used with ''Spyro's Adventure'' provided the character existed in the first game.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: On average, each element only has one female character in the group, and some of those females are only introduced in ''Giants''. Also, Ninjini is currently the only female giant.

** There is actually a part where you have to attack them to prevent them from eating the apples off a trees.
** Not to mention almost every NPC in the first game can be attacked, and they all shout in pain when you do.
** In ''Giants'', Jet-Vac gets an achievement for vaccuuming up the harmless birds that populate various levels.

* ChargedAttack: Many characters can purchase upgrades enabling them to charge more powerful attacks by holding down the respective Attack button.

** ''Giants'' has an achievement for registering Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy; as a reference to the ''Spyro's Adventure'' starters and freebie for those who own ''Spyro's Adventure''.
* CreativeClosingCredits: In the Wii version of ''Spyro's Adventure'', [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWpyB9uaHB8 Flynn engages in a little Fourth Wall-breaking.]] He does it again in ''Giants'', this time joined by the Chompy Mage, one of the level bosses.
* CriticalStatusBuff: Acquiring the "Clever Clover" charm grants a Defense boost any time a Skylander is low on HP. Curiously, enemies seem to have this property as well.

* GottaCatchEmAll: Sure, you ''can'' get through the game with the three Skylanders in the box, but to get most everything you'll need at least a set of eight (one from each element, with one of them being a Giant in the sequel), and there's definite incentives to get all the Skylanders available. And for collectors, there's a bunch more variant figures out there (see PaletteSwap below).
* GreenAesop: The trolls are guilty of multiple kinds of environmental damage in both character bios and the game itself, including offshore oil drilling (Wham Whell's bio) and deforestation (Stump Smash).

* LiteralMetaphor: In ''Giants'', the Arkeyan King ruled his empire with an iron fist. No, really, it's a huge fist of iron.

* TheUnfought: Captain Dreadbeard and Vathek from the Adventure Pack levels aren't actually fought. Dreadbeard has to be beaten in a card game and Vathek sends a large swarm of minions to fight you. [[spoiler:When he tries to take care of you personally, Flavius takes the throne while he's concentrating on you and turns him to stone with it.]] Out of the three bonus level exclusive {{Big Bad}}s, only Occulous is actually fought, though you do get to fight Vathek in a proper boss fight on the 3DS version.

** Not to mention almost every NPC can be attacked, and they all shout in pain when you do.

* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:As the final battle of ''Spyro's Adventure'' wears on, Kaos smites his own minions and gives their experience points to his ''next'' set of minions; when the last group fails, he collects all their experience points to refill his own HP, and rely solely on his Hydra to fight you.]]

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: To save on dialogue, most NPC's only ever refer to the currently-in-use Skylander as, well, "the Skylander". The exceptions are in the opening level of ''Spyro's Adventure'', where Hugo will identify the starter pack figures (Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy) by name; and the Oracle in ''Giants'', who can identify ''any'' of the 48 Skylanders by name, even the ones who aren't officially part of the Series 2 line.

* LivingToys: How Spyro, Gill Grunt, Eruptor, Stump Smash and Stealth Elf were portrayed in the introduction to ''Giants''.

** AllegedlyFreeGame: Averted by ''Cloud Patrol''. [=iOS=] apps can be notorious for microtransactions, but everything in ''Cloud Patrol'' can be unlocked with in-game currency; and while you can buy that currency with real money the game also gives it to you at a pretty good rate so it's hardly necessary.

** Averted for Cynder, as Quigley in the ruins outright asks her if she came BackFromTheDead.

** Character data is saved to the toys, so any progress you made in one game carries over into others. (To a point, anyway; the 3DS game only looks at levels and ignores other stats.)
** ''Skylanders: Giants'' advertises that ''every'' figurine produced for the first game -- including the "Adventure Pack"-exclusive level and item figures -- are just as compatible with the sequel as the first game.
** The "Faithful Trio" achievement in ''Giants'' involves transferring Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy (the three figurines shipped with the first game) to your in-game collection. It is one of the few achievements that doesn't require "orange base" figures to receive.

* RefugeeFromTVLand: The figures are supposedly the actual characters torn out of their world and into ours by [[BigBad Kaos]].

* RPGElements: Though the game is primarily action-platformer / HackAndSlash, you can collect experience points to level-up your Skylanders. The only real benefit, however, is increased HP; increases to other stats are acquired by purchasing upgrades.

* SequentialBoss: Battles against Kaos's minions generally unfold in these phases: 1st minion, 1st obstacle swarm, 2nd minion, 2nd (tougher) obstacle swarm, 3rd Minion, (sometimes with a third obstacle swarm), then finally [[DualBoss everything at once]].

* TheStinger: Used in ''Giants'', when Kaos retreats to his family home:

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: The in-game collectibles include {{Nice Hat}}s for your Skylanders to wear. They actually do something in the console versions, I.E. give your Skylanders minor stat boosts. In the 3DS version, though, they are just cosmetic.

* OldSaveBonus: Character data is saved to the toys, so any progress you made in one game will carry over into others. (To a point, anyway; the 3DS game only looks at levels and ignores other stats.) The sequel advertises that ''every'' figure produced for the first game -- including the "Adventure Pack" level and item figures -- are just as compatible with the sequel as the first game.

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Every level has an AlliterativeName: Perilous Pastures, Treetop Terrace, Cadaverous Crypt, and so on.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: One Skylander of each element (Warnado, Camo, Ghost Roaster, Sunburn, Vodood, Boomer, Wham-Shell, and Dino-Rang) is absent from the ''Giants'' toyline, though they are still playable in-game.

* DoomyDoomsOfDoom:

* EvilKnockoff: Several boss battles involve Kaos summoning evil Skylander clones to attack you. He alternates this strategy with some BulletHell (see SequentialBoss). They appear in ''Giants'', too, as bonus area minibosses.
* ExcitedEpisodeTitle: Two chapters in ''Giants'' - Chapters 10 ("Aerial Attack!") and 16 ("Bringing Order to Kaos!").
* FacePalm: Cali does this a lot when Flynn is speaking.

* FieldPowerEffect: Unusually, there doesn't seem to be a flat ElementalRockPaperScissors mechanic; rather each area has a specific type that gets an attack boost.

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: A lot of gameplay stuff was integrated into the game's universe, besides just the whole "toys in our world" thing. Those glowy bits that serve as EXP? Enemies drop them even in cutscenes, and [[spoiler:Kaos uses them himself during the final battle]]. And how a Skylander says a phrase when you summon them? According to a story scroll that's not just a game interface thing, shouting a BattleCry is a Skylander custom.
** In ''Giants'', we see that Kaos ended up [[spoiler:in a toy store]] after the first game, and he gets back to the Skylands through [[spoiler:the portal in a store display]].

* HeroesRUs: The Skylanders are presented as this kind of group. Though they don't seem very picky about who joins, so long as they're a big enough {{Badass}} to help out.
* HoldingOutForAHero: Surprisingly subverted in ''Spyro's Adventure''. Instead of sitting around and letting the player save the day, the Mabu villagers from the first chapter go out and form their own military to help fight Kaos' army. They actually help a surprising amount, locating several of the components of the Core of Light themselves.
* HubLevel: The Ruins in ''Spyro's Adventure'', Flynn's ship in ''Giants''

* MerchandiseDriven / RevenueEnhancingDevices: Despite the fact that the toys are integrated into the story, the fact remains that the game tries its darndest to get you to buy more stuff. When you pick up a Soul Gem for a character you don't have, you're even asked if you want to see a preview (read: advertisement) for that character. ''Giants'' invites ''Spyro's Adventure'' owners to double-dip on figures, as "Series 1" characters don't count towards that game's collection-related achievements (but it only needs 40 figures to get all those achievements, less than the size of the ''Giants'' toyline).

* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: After purchasing six of a character's ten upgrades, the player is required to "Choose Your Path" for upgrades 7 thru 9, upgrading either their primary or secondary attack, but not both. Series 2 figures, however, can switch between upgrade paths.

** Character bios for undead Skylanders like Hex and Ghost Roaster merely say that they were "transformed" into their present condition. Averted for Cynder, as the kid in the ruins does outright ask her if came BackFromTheDead.

* OldSaveBonus: Character data is saved to the toys, so any progress you made in one game will carry over into others. (To a point, anyway; the 3DS game only looks at levels and ignores other stats.)
* OurGiantsAreBigger: The titular new feature of ''Giants''.

** "Series 2" figures; they're the same in stats and appearance as the original characters (and still compatible with the first game) but they each have an additional "Wow Pow" ability and can switch between upgrade paths at any time.

** And unique variants like 3DS version exclusives Dark Spyro and Punch Pop Fizz, who have different colors and stat distributions.

* RPGElements: Though the game is primarily action-platformer, you can collect experience points to level-up your Skylanders. The only real benefit, however, is increased HP; increases to other stats are acquired by purchasing upgrades.

* ShoutOut: Those trolls with the WolverineClaws? They are ''actually called'' "[[{{Wolverine}} Trollverines]]".

** One of Trigger Happy's upgrades, a WaveMotionGun, is called the [[SpaceBattleshipYamato Golden Yamato Blast]].

* BulletHell: Though certainly not as intense as those of arcade shooter fame, Kaos summons some pretty large swarms of elementally-themed obstacles during your battles against his minions. (The Doomsharks even give you HP bonuses for "grazing" the side of one without taking damage!) And then there's the FinalBoss, where Kaos's Hydra not only launches the same swarms of obstacles at you, but even mixes them up. Can you dodge e.g. deadly laser beams ''and'' swarms of sharks at the same time?
** Even more bullet hell fun in ''Giants'', too. Seriously, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44r8L6BHNLc This]] is obviously inspired by ''{{Ikaruga}}''..
* CanonImmigrant: Cynder is carried over from ''TheLegendOfSpyro'' games, and Auric the Banker is Moneybags from the Classic ''SpyroTheDragon'' series down to the last detail. (He's a brown bear with a monocle and a black suit obsessed with treasure for crying out loud!) Sparx the Dragonfly also appears, getting a toy at that, but as an item instead of a playable character.