Skylanders: Trap Team

Skylanders: Trap Team from 2014 by studio Toys for Bob is the fourth entry in the popular series that combines a video game with physical collectible figures. The novelty is the trap mechanic - special crystal items in which the player, after defeating a villain in combat, imprisons them, and can then control them as fully playable characters with their own abilities, animations, and distinctive humor, expanding the game's roster by dozens of additional characters.

The game on PlayStation 3 requires the Traptanium Portal peripheral, through which figures and traps are loaded into the game and become a visible part of the game world, which is the basic principle of the entire Skylanders brand since its first entry. The story takes place after the collapse of the Cloudcracker prison, from which the most dangerous villains of Skylands escaped, and the player, together with the Skylanders party and the newly captured villains, sets out to repair the damage caused and restore order to the individual regions, with progress through the game unlocking more and more areas of the map.

The gameplay remains an accessible action platformer with light RPG elements, clearly aimed at a family audience and younger players, with simple controls and a clear progression through levels full of enemies and simple puzzles. The collectible aspect of the figures and traps motivates repeated play as well as purchases of additional content, making the game simultaneously a business model built on physical collecting alongside the digital entertainment itself, similar to the competing Disney Infinity series.

Why play it: For the idea of controlling captured villains and family-friendly, accessible action.