Day 228, Game 228 - Skylanders Cloud Patrol

Weekends with any of my kids over usually means that my gaming time is limited, for the most part. Sure, I get to play some games, but depending on what we actually do while I have them obviously determines which games I play and for how long. And yeah, I play games still that I don't write about while the kids are over here, but there are also games I play with them that I wouldn't normally play unless they were over, so I figure I might as well write about those games. Makes sense, right?

Well, one of those games is Skylanders Cloud Patrol, which I played with my daughter. When she comes over, her favorite thing to do is play on my iPad, as I have filled that thing with kid games specifically for her, in hopes of keeping her slightly entertained. One of the games I have on there, which I first had on my phone back when it was first released last year, was this game, and to be completely honest, I can't say I only put this game on the iPad for her. Truth is, I actually enjoy this game quite a bit.

Of course, that might have a lot to do with my somewhat-secret affinity for the Skylanders franchise as a whole. I freaking love Skylanders. I love the idea behind it, I really enjoy the simplicity yet still difficult nature of the games, and more than anything else, I love collecting all the figurines, despite how expensive it gets. Collecting them reaches down deep into my soul, back to my childhood with baseball cards. Collecting things is an addiction I've never learned how to kick or even handle, and while I'm no where near a hoarder, I have the tendencies to be one. Thankfully, I don't compile or keep around trash and junk. I just have a problem when there is a full series of something to collect, especially when it is difficult to obtain them all (because of limited quantities, especially). 

So when Skylanders came out with this mobile game, which was based in the Skylanders universe, but its own stand alone game, I bit at it like a starving shark in an aquarium full of guppies. And I'm glad I did then, as my youngest boy (the big Skylanders fan of the children) and I had a lot of fun playing it together back then. Now, with having it on the iPad, I have the same sort of enjoyment with my daughter, albeit less skilled and more silly. 

The game itself is simple. You tap on the screen to shoot trolls as they pop up from behind barrels and boxes. Blast all the trolls in the level to move on to the next. Get hit by their attacks or accidentally shoot a bomb, and your game is over. Throughout each run, you aim for specific challenges, either round-specific ones or cumulative ones, which give you bonus points and that sort of thing. All in all, the main goal is just to aim to beat your high score and make better runs each time you play. You can get bonuses by using Skylanders with the matching element for the day as well, which is a cool way to keep the game somewhat fresh on a regular basis. It doesn't matter which Skylander you choose to play as, since they don't have any specific attacks or traits, but you can unlock different ones in-game or by using the online codes that come with each actual Skylanders figure for the regular game. Basically, it is a neat way to merge the two together, even if it's in a small way. 

My daughter likes just shooting stuff as they pop up, just as any four year old should. I worry about combos and bonuses and challenges and high scores, because well, I'm neurotic like that. If I can take anything away from playing games with her, it would be trying to learn how to just have fun with games, enjoying the journey and not worrying about the destination. 

I also realized how much I am looking forward to Disney Infinity being released. Oh man...   

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