Skylanders Ring of Heroes

This popular console game makes its first steps on the mobile platform, with an engaging tale for players. Skylanders Ring of Heroes builds on the fame of the Skylanders franchise, which debuted back in 2011 and served as a spinoff of the popular Spyro games while also igniting the whole "toys-to-life" craze. The series quickly became a phenomenon that grew beyond the initial boundaries of its toys-to-life roots. Skylanders Ring of Heroes is the latest mobile game to visit the world of Skylands, leaving the figures behind in favor of a more traditional free-to-play formula. Players summon characters earned as rewards through regular gameplay or by spending in-game or real-world money in microtransactions. While there's a constant marketing push towards spending money, it's still possible to make steady progress without paying extra. Also, there's a pretty good balance so that you never feel like you need to "pay to win", but still feel rewarded if you choose to do so.

The gameplay in Skylanders Ring of Heroes is relatively easy to play on the surface, but has some surprising layers of depth. The battles themselves are quick and straightforward, with players queuing up to three actions based on their team's equipped skills and available mana. Mana builds up quickly and actions have recharge timers to account for, keeping the players in a constant flow. Outside of battles is where the strategy comes in. Players try to build effective teams based their available skills, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their elemental alignments. It's a complex system that takes a while to learn but is essential at higher difficulties and in the game's PvP Arena battles. Despite this complexity and the overall change in gameplay, Ring of Heroes still feels like a true Skylanders game, not just some game with the license shoehorned in. The presentation, the characters, and even the story fit perfectly within the Skylanders universe, making the game a solid addition to the franchise as a whole.