Skipper ✪ Posted May 18, 2019 Posted May 18, 2019 The toys-to-life trend of plastic playthings and console games is, by most, considered to have had its day. Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Lego Dimensions were the main contenders that, for a spell, caught children's imagination with the ability to unlock in-game characters and track their progress with the physical toy. But that was in 2015. Therefore, Starlink: Battle For Atlas might seem a little late to the party. However, this new space combat and exploration game from publisher Ubisoft significantly updates the toys-to-life premise for a new generation - and does that with an impressively polished game. The Toys The toys themselves are a combination of spacecraft, weapons, wings and pilots. These four elements are interchangeable. Children can invent their own craft from these pieces by simply snapping on and off the different components. What's clever is that this is instantly matched in the game. If you encounter an enemy who is susceptible to heat damage you can snap on heat-based weapons and be ready to blast them out the sky. This is a really neat approach to customisation and is something that's extended in the game itself by being able to upgrade the different weapons and ships. Add to this the different abilities each pilot brings to the fray and it really does feel quite elegant. The production quality of the ships is really good too. The pilots, although a little less detailed than larger Skylander models, slot into their cockpits satisfyingly. Weapons and wings snap on with a solid click. When docked the ships all have lights, and being able to see the pilot inside their craft is a really nice touch. Even if this was just a toy (with no smart features) children would be quite happy playing with it This is an easy aspect of the game to overlook if you don't have youngsters to test it on. As with any toys-to-life game the value comes from the toys as well as the on-screen excitement. Starlink gets this spot on.
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